Home Business The Easy Way - LBo Update http://www.blogmoneymiracle.com en-us EasyRSS
by George Levy

As someone who spends an obscene amount of time researching, playing and "working" on MySpace [and loving every minute of it I might add... ;-) ] I have made myself into an expert and an authority on the process of customizing or "pimping" profiles as my countless thousands on MySpace will vouch for me.

Before going deep on HOW to pimp MySpace, I'd first like to address WHY one should pimp his or her MySpace profile.

There are really two answers to this question...

The first is my expert opinion as a marketing specialist - "branding and differentiation."

As MySpace continues to grow at a frantic pace (there are currently over 108 million profiles on MySpace and growing at about 26,000 new ones daily) - it becomes increasingly difficult for an individual or an online business seeking to establish a presence on MySpace to "stand out from the crowd." A well pimped out profile allows for a unique user experience that separates and differentiates a profile from the millions of other "plain-vanilla", non-pimped profiles.

A customized profile allows for using corporate colors and logos as well as controlling the end-user experience to be consistent with one's overall brand identity.

Ok... having said that.

My second answer is more personal - simply "Because it looks cool and because you can."

So... having cleared that up.

The process of "pimping" or decorating and customizing a MySpace profile is part art/part science and consists of several key steps which should be addressed sequentially if you want to have a truly great looking profile.

In order, you must:

1. Choose the kind of look you are going for.

What will your profile be about? Is it about you? Is it for a business? Is there a specific atmosphere that you want your profile to have? You must be clear on what you want to portray and design in your profile prior to making any customizations.

This will help you save a lot of time and needless aggravation

2. Determine if you'll use a Pre-Made layout or create your own.

There are thousands of pre-made layouts available on the Internet. One need only to search in the search engines for the keywords "MySpace Layouts" to find page after page of web sites that offer pre-designed layouts for you to choose.

Another alternative, and my personal preference, is to design and develop your own profile look. By customizing your profile look and feel, you not only avoid the risk of using the exact same layout that somebody else is using but you also prevent any problems you may have with any copyrighted images in your layout that the original creator may not have secured and which may result in your profile being shut down by MySpace.

Should you choose instead to pimp your profile yourself, you will need to have a tool called a "MySpace Profile Editor" that will allow you to change most aspects of your profile including background images, colors, borders, fonts and a great number of other customizable options. You can do a search for "MySpace Profile Editor" to find one you can use.

Like in all software, there's the good, the bad and the ugly in profile editors and being tired of just finding "the bad", I personally chose to custom develop my very own easy to use, top of the line profile editor.

3. Customize your Contact table.

MySpace also allows you to customize a section of your profile called your "Contact Table." This is the small table underneath your default picture where you can select to Add as a Friend, Send a Message, Rate a Picture and other actions.

Once again, you can search on the web for "Pre-Made Contact Tables" that you can download and install but just like with pre-me profile layouts, you run into the same issues of not having a truly original profile and any potential copyright infringement issues.

My recommendation is, if you can develop your own contact table, by all means do so.

The general consensus on MySpace is that a profile is never truly pimped unless it has a custom table to go along with it...

So make sure that when you pimp your profile you choose a good looking contact table to go along with it.

4. Apply "hide codes" and "tweaks."

There are many other codes and so-called "hides and tweaks" that you can apply to your profile to make it hide specific information and change the look of many different elements including how pictures are displayed, if you want to center your profile and the order and number of how your friends are displayed. You can also apply effects to blur and reverse your images, add graphics that seem to "fall from the sky" and a great number of other options to embellish your profile.

In conclusion, pimping your MySpace profile is a very personal process and making your "Space" or profile be truly unique requires a combination of skills, patience and the willingness to try different things. Remember, in customizing your MySpace profile, there are no wrong answers and anything you create is yours to keep or discard (do overs are perfectly acceptable in MySpace... Unless of course you break any of MySpace's terms of service which can be accessed through a link at the bottom of every page on MySpace.)

Make sure you enjoy the process and don't be afraid to try new things - after all... it is YOUR MySpace profile, make it truly a reflection of who you are!

George Levy is an internationally recognized Internet marketing expert responsible for helping all types and sizes of businesses use the Internet to sell over $100 million dollars in the United States, Canada and 14 countries across Latin America. He is also commonly known as "His Mastership" on MySpace and is part of a select group of MySpace users commonly acknowledged as "Legends" and "VIPs" with thousands of friends worldwide and hundreds more added daily.

George is the expert author of the Internet Salesmanship newsletter and blog as well as the creator of best selling "MySpace Mastership" program with all the tools and video instructions necessary to Pimp your MySpace profile, make thousands of friends and become a well known celebrity on MySpace.

To find out more about George Levy, you may visit his blog at http://www.georgelevy.com and visit MySpace Mastership to receive his 5 day Free email course on achieving Mastership of MySpace at:

http://www.myspacemastership.com
]]> http://miraclemoneyblog.com/homebiztips/HomeBusinessTips_LBo_186/user/index.php
By Antonio Thornton

Everyone has a hobby of some kind - most people have several. There are people who collect stamps; people who make scrapbooks or create graphic designs with their digital photos; people who love horseback riding, hiking or bicycling.

Perhaps you do something that you don't even know is considered a "hobby". Technically, anything that you engage in for fun that is outside of your occupational activities is considered a hobby- so chances are you have lots of hobbies.

Have you ever considered turning one of your hobbies into a business? You may be surprised at how virtually any hobby can be converted to profits, and without tremendous overhead or ridiculously high start up costs.

What's even better, you aren't required to have a specific product to sell! In fact, you can make your knowledge your product to sell.

If you participate regularly in some sort of hobby, you are bound to know quite a bit about it. If you make scrapbooks of your family and friends, then you probably have extensive knowledge about where to get the best deals on your scrapbooking supplies, and how to create special effects on your photo album pages.

You refer to magazines and websites for inspiration. You have the personal knowledge of what it took to get started in the hobby. For example, scrapbooking requires that you have access to supplies like paper, stickers, glue, photo albums and scrapbooking tools.

Someone who has just learned about scrapbooking and thinks they want to start the hobby will need to figure out what you need to get started. You could offer this knowledge as your product to sell. Think people won't buy it? Think again.

Have you used a search engine to look up information? You know that it's time consuming to sort through all the data to find exactly what you're looking for. Often, you're given tons of information that does not seem all that reliable. You have to determine what you can use and what you need to avoid.

When you make your personal knowledge of a hobby your product to sell- you're helping everyone who wants to find that information without spending hours searching for it.

You do not need to have a physical product to sell in order to make a profit. In fact, having an inventory or having to create physical items from materials offers a lower profit margin than selling information.

Information products are among the top items to sell for a variety of reasons. They offer a low cost to get started, meaning you start earning a profit after just a couple sales. Informational products include eBooks, online courses or email courses, software, audio files, web sites- basically anything that can be downloaded from the Internet.

You aren't required to have an inventory. You can set up your business model to allow you to earn money by the work other people do for you.

Maybe you're thinking that this is all well and good- but you still don't have a product to sell! You haven't written an eBook, and maybe your writing skills are weak. Creating online or email courses are time consuming, and to create software you need special training. You can still sell your knowledge. Create a "package" of items that someone would need in order to get started in a particular hobby, and promote it as the "everything you need to know" about starting the hobby.

Contact someone who has written an informative eBook on the topic; find someone else who has made an online video or radio show regarding it, and request permission to sell the items in your package. If they have affiliate programs, you can probably sign up for the affiliate programs and earn commission that way. Include your list of great providers for supplies or information that you refer to regularly, and anything else you know a person needs in order to get started in the hobby. This is a product to sell: selling your knowledge.

Once you've earned money from this type of information product business, you can invest in the creation of your own products if you want, or start offering more informational products that allow you to sell your knowledge.

Copyright (c) 2006 www.hobby4profit.com

Antonio Thornton started with $37 and turned his "nerdy" computer hobby into a $500,000.00 per year business. Get the free Hobby For Profit Audio Report and discover how to turn your hobby into profit today! http://www.hobby4profit.com/freeh4p.
]]> http://miraclemoneyblog.com/homebiztips/HomeBusinessTips_LBo_186/user/index.php
By Alex Nghiem

In the Internet marketing world, there are many misconceptions and outright lies. However, the biggest secret is one that is so obvious nobody wants to talk about, or even being aware. In this article, I share what I (and many world-class marketers) consider the biggest “secret” in Internet marketing.

At this point, you are probably wondering. “What is the BIGGEST secret?”

Before I share this secret with you, let me share a common mistake committed by 99% of Internet marketers. Almost all Internet marketers I know can quote you their opt-in rate and spend hours, days, weeks, and even months tweaking their landing pages to get the highest opt-in rate. This is accomplished by asking for as little customer information as possible and casting as wide a net as possible. This usually requires asking for only the first name and the primary email address.

In many industries, this results in optimizing for the wrong results. What do I mean by that?

I spend a lot of time in multiple industries other than Internet marketing (including real estate, art, etc.) and for a long time, I was focusing on increasing my opt-in rate, but rarely closed any sales (my sales for my products and my clients’ products range from $997 to $25,000 per sale). When I thought about it, I realized that in all of these industries and especially at these price points, the sale is accomplished via the phone, not via the Web.

Thus, without realizing it, I was not collecting all the necessary information for me to complete a sale (that is, I was not asking for a phone number because I knew this would reduce my opt-in rate). Most of the “gurus” who are teaching list building do not take into account industries that conduct business primarily offline and/or the fact that high-end products are not closed via email alone. I am not sure any of them has ever tested their methods in offline businesses!

Now, I do a 2-step opt-in rate that allows me to have the highest opt-in rate on the first page and then ask for additional info (including the phone number and mailing address) on the “thank you” screen. This enables me to follow up via offline methods including postcards, direct mail, and even telemarketing.

What does this have to do with the biggest secret in Internet marketing? Simple…the most valuable leads often require you to follow up using offline methods. However, this contradicts almost all list building techniques being taught, which usually teach how to get the highest opt-in rate. In this case, I made more money by having a lower opt-in rate…but I got higher quality leads, which enable me to follow up via offline methods. Again, in many, many industries, the sales happen via the phone and in some cases via the fax and direct mail.

Therefore, before you spend too much time focusing on optimizing your opt-in rate alone, think through the sales process and figure out the best way to close the sale. Collect information for that to happen, even if it means a lower opt-in rate.

Now you know the biggest secret in Internet marketing. The next time somebody brags about their 50% opt-in rate, you will know that he/she is probably optimizing on the wrong thing and leaving WAY too much money on the table.

To get regular notifications on high-end product creation secrets, visit http://www.backendcashmanuscript.com/fromarticles

© Blue Samba Publications – All Rights Reserved
http://www.backendcashmachine.com

Alex Nghiem is the founder of Blue Samba Solutions, creator of the Backend Cash Machine, a proven system for enabling clients to make up to 10X by building a backend of high-end products. His system has been used in multiple industries including art, real estate, and many offline industries.

]]> http://miraclemoneyblog.com/homebiztips/HomeBusinessTips_LBo_186/user/index.php
By: Gary Foreman

Gwen writes: “What’s going on? This month on two separate credit card statements, there are notices informing us that as of October 1, we may be charged ‘more than two’ late fees or ‘over the limit’ fees per month.”

It is estimated that Americans have charged $1.8 trillion in 2005 on the 690 million credit cards outstanding. According to a Government Accountability Office study released in September 2006, 13% of credit card users were assessed over-limit fees and 35% were assessed late fees in 2005. So Gwen has a lot of company.

Let's try to do three things. First, understand what these fees are. Second, see how fees are changing. Third, what can Gwen do to keep from being hurt?

Credit cards have always had fees, such as, late payments. This is understandable. Other fees came along as credit cards took on new capabilities; cash advances and balance transfer fees. Still others should not seem possible; like over-limit fees. You would think they would not allow you to borrow more than your limit.

There are also 'penalty interest rates'. If you're late with a payment or go over your credit limit you could see your rate bumped to 30% or more.

The 2006 GAO study looked at fees and penalties. It said that not only were fees increasing, but also the credit card companies were doing a lousy job of informing consumers about those fees.

The credit card companies are obligated to tell you about any fees or penalties and how they're triggered. Some fees, like paying your credit card bill by phone, are sometimes not clearly disclosed. What Gwen received with her statement was a notice of a change in how fees would be charged. As long as she is notified, they can get by with almost anything.

Late fees have nearly tripled in the last 11 years. And many cards have adopted a 'universal default clause' that says a late payment on any card will trigger the penalty interest rate.

Credit card companies say that the higher interest rates and fees are appropriate based on risk factors. If it weren't for the higher fees, they claim that they wouldn't be able to offer credit to riskier consumers.

In fairness, the GAO's survey found that (at least among 6 of the largest card issuers) 80% of accounts paid interest rates of less than 20%. So the vast majority of card users are not paying penalty rates.

The study also found that the disclosures were written well above the eighth grade reading level and (surprise!) featured small print. They recommended that the Federal Reserve Board revise rules on credit card disclosures.

Now that we understand what's going on, we can try to help Gwen avoid problems:
1. Recognize the card issuers get to make most of the rules. Whether those rules are fair or not isn't relevant. The best she can do is to avoid getting hurt by those rules.
2. Get familiar with each account. The only way to know exactly what's allowed is to read and understand the "Card Member Agreement." Tough duty, but necessary!
3. Watch out for unexpected fees; like balance transfers or increasing your credit limit. Know what could trigger fees or penalty rates.
4. Know exactly when your payment is due. Keep a list of due dates for your credit card accounts. If you don't get the bill, it is your responsibility to contact the company and still make a timely payment.
5. If possible, the best thing is to join nearly half of the cardholders who paid little or no interest. That's because they do not carry a balance.
6. Obviously, for many people that's not immediately possible. It is important to send in your payment as soon as possible. Being seven days early is better than being one day late.
7. If you find it difficult to get your payment in on time, you might want to authorize the credit card company to automatically debit your checking account for the minimum payment each month. You'll probably pay for the service, but that way the payment can't be late.
8. Talk to your card issuer. If you’re due date falls at a bad time of the month, they'll move it.
9. If Gwen is near or over the limit on any card, she should try to shift part of the debt to a different card. Some fees are even being assessed when an account is merely getting too close to the limit. Your best bet is to keep balances to less than half the available credit.

Although the higher late fees are infuriating, they do minimal damage. The real problem is in the universal default clause. Most credit card accounts now have a universal default clause.

Suppose your rate went from 15% to 30% on every open credit account. For every $1,000 you owe, an extra $150 interest would be charged each year. So if you're the type of person carrying a $10,000 balance, that one late payment could cost you $1,500 per year. For as long as you have the balance!

Gwen needs to pay close attention to her credit card accounts. With newer fees and penalty rates in place, it becomes more important to manage your credit. In fact, it's critical to your financial ‘well-being’.

Gary Foreman is a former financial planner who currently edits The Dollar Stretcher website. If you'd like to stretch your day or your dollar visit today! You'll find hundreds of articles to help you "live better...for less". View their website at: http://www.stretcher.com
]]> http://miraclemoneyblog.com/homebiztips/HomeBusinessTips_LBo_186/user/index.php
By Allison Thompson

People will find themselves in difficult financial situations, at times. It may be because their business has not worked out and is on the verge of becoming bankrupt or it could be for personal reasons (a divorce settlement is not what it should have been). At any time, the need for financial support is important. When faced with situations such as shown previously, a loan to help them recover is hard to find. There are many reasons why getting a loan could be difficult, it may be they have a poor credit rating or they have no equity to act as security on a loan that lenders will normally provide. However, now there are moneylenders around called ‘bad credit’ lenders who can assist these people when their state of financial affairs is so dire.

You will find that ‘bad credit’ lenders are institutions or organizations that are able to provide loans to people who are in desperate need of financial assistance. One type of option that these kinds of lenders provide is a private loan (also known as a hard money or ‘bad credit’ loan). This type of loan does not require the borrower to have any equity, and as a result, are able to provide such loans but at an increased rate of interest.

Different types of ‘bad credit’ lenders exist, and banks are one source. Should you need to arrange a ‘bad credit’ loan, you could first consult a bank. Many banks require some sort of equity against the loan that you are looking for. It is advisable that you seek assistance from a bank where you have been a customer from some time. This provides the bank with a guarantee of knowing who you are and they will have full details of your banking records.

If this does not work out, there are a number of companies around which also act as ‘bad credit’ lenders. Such companies will provide you with a loan proposal, but be aware that they will often charge much higher rates of interest than usual.

Many financial experts say that when looking for the right sort of ‘bad credit’ lender, it is wise to do as much research as possible. Obtain all the information you can on each lender. Make sure you are aware of what sort of loan programs these lenders have and what the interest rates are that they offer on their loans. After getting this information, it is wise to compare each one. See which ones suit you and the one you will not have difficulty in making repayments to.

Allison Thompson, an expert author, after becoming a work from home mum, runs a small real estate company in Spain. Due to her involvement in the property market she has carried out extensive research relating to all financial matters. If you would like to learn more, please visit http://www.centrallendingservices.com.
]]> http://miraclemoneyblog.com/homebiztips/HomeBusinessTips_LBo_186/user/index.php
By Dave Sherwin

This article explores some of the lies and half-truths about automated signups, as well as laying out a strategy for legitimate distributors into your business using the advantage of the internet.

The buzzword in online Network Marketing right now is "Automated signups". To old-fashioned Network Marketers that toil, sweat and bleed to drag new distributors into their businesses they either think automated signups are an illusion, or, once introduced to the concept, they cannot sleep until they figure out how to do it.

So, are automated signups a crock, or the real deal? Automated signups are possible in online Network Marketing, but most of the hype you see about them is simply misrepresentation. For example, I know of several marketers in free programs, or $2 trial signups for example, that have plenty of automated signups. In addition, it sounds great on a web site:

"Through my super duper ultra secret methods I recruited 3,200 people in less than a year!” Sounds great, right? Here is the question: how much does the "guru" with 3,200 free (or very cheap) signups make? Probably very, close to nothing. They usually have a "Wizard of Oz" business- looks great but has no substance. They hope a few of those cheap signups will actually up-grade to a monthly autoship product, but very few do. The prospects were just lottery players joining free programs hoping to strike it rich without doing anything.

Alternatively, have you seen any ads like this: "I'LL BUILD YOUR DOWNLINE FOR YOU!" Somebody who has figured out the key to automated signups usually posts the ads. The problem is they have not figured out how to build a real, solid, duplicating business. One super marketers building the whole thing by themselves built no good down line. It is a house of cards business. Successful online Network Marketing businesses MUST have the following elements:

1. Products that people want, and will pay for with or without an opportunity attached.

2. Great prospecting systems.

3. Duplication. Everybody in the business can do what you do, and teach the simple methods to their recruits.

Network Marketing is about building a large organization of independent associates. Not a large organization of lazy daydreamers.

So how do you get automated signups? There are two ways. The hype; promise the world, beg them into your business strategy, or the real strategy that actually works AND builds a solid, duplicating down line. However, before I reveal the strategy, there are a few things you should have in order first:

1. You must be in a company with low start up expenses.

2. Your product must have sizzle, and be easily demonstrated on a web site.

3. Your product must be affordable, so that people would buy it with or without an opportunity attached.

You may be wondering why I focus so much on the product. It is important to understand that in network marketing there are two ways to make money. One way is a glorified pyramid scheme; the method of making commissions on exorbitant entry fees. I do not like this method and personally, I think it is unethical. The second way is to get a large group of people buying products on an autoship basis, and to recruit an army of customers and customer getters. This makes more sense, and I sleep better at night, knowing my income comes from providing goods to the marketplace, rather than doing aggressive marketing designed to get large amounts of money out of people up front.

Therefore, here are the components you need to get automated signups:

1. A great web site. It has to be STRONG. Ideally, it should include a professional look and feel, a flash presentation, a way of capturing prospects information, and a fear of loss element, such as listing all the people that have joined your business recently.

2. A single product focus. No one will automatically join a company because of a catalog of great products. However, they will sign up for the one outstanding, revolutionary product. You can introduce your catalog later if you have one.

3. A small range of start up options, ideally under $100.

4. An autoresponder system to follow up with your prospects.

Once you have these elements in place, your job is to invite as many people to your web site as possible. Our experience has been 3-5% of visitors will sign up on an automated basis, but that number goes up to 10% if we call web site visitors on the phone.

In addition, we attract great people using this method. They are not lottery players; they are real people who appreciate a good opportunity when they see one. In addition, they appreciate the automated system, and want to know how THEY can do it Science Articles, not how I can do it for them!

Dave Sherwin is an expert network marketer that has discovered how to build a massive global organization using little more than his computer and internet connection. To learn more see:http://escapethematrix.net/x2o

]]> http://miraclemoneyblog.com/homebiztips/HomeBusinessTips_LBo_186/user/index.php
By Doug Allan Dammeier

I am talking about the skill of learning how to build an internet business website
constructed in a way that it brings hordes of FREE traffic to it.

Just about anyone can build a good-looking website on the internet these days with the
available technology. However, very few people know how to construct a website that is
"optimized" to drive FREE traffic to it.

Huge well-known companies with unlimited budgets continue to build fancy websites
that get no visitors! They hire degreed computer experts for thousands of dollars who
know how to pull all the software programs together and build a beautiful site.

These "experts" have the technical knowledge to accomplish this, but they know
absolutely noting about how to drive FREE traffic to these sites. In addition, traffic
equals money.

They do not know optimization and they do not know marketing.

However, anyone who takes the time to learn what the internet search engines really want
on a website will pass by all these so-called expert websites and build a website that
drives boatloads of FREE traffic to it. In addition, this can be done for very little money.

The search engines could care less about fancy flashing graphics, colorful banners, and
color pictures. What they want is CONTENT!

Simply put, content is INFORMATION. Web surfers are on the internet for one
reason...to find INFORMATION.

They type in the subject of the information they want to know more about, at the search
engines. They want information about their hobbies, interests, and occupations.

Offline businesses succeed with LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION. Online
businesses succeed with INFORMATION, INFORMATION, INFORMATION.

I know of a 14-year-old teenage girl who built a website about a vacation place she loves
and constructed it the way the search engines love. Her site now ranks higher on the
internet than sites from IBM, American Express, and Wal-Mart. That is amazing!

This girl is beginning college now and she earns a terrific income from this site. She has
learned a moneymaking skill set, which 99% of the rest of world knows nothing about
and her future is secure.

Building a moneymaking internet business is not rocket science. You do not need any
type of degree. It is simply a matter of taking the time to learn a proven system of website
construction, and then taking the actions necessary to build the site. Anyone who can read
and learn can do this.

Software packages are now available with all the tools needed that allow any beginner to
create professional looking websites that bring traffic.

It takes work. If it were easy, everyone would be doing it. However, it is simple and can
be done with a systematic system. It is a real business just like any offline business.
However, it can be started for a tiny fraction of the cost of most businesses.

For a few hundred dollars, you can have everything you need. In addition, it can be
grown to produce unlimited income while working from your home.

You will not get rich by the end of the month. There are so many b.s. scammers on the
internet offering their get-rich-quick programs. They tell you that you can quit your job,
stay home, and sleep while the money is pouring into your bank account. They tell you
that you will have your new website up, running, and pulling in the dollars in a few
weeks.

It is bull! There is no other way to say it. These programs flat out do not work.

Many people buy these programs, make no money, and then give up. They are convinced
the internet will not work for them.

It does work, my friend. In addition, with the right information and system, it works
fantastic.

In addition, no matter how old you are, where you live, what you do for a living, or what
your education level is; this opportunity is available to you right now. Now is the best
time to get started.

In addition, once you spend the time to learn how to build a website the correct way that
drives loads of FREE traffic to it and earns you money, you have secured your financial
future forever. You can now build more moneymaking websites. In addition, other people
and businesses will pay you handsomely to build websites for them that really WORK.

You now have a moneymaking skill set that 99% of the rest of the world knows nothing
about.

Doug Allan Dammeier lives high up in the mountains in western Washington state,
U.S.A. and operates http://www.online-moneymaking-bootcamp.com, which offers loads
of free, honest, truthful information to beginners wanting to start their own online
business. He teaches what it really takes to succeed with this wide-open opportunity and
provides a step-by-step system with everything you need in one inexpensive package.
Personal FREE coaching is available on a limited, case-by-case basis, first come-first
served.

]]> http://miraclemoneyblog.com/homebiztips/HomeBusinessTips_LBo_186/user/index.php
By Chuck Ingersoll

I know, "Resonant Congruent Differentiation" sounds like something that immediately scares your ears. Something you learned about and quickly forgot in Psych 101. However, stick with me a moment. I think you will see that it is much simpler - easily understood - and very pertinent to the way people name products, services, and businesses.

Having recently gone through some re-roofing trauma, a lawn sign promoting a contractor grabbed my attention. "Mr. Fussy Roofing" it read. I first laughed at the name because of its seeming oxymoronic message. In addition, it is a name with amusement value. Moments later I thought, "I wish I knew about that guy when I had my roof done."

'Mr. Fussy Roofing' is an almost perfect example of a differentiated product or service name that is congruent and resonates beautifully. When you are coming up with names, this is exactly what you should be striving for: resonant congruent differentiation. So let us break down what that phrase means and into intellectually chewable chunks.

Go Ahead, 'Splain Resonant Congruent Differentiation

Take it to the end first: differentiation means you are not being confused with competitors, so you stand out in a positive fashion. If all the companies that make steel are named after locations or owners, such as Bethlehem or Harris Steel, you will not achieve much differentiation if you are called Rogerson Steel. Choose StrongSteelCo and, at the least, you have demonstrated a positioning and promise in your name.

Now for the resonant congruent part. Congruent, be consistent with the qualities and values personified in the products/services you provide. If you make a high-end speaker system, naming it 'Mickey's Speakers' would not be a good call. People would think you had a "Mickey Mouse" product, and naming it after your own self, sounds low budget and small time. This name is incongruent with the image you wish to convey. This name type starts you off in the weeds, so you have to climb out to establish a quality identity.

Resonant, in a very basic sense, means the name makes the prospect or customer feel in alignment with the key message that the name of your product or service communicates. It is credibility, appropriateness, a connection with your brand.

'Mr. Fussy Roofing': Our Branding Hero

Let us use 'Mr. Fussy Roofing' as our example. For right or wrong, roofing contractors do not always, have the greatest reputations. People are suspicious of getting ripped off or of shoddy work. (A neighbor had a new roof put on. It drained improperly so water went between the siding and the underlayment. This was, as my daughter says, UNgood.) Many roofing contractors are small businesses and do not put a lot of thought into their naming and branding. (Exhibit #1: A local contractor named DBA Roofing.) Many other MALE business owners would find 'Mr. Fussy' to be too cute or feminine a name, and would instantly rule it out.

However, our Mr. Fussy did not. He went outside his comfort zone, possibly, to create a name that resonated congruently with me, his typical audience, and achieved positive differentiation. What do I take away from 'Mr. Fussy Roofing'? He cares, he is different from most, he features attention to detail, he will likely do an excellent job, and he does roofing. All from three words!

Contrast this with 'DBA Roofing'. I know they do roofing, and perhaps could not even think of a name. I do not know anything more about what they stand for, what their vision is, or how they do business. Just two words - Mr. Fussy - tell me so much more. Mr. Fussy differentiated his business. I get it and like what he promises, so it resonates with me. The idea of a roofer being fussy is very congruent and highly desirable to me.

So Why Don't More Companies Create Resonant Congruent Differentiated Names?
There are many reasons: ego, ability to be objective about every company except your own, stubbornness, caution, corporate culture, a desire to take a safe middle road, and on and on. This desire to 'play it safe', not take a chance, applies as often to big corporations as it does in small businesses.

Many people may think that 'Geek Squad' is a great name. It's more fun, evocative and compelling than 'Your Computer Experts' or some other safe vanilla choice. Yet when it comes to their own name, people get scared and go down a safe path. I recently named a coffee shop "Thanks a Latte." Would you rather go there for that experience or to 'Dunkin' Donuts' or 'Herb's Coffee Shop'?

Obviously, you have to take your audience into account. 'Thanks a Latte' is aiming for a Starbucks-type of crowd: more upscale, willing to pay a bit more for quality. Yet, in many cases, a striking, effectively clever, or even surprising name will take you so much further, especially if your marketing budget is limited. (Hey, isn't everyone's?)

Unless you are one of those cavemen from the Geico commercials, you know that a geek is a computer nerd. A geek squad is a whole mess of 'em. Chances are you will find 25 PC repair guys in your Yellow Pages called 'Something Computer Repair'. You'll only find one 'Geek Squad'. Let's say you see three commercials. One for 'Phil's Computer Shack', another for 'Waterville Computer Repair', and the third for 'Geek Squad'. Which are you going to remember? And who YOU gonna' call?

This brings up another key attribute of memorable, powerful names: attitude. 'Geek Squad', 'Thanks a Latte', 'Brains on Fire' (a naming firm), 'Mr. Fussy'... they all bring a distinctive point of view to the name. A name you can connect with almost viscerally. Consider Mr. Fussy one more time. Who has more of a persona in two words: 'Mr. Fussy' or 'Bob's Roofing'? Who conveys more depth of appropriate and convincing meaning in two words? While finding a name that fits is important, creating one that voices a point of view, that you and your business believe in, will go a long way toward developing true differentiation and memorability. You can say this attitude will give you greater resonance with proper congruence, if you do it right.

Do You Want to Describe What You Do, Or Be Memorable?

If you're going to name your company and have, it stand out from the competition, choosing a functional name like 'PhotoCopy Hut' isn't really going to dazzle anyone. 'PhotoCopy Hut' doesn't go any further than simply being functional on a very basic level, but we've seen worse. Ever notice a truck go by you on the expressway that says something like "Kordis." They may even have a tag line, such as "Bringing the World to You." You wonder, what do they do? Are they importers? Are they a global delivery service? Do they manufacture desktop globes? They have this incredible opportunity to create thousands of impressions a day with consumers and they cannot even be bothered to say what they do. This is truly a waste of a great moving billboard.

Big companies are fond of neologisms, (concocted words or terms), such as Claris or Pentium. They get away with it because they have huge budgets. I think you know there's Intel inside by now. Yet have you ever heard of Comergent? And if you did, would you remember it?

There are other types of names: acronyms, evocative, descriptive, alphanumerical, and aspirational and on and on. That's the topic for a future article.

Yes, your name and brand identity need to be more than resonant, congruent, and differentiated. Other essential aspects of your brand include being authentic, connected, able to be lived every day, attention to every detail of customer contact, and so on. But an excellent starting point is the resonant/congruent/differentiated test. Think about those ideas in relation to your name or brand.

If you would like some fresh thinking and branding, naming, tag line, or positioning assistance, please get in touch. 585.746.2320 or e-mail chucketal@aol.com. ChuckIngersoll.com

About the Author
Chuck Ingersoll is a freelance namer, brander and copywriter. He brings over 20 years advertising agency experience to the process, and specializes in creating names, positionings and taglines that are not only clever, but effective. (Otherwise it's just empty creativity.) For 10 years he operated his own advertising agency in Rochester, NY, Ingersoll et al, serving major clients Kodak, Xerox and Bausch & Lomb. As a writer, creative director, and vice president at other ad agencies, his experience covers most industries and every type of marketing communications writing from ads to Web sites.

]]> http://miraclemoneyblog.com/homebiztips/HomeBusinessTips_LBo_186/user/index.php
by Tellman Knudson

One question that people often ask me is, "Tellman, I want to start list building like you suggest, but I don't know where to start."

OK. Let me give you the 7 simple steps to follow:

1. Choose your niche: What are you passionate about?

I mean, what really gets you going? What can you get excited about and what will keep you that way? It could be anything from knitting to knees. It really doesn't matter, as long as people are searching for terms that surround your niche, you should do well. First, figure out what it is you have a passion for.

2. Do some research: Write a list of words that are used in your niche and then, go to http://inventory.overture.com/ .

Type the words into the blank, one at a time, and see how many searches are done for the terms. If your primary keywords generate 3,000 searches or more per month, you probably have a niche to work with. If you see there are 20,000 to 30,000 searches, then you definitely have a winner.

Just be aware that the very heavily-searched niches are probably very competitive. You may want to start list building around a smaller niche

3. Create a unique domain name: Your domain name should have something to do with what you're list building around.

For instance, my site, MyFirstTraffic.com, is for my beginner's traffic course. Makes sense, right? It makes it easy for people searching to find my site and buy my product, and it makes it easy for the search engines to figure out what my site is about for indexing.

Just be sure the name you choose isn't too long or difficult for people to remember.

4. Choose a web host: The most important factor here is dependability.

Don't ever base your choice of Web host on price because the cheapest hosts may just close shop and leave you hanging. You also want to be sure they have nearly 100% uptime. It's impossible for a host to have no downtime at all because upgrades and repairs are always needed. Just be sure that they have a good uptime reliability factor.

You may want to delay buying your domain name until you choose a Web hosting company, too. Many of them include a domain name or two with your hosting package. If you're just starting out, you may not need a very complicated plan, but if you're starting a membership site, say, where you'll need to use PHP extensions, then, you'll want something a bit more expensive.

If you don't know what you need, you'll probably have a tech person working with you anyway, so you can always ask them for a recommendation.

5. Build a squeeze page: Now that you have an idea about the niche you want to pursue, you want to start list building.

In other words, you want to gather a group of people who are hungry for information or products in your niche. To do that, you need a squeeze page, which is nothing more than a great headline, 3-5 bullet points of copy detailing the benefits of joining your list, and an opt-in box, which leads to...

6. Your autoresponder: Autoresponders are services that collect and house the names from your E-mail marketing list.

They also send out your confirmation messages. When someone signs up for your list, they have to click on a link in the confirmation message, which verifies that they actually signed up to your list. Once they do this, you can send email to them anytime you want.

This double opt-in process is important. If someone accuses you of spamming, you can get yourself into trouble. You can lose your ISP or, worse, face charges for violating the CAN-SPAM act of 2003, if you're in the U. S.

Autoresponders protect you from spam complaints. Choose a service that you can afford, but also find one that provides uninterrupted service and maximum deliverability. If nobody gets your E-mail, how can they read it to buy something from you?

7. Put your list building page on your server: The easiest and quickest way to put your list building page up is via FTP because it makes uploading quick and easy.

Wise FTP and Cute FTP are two programs that you can use, but there are many others. Using FTP is something you should learn more about if you plan to do business online.

If you follow these 7 steps you'll be list building in no time. Choose a great niche, create a memorable domain name, build a squeeze page, get an autoresponder, and upload your page and BOOM! You're list building.

How easy is that?

List building master, Tellman Knudson, is CEO of OvercomeEverything, Inc. and he has built a massive, responsive list in a short time. Learn his "Get a List Quick" system when you visit MyFirstList.com at http://www.myfirstlist.com/)

]]> http://miraclemoneyblog.com/homebiztips/HomeBusinessTips_LBo_186/user/index.php
It seems like some websites are changing as often as every few minutes. While this is a necessity for news sites and those that want to provide readers with up-to-date information, what about your business website? You want to show your visitors that you're constantly innovating your business, but at the same time, changine your website too often might make it seem as though you can't make up your mind or that your business is less than stable. Here are some things you need to think about before you build your business website.

The Case for Change

There is certainly something to be said for always being fresh and new. When your visitors are looking for the latest and greatest fads in clothing, for example, you need to be able to deliver these trends as soon as they're on the red carpet or the runway. Change also shows your visitors that you are always looking out for them and their needs. You can include a daily blog, for example, that gives up-to-date information on the state of affairs in your business or perhaps on trends in the products you are selling. You might also want to keep a streaming band of words across your website to show updates on things like interest rates or stock market quotes. By keeping your website alive with new information, your visitors will see that you're interested in the long term health of your company.

The Case for Keeping Things the Same

On the other hand, you also might want to look into, for the most part, keeping your website the same. While there will be a need to change things up from time to time as things are out-of-date, keeping the basic setup of your website can help regular visitors feel like you are consistent and easy to keep up with. When you're always changing things, a customer can become confused as to how to do things on your site or whether or not your site is something they should spend time on.

The Verdict: It Depends on Your Customer Base

In the end, the case for change will largely depend on whether or not your customers are looking for constant updates. And this depends on your business focus. If you are trying to give your customers up to date gossip, yes, you will need to change your site a lot. But if you offer the same products over the course of a month, there's really no need to change your website until you change your stock.

There will always be times when you will need to change your website – as in when you introduce a new item or you discontinue an item or pricing scheme. But the overall consensus is that you might want to keep the basic structure for return visitors to your site.

Introducing Change to Your Visitors

If you plan on changing your website significantly, you might want to let your customers know well in advance of the actual change. This will give you time to get feedback on your changes as well as help you roll out your new look with minimal problems and concerns. Post a 'sign' on your website about the upcoming change and then provide a link to how the new website will look. Giving visitors a list of the changes they can expect to see will also help them see what they will notice when you eventually follow through.

Change is good, but when it scares away customers, it's not always the best idea. However, you also don't want to keep your website up for so long that you begin to seem outdated. Changing things up every season is a reasonable schedule without being too confusing for visitors.

Scott Oliver offers free video coaching to help you build a profitable home business FAST. Get an hour of "Website Traffic Secrets" and "Minisite Creation Tactics" for FREE -- immediate access here: http://www.InstantWebsiteBusiness.com.]]> http://miraclemoneyblog.com/homebiztips/HomeBusinessTips_LBo_186/user/index.php
By Alicia Forest

As an online business owner, you know you must stay in touch with your email list on a regular basis to have a successful and sustainable business. Publishing an ezine is one of the most effective ways to do so, but sometimes that can feel overwhelming and cumbersome. This article gives you five alternatives to putting out an ezine.

I often hear from my clients and ezine subscribers that they are not sure they can commit to writing a regular ezine as a way to keep in touch with their list, even though they know they "should."

My response is usually something like, "if it's going to be an albatross, then don't do it!" They know they must stay in touch with their email list on a regular basis to have a successful and sustainable business. They are stumped. What are their options?

Here are five ideas I typically share with them:

1. Evergreen Ezine

I first learned of this concept on a teleclass last year, and it seemed so simple. I was amazed I hadn't thought of it myself - which is usually the reaction I get from my clients.

An evergreen newsletter is one where content is applicable all the time. It is not based on trends or on what's hot in your industry now. It is solid need-to-know information based on principles or strategies that rarely change.

To create an evergreen newsletter, you simply gather your content for as many issues as you plan to publish, create each issue, and then drop each one into an autoresponder system to go out automatically at whatever interval you set.

This method takes a bit of work on the front end, but then you 'set it and forget it' until you run out of issues. Then you can let it simply repeat or create a new set of issues by repeating the process above.

2. Ecourse

You can create an ecourse, which is simply a series of emails sharing valuable information with your reader over a time period.

This is a method I use myself. When you sign up for my mini-ecourse, you also get a subscription to this ezine. I could simply offer the ecourse as a stand alone, though, if I did, I would add more days to the series (say from its current 5 to 26) and send them out every couple of weeks as a way to stay in touch with my list.

You set up an ecourse in an autoresponder service, so it's another 'set it and forget it' option once you finish the initial work.

3. Audio Tip

If you prefer to talk than type, then consider an audio tip. When I coach clients who are just starting their written ezines, I remind them it doesn't have to be longer than one valuable tip for each issue.

The same is true if you prefer to create an audio keep-in-touch vehicle for your list. A colleague of mine sends out a 1-minute audio (and video) marketing tip each week and it's incredibly successful.

The easiest way to create and publish audios online is through an inexpensive service like AudioAcrobat.

4. Blog

A blog can be a great alternative to an ezine IF you love to write and are willing to post regularly, if you use search engine optimization to increase your blog's exposure to your market on a continual basis, and if you put a subscription form on your blog so your readers know when you add a new post.

You can start free blogging, at blogger.com or very inexpensively, with Typepad, (which is the service I use for my personal and business blog).

5. VIP List

Invite people to sign up to receive special offers from you. Many of us do this in our personal lives for places we frequently shop (a quick look at my inbox reveals offers from Eddie Bauer, Old Navy, Red Envelope, etc.). People will sign up to receive discounts and other special offers from you if you invite them to do so.

It's best to use this strategy with a group of people who have already gotten to know you, say from a live event or if you have a blog, where you stay in touch with people by posting on a regular basis.

BONUS TIP: If you're writing a regular ezine now, you can add one of these methods as another way to stay in touch with your list. Some people who are on your list may not always read your ezineFree Reprint Articles, but may listen to a short audio or may prefer to read brief posts at your blog instead. Giving your list options as to how they receive your message will increase your ability to connect with more people in your niche.

Copyright 2006 Alicia M Forest and Client Abundance

Alicia M Forest, MBA, Multiple Streams Queen & Coach™ and creator of "21 Easy & Essential Steps to Online Success System™, teaches coaches, consultants, and other solo professionals and online entrepreneurs how to attract more clients, create profit-making products and services, make more sales, and ultimately live the life they desire and deserve. For FREE tips on how to create abundance in your business, visit http://www.clientabundance.com/.

]]> http://miraclemoneyblog.com/homebiztips/HomeBusinessTips_LBo_186/user/index.php
By Elias Georgi

As a business grows and matures, there are a number of stages that evolve.
Home business operations are no different in this regard, so it is important to understand these stages, prepare for them and avoid disruption to your customers as well as disruption to your revenues. We will review these stages briefly in this article.

A home business, or a business started within a major corporation develop through various stages. You can summarize these as follows - Business Concept, business evaluation, launch preparations and launch, start up and initial operations, and evolution beyond the entrepreneurial stage. Each of these stages is critical and be given the appropriate attention deserved to ensure success. In addition, different skills are required during start up, for example, compared to more mature operations and year over year revenue growth.

A company's life cycle is divided into two major activities. Initially the focus is on start up, securing funding, building initial services and products, and delivering those products and services. The search for customers can be all-consuming. Everyone in the company, whether it is a one-person operation or a company of five, must multitask and do what is necessary to launch and build the initial customer base. The skills required at this stage are more entrepreneurial and imply strong commitment and faith to the concept the company is built around.

Once the company or home business has reached year over year growth cycles and is well on the way to becoming stable and generating revenue, the entrepreneurs typically do not do well in this environment. Hiring professional managers with experience in the areas that your home business has decided to specialize in will ensure continuing success. By this time, your business has grown well beyond a home based business and needs to expand into regular business quarters.

This is also a major step for many businesses and be managed well to maintain excellent customer support to customers and ensure that revenues continue to grow. Entrepreneurs typically love to tinker with the business. Professional managers will focus on the processes and systems needed to ensure success. Most home businesses have also evolved from having several advisors to help them along to deal with a board of directors, especially if there are outside investors involved.

Recognizing these phases and knowing when to begin the transition from one phase to another is part of enabling your home business to evolve into a successful company. Failure to address the issues as you grow Free Reprint Articles, will often severely limit the growth potential of the company over the long term.

Elias Georgi is an experienced and successful sponsor, mentor and coach for many thriving, tested and proven home businesses. Elias offers proven Internet opportunities and strategies. Visit his Website: work at home business opportunities (http://www.eliasg.com/), he also runs the article directory (http://www.exclusive-article.com/).

]]> http://miraclemoneyblog.com/homebiztips/HomeBusinessTips_LBo_186/user/index.php
By Steven Gerber

If you want to produce a profitable web site, then affiliate programs are the ideal approach.

Certain affiliates of companies or corporations are looking for help regarding their marketing. The affiliates' money weighs greatly on the commissions taken from the players’ registrations, and most often; these affiliates do not know how to carry this alone. Thus, they need an instructor to get the proper methods in affiliate programs.

This instructor is the internet itself. The affiliates, who study the procedure, simply visit the web sites and search on the programs concerning affiliate marketing. These web sites along with the programs are presenting the various schemes of marketing that the affiliates can apply to boost their lower commissions.

These affiliates expect to widen their knowledge regarding marketing, if they will search the web sites further, and the affiliate marketing programs.

For instance, the use of a banner is the largest element of affiliate marketing programs. Then, the web sites and the affiliate marketing programs will detail everything to the affiliates.

The affiliates can utilize a banner on other web sites to employ traffic to the site of their mother company where they are an affiliate employee. This is the main thing covered by the affiliate marketing programs and sites.

These web sites and programs are stressing the use of banners because it performs a vital function in employing traffic on the sites endorsed by the affiliates.

The assistance of banners in employing traffic is very effective, though this is not the sole scheme to augment the affiliates' commissions. The web sites and programs cannot deny the fact of the success it brings compared to the others.

These affiliates are always searching for possible ways to boost their earnings and turn it into bulk profit, to increase their commissions as affiliates. Likewise, they are also finding ways to learn the strategies in marketing their works as affiliates.

Hence, when these needs occur, they immediately search for the offers on the internet that could help them. This occurrence directly means a profit for the websites and affiliate marketing programs owners.

The affiliates, on their own, utilize these affiliate marketing program web sites as an advantage as they look for guidance in boosting their incomes.

There are numerous ways to boost the affiliates profits; ways that are not entirely familiar for the affiliates. These designed web sites increase their knowledge and help them to grasp a deeper understanding, and with this knowledge, they were able to generate more money.

These programs and web sites instruct the affiliates on various things that are concerned in increasing their profits. Through this, it is not impossible for them to accumulate commissions as gambling affiliates.

These web sites and programs have been a great help in boosting the affiliates status in marketing. Even today, these programs and web sites earn more income as they assist these affiliates into profitable commissions.

It is a give and take process, as the web sites and programs feed the minds of the affiliates about the competent marketing strategies and skillsScience Articles, which later turns into revenues or their commissions. These web sites and programs likewise earn them turnovers.

Steven Gerber is a professional copywriter & marketing consultant. He is a student of Dan Lok, the World's #1 Website Conversion Expert, & in Steven's totally biased opinion simply THE BEST. You will find the latest internet marketing techniques & tricks at: http://www.websiteconversionexpert.com.

]]> http://miraclemoneyblog.com/homebiztips/HomeBusinessTips_LBo_186/user/index.php
By Donna Gunter

Creating an effective series of autoresponders helps. You begin to develop a relationship with prospective customers, highlight your expertise, and ultimately convert prospects into customers. The autoresponder enables you to send a personalized automated reply to customers via email 24/7 without any intervention on your part, past the setup stage. Below I have listed the type of information you can include in your autoresponder series.

I often suggest to clients they use the power of business automation found in sequential autoresponders as an effective method of keeping in touch with their contacts. An autoresponder is an automated email response or series of responses that you have previously written and uploaded into an autoresponder service. The autoresponder enables you to reply to customers via email 24/7 without any intervention on your part past the setup stage. For example, you might send an automatic reply to a new newsletter subscriber, to someone who has requested a free giveaway on your site, or to a customer who has just purchased your newest information product.

Where do you find a sequential autoresponder service? Sometimes they are bundled with shopping cart software. Alternatively, you can purchase a stand-alone service in which you can set up autoresponders and send out your email newsletter, as well.

The two features that are essential to have in autoresponder software are personalization and tracking ability. For greater effectiveness, you should be able to personalize your autoresponders both in the subject line as well as in the body of the email. Do you open email more quickly when you see your name in the subject line or when the body of the email mentions your address or city of residence? This personalization feature permits you to send automated emails appearing personalized, especially for the person receiving the email. I constantly receive both phone calls and email responses from prospects who are the recipients of these automated emails, which leaves me with no doubt about how important it is to personalize your responses. The second feature, tracking ability, enables you to see how many and which recipients opened your email, how many emails were not delivered, and the ability to see how many recipients clicked on any links found within the email.

My clients agree to the use of sequential autoresponders, but then wonders, "What do I say in them.” Factually, you tell your clients the only limitation is their imagination. However, I generally recommend online business owners plan a sequence of 7-9 emails to go out over a series of 3 weeks. In this sequence, you need to check in with how the prospect/customer is doing with the call to action that got the prospect on your list. Point out other pieces of free information on your website that would be useful to the prospect. Recommend their own or affiliate products that would be of interest, and then request another call to action of your prospect.

Here is my outline of follow-up autoresponders I send out when someone has requested a report from one of my sites:

Immediate send: Confirmation of and thank them for their request, and remind them how to download the toolkit.

2 Days Later: Ask them what they think about the toolkit, point out some of the info they might check out immediately, and request a testimonial.

5 Days Later: Offer another gift. I give them the URL of my articles directory and info about how they can syndicate my articles on their website at no charge and the benefits of doing so.

7 Days Later: Ask them to complete a survey. I created a short 30-second survey through SurveyMonkey.com that I ask them to complete. This helps me better understand what problems my target market has.

9 Days Later: Recommend a product. I change this offering occasionally and either recommends one of my products or a product for which I am an affiliate.

16 Days Later: Offer another gift. I tell them about my podcast and blog. I tell them why they should subscribe and how to do so.

19 Days Later: Ask me a question. I give them the opportunity to personally ask me a question about online marketing and let them know that I will respond to it in my blog.

23 Days Later: Make a special offer. I introduce them to my coaching services and offer them a special rate to try out my coaching.

Other offers you could make in your follow-up autoresponders include inviting them to a discussion forum or a free teleclass, have them subscribe to your ezine, or send them to download or view a free audio recording or video.

Creating an effective series of autoresponders helps you begin to develop a relationship with prospective customers, display your expertisePsychology Articles, and ultimately convert prospects into customers.

Online Business Resource Queen (TM) and Online Business Coach Donna Gunter helps self-employed service professionals learn how to automate their businesses, leverage their expertise on the Internet, and get more clients online. To sign up for more FREE tips like these and claim your FREE gift, TurboCharge Your Online Marketing Toolkit, visit her site at Get More Clients Online (http://www.getmoreclientsonline.com/).

]]> http://miraclemoneyblog.com/homebiztips/HomeBusinessTips_LBo_186/user/index.php
By Elaine Currie

Working at home gives you the freedom to use your time in a flexible way. With no boss to set deadlines for you, it is up to you to ensure no element of time wasting creeps into your flexible schedule.

If you are new to working at home online, one of the hardest things you have to do will be to learn effective time management. Time is too precious to be wasted. It is essential to remain focused on the task you set out to do and complete that task before starting another. There will be numerous distractions inviting you to wander off course spending a little time in some completely unplanned activity. For anyone working at home, there will be distractions; such as a ringing phone, a parcel delivery, a demanding child, a bright day that just begs you to wax the car, a dog that wants walking, etc.

When working at home online, in addition to all the normal domestic distractions, you contend with the Internet's own array of distractions. If you thought controlling domestic life while working at home was complicated, the early days of working online will seem like trying to perform delicate surgery in the middle of a three-ring circus. Offline distractions will quietly tempt you to wander off course. The distractions you will encounter on the Internet positively clamor for your attention.

Working at home provides the freedom to make your own schedule and the flexibility to work any hour of day or night you choose. The main attraction of working at home is there will be no boss breathing down your neck. In the absence of deadlines set by a boss, it is up to you to use self-discipline to get your work done.

When you work for yourself, you will undoubtedly start with every intention of managing your time sensibly and following a schedule that will enable you to balance work and family life. Working at home online involves more than just good intentions. It requires planning, determination, persistence, and unwavering self-discipline.

When you first start working at home online, you will be tempted to check your website at regular intervals. You will be tempted to check your sales figures several times a day. You will feel the need to check in at your favorite forums, and your email inbox will have an almost irresistible attraction. It is natural to feel like this. Each of these detours from your planned day will not take long on its own. If you add up the time spent on each one, you will be looking at an hour or more wasted each day.

Those self-inflicted time wasters are a danger in themselves, but the danger lurking within them is worse. Every visit you make to a forum and every email you read can contain a link that you will not be able to resist clicking. This is where working at home online has unique dangers you would not experience if you had an offline home business. Clicking any one of those links can lead you to a website full of information that looks as if it might be of benefit to you. There will be offers of tools to save you time, e-books to educate you, and advertising that promises to make you a fortune. Your decision to read just one email can lead you down a path that costs you another half hour in wasted time.

The problem with these online temptations is they tend to arrive disguised as something to help you in your home business. Ironically, many will claim to save you time while you are building your business. You will develop an instinct that enables you to ignore these offers because you have seen it all, (or something very similar) before, but the early days are a dangerous time. Your best defense in the early days is self-discipline. The solution is not always easy but it is simple: make a plan and stick to it. Have a list of things to do each day and make yourself work through the list systematically. The best way to do this is to use a system of small goals and rewards to keep you on the straight and narrow path until good time management replaces those bad habits.

If you fail to exercise self-discipline and resist the temptation to wander the Internet back roadsFree Reprint Articles, you will find yourself spending long hours at your computer with nothing to show for the time spent apart maybe from a touch of eyestrain.

Do you earn money working at home? For more time management tips and useful home business resources, visit Elaine Currie's Work At Home Directory (http://www.huntingvenus.com/).

]]> http://miraclemoneyblog.com/homebiztips/HomeBusinessTips_LBo_186/user/index.php
By Karl Stadler

Is AdSense Arbitrage just an old hype revisited for the profit of a few or does it have a future as a successful online business?

'Whether you believe you can do a thing or not, you are right.' Henry Ford. This quote holds true for anything you attempt. It is all about the belief you have in yourself to achieve success.

When speaking about the subject of AdSense arbitrage, you will find eyebrows rising. It looks upon it as a 'black hat' method of making money as an online business. This is due to a bad name it acquired from people who misused the system.

Fortunately, this is now behind us largely, thanks to the Google slap down on landing pages.

AdSense arbitrage has become a viable business model for a sustained online income, provided, of course, you know what you are doing and don't go against the system but work toward the betterment of the system.

AdSense arbitrage is not a new concept or secret idea that has just arisen; it has been around for a while. The concept behind AdSense arbitrage is simple, you buy advertising from adwords or another PPC engine, and you send the traffic to a landing page of your own with AdSense advertising. People click on the AdSense ads and you are paid. Your profit is made up of the difference between what you pay for the click and are paid for the click on your page.

This may seem relatively easy to achieve, but there are some points you need to consider very carefully before placing your ads and landing pages.

1. You have to research your keyword and make sure it will be profitable. To get an indication of the profitability factor of your keyword, make use of the Overture bid tool. Type in your keyword and look at the difference in the bid prices between ad one and ad ten. The higher the difference in bid prices between the first ad and the last ad the higher your chances of success. This is not a clear indication that it will be profitable, but it is a good indicator of what is going on in that specific area of the market linked to the keyword. Based on this information, you should then research the keyword further.

2. Target your landing page to the visitor who clicked on your ad. Optimize the page for the keyword you chose, or else the wrong AdSense ads will be displaying on your page.

3. The content of the landing page should be no less that 300 words and must be relevant to the keyword and adwords ad you placed.

4. The AdSense ad placement is of optimal importance to ensure a high click through rate and successful AdSense arbitrage.

Like in any business online and off line there is a risk factor. It is the same with AdSense arbitrage and there are many who have gotten it wrong and given it up as a bad business idea.

Then of course, there are those who persisted and believed in what is possible and now are reaping the rewards of a good monthly income from AdSense arbitrage.

I would like to go back to one more quote, and it holds true for every thing you do.

'Failure is simply the opportunity to begin again, this time more intelligently’. Henry Ford. He built cars and made it happen, you can make your business happen Free Articles, and it is entirely your choice.

Find the underlying cause of the business and see how AdSense arbitrage will benefit you and your online business with a sustained long-term income. Visit http://www.yourenterprize.com/adsense/adsense-arbitrage.html .

]]> http://miraclemoneyblog.com/homebiztips/HomeBusinessTips_LBo_186/user/index.php
By Steven Gerber

Selling is one of the best ways to earn money. Actual selling can be difficult, especially if you need to go to different places, carry your products, and offer it face to face with your customer. Some are even ashamed to do the actual physical selling, because they do not want to face rejection.

Selling, nowadays, is done through physical product selling, and through affiliate programs. Have you heard of that term before? If you are new on the net, it simply means selling a product or service through commission basis. However, this involves online selling, unlike the physical selling that most people dread.

If you have your own website, it is much easier to start an affiliate program. It is an opportunity that you must not ignore. It can offer you a considerable sum of money, if you know what it is all about, and how it works

Here are important things that you should know before you join an affiliate program:

1. There are different types of affiliate programs; including the pay per sale, pay per click, and pay per lead, bounty, and two-tier.

Once a customer buys a particular item, you will be paid a commission by 'pay per sale'.

The 'pay per click' type pays you every time a customer visits the site, and it does not matter if the customer made a purchase or not, however, you will earn more if the customers purchase something. With a PPC type, companies pay at the range of .05 dollars to .15 dollars.

You are paid a one-time fee only for each customer that visits the site; the payment is usually between two dollars to five dollars. If a customer signs an application, you will get the higher yield.

If you refer a customer, you will get a finder's fee. In the future, if the customer makes any purchases, you will no longer receive a commission, and this is called a bounty.

If you make direct sales, you get a commission; and if your sub-affiliates generate sales, you will also obtain a commission out of their sales, this is called two-tiered.

2. The benefits of an affiliate program include: Bringing prospects to visit your site. You will not deal with people such as wholesalers, brokers, customer service, employees, technical support, process orders, warranties, and many more. You do not need to stay on your computer to keep track of the site. You are free to go for a vacation, rest, etc.; and you can do it from anywhere as long as there is an internet connection.

After weighing all these factors, it is time to decide if you will join an affiliate program. Once you decide to join, the company will give you a URL or a link. This links are used to gain access to the company's website.

This will allow the company to monitor your website, and the payment or commission that should be given to you.

Affiliate programs make money, so why not join the force. The internet is just there waiting for interested people who are willing to venture into different business opportunities. If you are capable, and can become an effective affiliate Computer Technology Articles, act now and join.

Steven Gerber is a professional copywriter & marketing consultant. He is a student of Dan Lok, the World's #1 Website Conversion Expert, & in Steven's totally biased opinion simply THE BEST. You will find the latest internet marketing techniques & tricks at: http://www.websiteconversionexpert.com .

]]> http://miraclemoneyblog.com/homebiztips/HomeBusinessTips_LBo_186/user/index.php

By Elias Georgi

One of the fundamental choices many new successful home business operators must deal with is how to continue growing their income levels once they have found their way through the initial stages of start up and growth. Expansion of your operations usually involves more space and hiring people to assist in growing their business.

A decision to expand operations cannot be taken lightly. You have been very successful operating your home business out of your home and income has met your expectations, yet you feel there are more opportunities available. These are fundamental decisions every successful entrepreneur must make since it involves more responsibility.

One of the most significant items to consider is the increase in overhead costs; rental of space, additional equipment, additional supplies, and inventory, as well as employees to pay. These are a few of the items to consider as part of your decision to expand your work at home income level.

The increase in sales and revenue must be able to carry these expenses. The first step is to evaluate how much additional revenue must be generated to cover the increased cost. Margin levels may change, so it is important to assess this level as well. Many entrepreneurs fail to ensure there are sufficient levels of margin to cover their expenses and provide them with profit.

Leveraging your business with increased sales is definitely the way to go. With the proper levels of assessment and planning, entrepreneurs will be able to facilitate the success of their initial business to evolve into a large business operation. As you expand, there are items you overlooked that were not factored into the cost of operation.

For example, training of new employees or subcontractors is also considered overhead and missed by many. Training materials, as well as, time to learn the various tasks need to be allocated and paid for. Many employees are there to earn a living, not to build a business. When quitting time comes, they leave their jobs even though there may be customers waiting for service or work piling up. Entrepreneurs who are invested financially and emotionally often have a very difficult time adjusting to these attitudes.

Finally, you may decide to use a bank loan to leverage your business and grow it. Your bank may request income statements and you must be able to show progress financially month over month towards profitability, in addition to paying your loan. Neither the entrepreneur, nor the bank relishes this role as investor; they will sometimes become quite involved in daily operations from a financial perspective.

Managing these types of issues takes more and more time from daily operations and productionFind Article, which also must be accounted for as you expand your home business income levels.

Elias Georgi is an experienced and successful sponsor, mentor and coach for many thriving, tested and proven home businesses. Elias offers proven Internet opportunities and strategies. Visit his Website: work at home business opportunities (http://www.eliasg.com/), he also runs the article directory (http://www.exclusive-article.com/)

]]> http://miraclemoneyblog.com/homebiztips/HomeBusinessTips_LBo_186/user/index.php
By Karl Stadler

Some AdSense sites are performing well and others just exist in the abyss of cyberspace. Make sure your AdSense site is the successful one and keep it out of the abyss.

What makes AdSense work? There are many ideas, as there are theories. Some maintain it is the placement of the ad on the page, some say integrate it into the page, and it must have the look and feel of the webpage. It should be at the top, in this format, and so the secrets continue.

There is only one secret to AdSense success; it is nothing more than traffic. Without substantial traffic, your AdSense pages will not make you money. There is proof of this statement, just look at the click through rate you are receiving on your current pages. You will immediately notice that it takes many visitors to generate a click.

If things go really well, you could have as high as fifty percent and upwards CTR. This is possible, has been done and proven, but it will not just happen on any old page.

Placement of the ad does play a role but it is not as big as many would like you to believe. Information on the best placement of AdSense code on your page is no secret and is free information on Google. It is called a heat map. It will show you exactly where to place your ads for maximum exposure and CTR.

The problem with most AdSense driven sites is exactly that, they are AdSense driven. Nobody seems to care about the visitor landing on the page, becoming click machines supposed to make you money. According to most AdSense sites, they are there for you and not the other way around. No second thought is given to the surfing experience of the visitor.

You have been made to believe that you need a multitude of sites and use all sorts of templates and secret positioning tactics for maximum income. Therefore, every second some would-be AdSense millionaire is putting up thousands of crappy pages all over the internet to get those AdSense clicks that will elevate them to the illusive four and five figure AdSense earners. They tend to forget the internet marketplace is probably the most dynamic market there is, and changes every day. Certain elements remain the same. You have to be able to broaden your thinking and think out of the box.

Let us go back to the least important person for most AdSense publishers, the visitor to the page. These poor souls land on your pages through either generic or PPC traffic. Either way, you have the possibility t they might be clicking on one of your AdSense links. The only driving force for the visitor to click your link is he found the information on your page that related to his search. After going through your page, he will click on one of your links in AdSense to further his search.

Now AdSense displays relevant ads on your page based on the content of the page. If the visitor is not finding what they are looking for, how do you expect AdSense to find related content ads to place on your page?

By considering your visitor and actually providing for them, you are also insuring for yourself that the correct AdSense ads will be displaying on your pages, and hence will deliver a good CTR. Just putting up one thousand new pages with some template or other automatic page-creating device will certainly not hit the mark.

You would probably be better off with ten well designed and optimized pages, not only for the search engines, but also for your visitors Business Management Articles, and you might be able to ensure a profitable AdSense campaign.

There will always be elements that remain a constant no matter how dynamic the market. Utilize these to their best effect, and change with the dynamics and be as profitable as you can. To get the real information visit http://www.yourenterprize.com/adsense/adsense-secrets.htm

]]> http://miraclemoneyblog.com/homebiztips/HomeBusinessTips_LBo_186/user/index.php
By Steven Gerber

Computers are one of the most amazing inventions ever made by man. Because of this gadget, many improvements have been made. Moreover, it does not end there. The introduction of the internet enhanced the use of the computer. Communications were vastly improved, and different businesses are finding the net a very useful tool in conducting their business.

Affiliate programs are making their way in the internet world. It is a great business opportunity for any individual who desires to earn unlimited income. It does not matter if you have a present job, or if you are just staying at home. As long as you have an internet connection, you can be an affiliate.

Is there an exact way to master affiliate programs? There are many sources on the internet, which say they can teach you ways to master affiliate programs. However, do not believe in those deceptions, oftentimes they are too misleading. Look for a good source, one that is true, and already tested.

Affiliate programs are great because you do not need an initial investment to start such a venture. People with no business capital are easily attracted to this kind of business opportunity. You will be part of a particular company's sales force, and you will be working on a commission basis.

E-commerce sites run affiliate programs to enable them to increase sales figures. Affiliates usually have their own websites where they place banner/button ads and text ads on email messages that promote the products of the e-commerce site. The affiliates are paid with a certain percentage of each sale they are able to make.

Affiliates program is a practical business. You can do it part time, or if you are serious about it, you can do it full time. If you exert your efforts on it full time, you are guaranteed to earn more money than the casual affiliate.

Before deciding to become an affiliate, you must first establish your own website. This is where you will display all promotional information of your 'mother' company. Casual affiliates use email newsletters to get leads for the company but having a site is much more advantageous, especially to the serious affiliate.

The next step is to find an effective way to drive a large number of possible subscribers to your site. You might consider purchasing a list of emails or ads to increase traffic to your site. If in the real world, you are always avoiding traffic, well on the net, you will be looking forward for it. You can also combine traffic and newsletters. However, make sure that you follow the company's regulations regarding email marketing.

Hundreds or even thousands of companies offer affiliate programs. There is a need to choose one particular affiliate program that catches your interest. In any venture that you undertake, you must love what you are doing. In addition, if you know the products that the company offers, then it will be easier for you to sell it to other prospects.

The business opportunity that you have been waiting for may lie within these affiliate programs. Do not be scared of the competition on the net, if you can survive the challenges that you are about to face, then it means you deserve the money that you are earning. If you are competitive enough, you will earn a great deal of money.

Steven Gerber is a professional copywriter & marketing consultant. He is a student of Dan Lok, the World's #1 Website Conversion Expert, & in Steven's totally biased opinion simply THE BEST. You will find the latest internet marketing techniques & tricks at: http://www.websiteconversionexpert.com.

]]> http://miraclemoneyblog.com/homebiztips/HomeBusinessTips_LBo_186/user/index.php
By James Bradley

Creating a content rich link directory is a powerful tool used by any web owner. Building relevant backlinks is a great way to boost your Search Engine Optimization and increase your overall targeted traffic...

It is a well-known fact that adding incoming links to any website is a great method of promotion and search engine optimization. Quality links can increase your page rank and ultimately get you consistent traffic and sales at seemingly no cost. Nothing comes free; the creation of a quality link directory for your website is no different. It will require time and careful planning to get the most out of this valuable tool.

Keep these tips in mind to create a powerful content rich link directory for your website.

1. Do a little planning. The first thing that always leads to success is a clear game plan. Decide what needs to be accomplished and how you can get the job done. Make lists of keywords and link categories relevant to that of your own website. Avoid using categories that are not related.

For instance, if your site is a work at home affiliate web page you would not want to include the categories health & beauty, science, automobiles, etc. To increase your Search Engine Optimization, relate your links to the overall theme and content of your website.

2. Don't become a link farm. Search engines hate "link farms". If each page in your link directory has too many links to other company web sites, your site may be labeled a link farm. Keep the amount of links on each page low, I suggest 15-25 and no more.


3. Ensure every page is keyword rich and has a few links back to your home page. Content is so important for a powerful link directory so keep it filled with keyword rich titles, meta tags, paragraphs, etc. relevant to that pages theme. This will increase the quality of your content and improve the quality of your link directory as a whole.

It is also important to include links back to your home page. This will increase your search engine optimization as the web spiders register more backlinks to your home page.

4. Use link directory software that checks links automatically. There are a lot of different programs and web sites that offer linking services. Be sure to check into them before choosing, some offer many "instant" links for a monthly fee. These links usually do not provide much help, if not hurt your SEO, so be wary.

I suggest using linkmarket.net. There are more than 60,000 potential link partners in every category of the online business world. Links are checked automatically and I have found that at $24.95 a year you cannot go wrong! There are many other programs and services, and finding one that works for you will require a little research on your end.

5. Keep it up! Simply following these simple steps and setting up your link directory is far from the end. You will want to test and retest many different aspects of the linking world. You want to be sure everything works correctly and is content rich before visitors and search engine spiders arrive.

Taking some simple steps can ensure that your link directory works smoothly and increases your Search Engine Optimization. Keep in mind that getting the best links will require some requests from you to other web owners Article Search, and be sure the software you use automatically checks links for effectiveness and removal.

James has been involved in advanced internet marketing and home business opportunities for the last 4 years within the frame work of a multi national billion-dollar company. He is a graduated student of http://www.homeincomeuniversity.com

]]> http://miraclemoneyblog.com/homebiztips/HomeBusinessTips_LBo_186/user/index.php
By Mal Keenan

Increase Your Google AdSense Income with Simple Two Minute and Highly Effective Changes...

I have been adding Google AdSense to my websites for a couple of years now with great success. It is amazing how AdSense earnings can turn into another significant monthly income stream with little effort on your part. Once the ads are added to your site, there is little or no maintenance.

Some internet marketers are earning $100s and even $1000s per day with AdSense. Although I have not reached that level, I have learned a little over the years to make the most profit from the AdSense ads on my pages.

Here are my five most effective ways to maximize your AdSense earnings:

1. Blend the Ads in with your Site - Create colors for your ads that will blend in with the colors on your website. The idea is to make the ads look less like ads and more like another part of your site. To do this, make the AdSense ad border and background the same color as your website background. Also, make the link text the same color as your website link text. This small change should significantly increase your AdSense click thru rate.

2. Place the Ads Correctly - Place the ads in a prominent position on your website, no point placing the ads where they will not be seen by the vast majority of your websites visitors. The most effective places to position your ads are at the top centre of your site and at the top right hand-side. Website visitor eyes tend to move from top centre to top right so anywhere in this area is good and of course, you can find the most appropriate ads to fit well in these areas.

3. Choose the Most Profitable Ad Format - Through testing it has been found that the most effective Google AdSense format is the (338x280) large rectangle. This ad will outperform all the others, but do not sacrifice the design of your website by squeezing one of these ads in where it will not look right. Placing a large rectangle in the centre of the page is more preferable to putting it in one of the side columns where the layout will be affected.

4. Wrap Your Content - Through proper formatting, you can wrap the content of your site around the ads. This is especially effective when wrapping a website article around a (338x280) ad. If you visit any of my sites that have articles on them, you can see how this looks. For instructions on how to do this, go to Google, and search-("wrap text around Google AdSense").

5. Maintain Relevant Content - Although Google's automatic script for targeting ads to the content of your site is often first class, there are times when it does not match the right ad to your content. The way to avoid this is to place good quality targeted content on your pages. If you are creating websites specifically to earn from Google, then make sure to focus the keywords around one topic. Placing various keywords on a variety of unrelated topics will result in untargeted ads on your site.

The most important point when placing Google AdSense on your websites is to stay within Google's terms of service, which you can find on their site. Many people have lost their AdSense accounts through flirting with dodgy practices in order to increase earnings. This may pay off in the short term, but Google will always catch you in the end.

Mal Keenan is editor and publisher of Home Business Tips Newsletter: Latest home based business ideas (http://www.home-business-tips-newsletter.com/). To Find Out What Was My Greatest Lucky Break in My 6 Years of Frustration, check out: Real home based internet business (http://www.freeadvertz.com/).

]]> http://miraclemoneyblog.com/homebiztips/HomeBusinessTips_LBo_186/user/index.php
By Steven Gerber

Many people prefer to start a home business on the Internet to provide extra cash or to provide extra income for the household. Aside from their regular jobs, people today are now also starting home businesses. With the increasing prices of basic commodities, you would want some extra money to keep up with the household expenses.

However, you should consider many online businesses. The number of online businesses available tends to create confusion as to which online business is the best kind of business to become involved. One good online home business that you can definitely earn money from is through affiliate programs.

Affiliate programs are now one of the things you will constantly see and hear on the Internet. Because you do not actually need to sell anything, this kind of business is ideal for someone who does not have enough capital to start a home business. In addition, this kind of home business is a good moneymaking venture, recommended for everyone.

You do not have to have an MBA to start this kind of business. All you need is a website with a particular theme. For example, if you are a fitness expert, you can take advantage of this knowledge not only in the gym as a fitness trainer, but you can also use this knowledge for an affiliate program business. Try to build a website that has a fitness-training topic. You can compose an article about fitness training and post them in your website.

After making a website about fitness, you can now choose an affiliate program representing the same niche. It can be about fitness supplements, such as protein powders or pills, or it can also be about fitness equipment. This will be like a banner or advertising on your website. Once someone clicks on that banner or advertising, the visitor is directed to your affiliate company's website where all the fitness products are displayed for them to buy. They will enter the website with your name as the person who referred that person to the company's website. If they purchase something, you will automatically earn a commission for every product purchased.

Now you know how affiliate programs work. Now you have to learn how to let people online know that your website exists. You have to advertise your website in order to generate targeted traffic. One way to do this is by publishing articles related to your website's niche in popular article publishing websites. You have to remember that you should include your website's URL in order to let them click on the link included in the article and instantly direct them to your website.

Since your article is related to your website's niche, you can be sure that people who are reading your article is interested in visiting your website. This means you will be increasing the chances of generating targeted traffic and decreasing spam traffic.

Remember the key to affiliate program is laser-targeted traffic. This is why you should advertise your website well. Spend a little money on programs that will improve your chances of generating targeted traffic. There are many ways you can generate targeted traffic Free Reprint Articles, and making articles, and publishing them on article publishing websites is just one of them.

Steven Gerber is a professional copywriter & marketing consultant. He is a student of Dan Lok, the World's #1 Website Conversion Expert, & in Steven's totally biased opinion simply THE BEST. You will find the latest internet marketing techniques & tricks at: http://www.websiteconversionexpert.com .

]]> http://miraclemoneyblog.com/homebiztips/HomeBusinessTips_LBo_186/user/index.php
by Michael Moshkovich

One strategy that works, if you work at it, is forum marketing. Here is an internet marketing strategy you can work at to help you earn money on the internet.

Perhaps you have heard of the KISS method for doing Internet marketing; “Keep It Simple Stupid”. Internet marketing does not require you to be a rocket scientist, but it does require you to work. Here is an Internet marketing strategy you can work at to help you earn money on the internet.

When it comes to Internet marketing, think about the market you are targeting. These people can use the product that you sell. One strategy that works, if you work at it, is forum marketing. An Internet forum is an on-line discussion group where people exchange ideas about a common interest. There are thousands of discussion forums on the Internet on every imaginable topic

The Internet strategy you are using here is to join a forum that relates to the product you sell. As a member, you will be able to establish a profile that you can include your website. Many forums will let you create a signature file where you can create a short classified ad about yourself or your business. In that, again you want to include your website address.

To use forum marketing, you will have to spend time in the forum asking and answering questions. What you are really doing is beginning to establish relationships with people. If you create quality posts in the forum, you will start to establish yourself as an expert. The value of this is when people read your posts they will be curious to learn more about you. As they read your profile or signature file, they will see you website address and click on it. You have just created a visitor to your site.

This is probably the easiest thing you will ever do. This Internet marketing strategy can make you thousands of dollars for years to come. Why? Because most forums archive their posts and search engines spider these for useful content. One good forum post can be picked up by a search engine and bring you website traffic repeatedly.

For this reason, you want to try to include keywords in your post that relate to the content of your website. Do not spam-write the same keyword repeatedly, but just write as if you were talking, and be mindful of an opportunity to work in a keyword when possible.

You can derive one last benefit from a good forum. You can get many good ideas. This is free training for you. You will very quickly be able to spot people in the forum who post good content who can teach you things. Over time, you will go from student to teacher yourself.

As an Internet, marketing strategy, forum marketing is one of the easiest. It takes time and effortArticle Submission, but is a long-term way to get traffic to your website.

Michael Moshkovich is a web developer and internet marketer who have written over 50 articles on SEO, shopping cart software and PPC marketing. To find out more information about WebCart's seo friendly shopping cart software visit our website (http://www.webcart.net/).

]]> http://miraclemoneyblog.com/homebiztips/HomeBusinessTips_LBo_186/user/index.php
By Steven Gerber

Sometimes staying at home has its own advantages. Not going to work on the other hand may pose other problems. For instance, where will you get the money to finance your daily expenses? Some people may just laugh about this fact, but staying at home does not necessarily mean that you cannot earn money.

Yes, you heard it right. You can actually make money even if you do not leave the house. How you might ask, it is through reseller programs. Many people are attracted to take part in many forums on the net, and most people are into affiliate marketing. Why not participate in a different venture like reseller programs.

If you have second thoughts, then first familiarize yourself with what reseller programs are. It is simple; a reseller program means that you will be a retailer for a certain company. So how do you do this? Start by signing up for a reselling program. The company, which supports the program, will tell you what products you are going to sell, and the equal charge for each item sold. In most cases, you will need your own website, and this is where you are going to sell your products. If a certain customer is interested, put all his/her personal information in your control panel, and the hosting company will be the one to set them up for a particular program.

There are also companies that provide a website, and you will just build it according to your preferences and set the prices. This is much better because the website is already there, and you just need to make little improvements so the site will suit your preference.

There are free programs, while others require you to pay membership fees or set up fees. Do a bit of research on the different reseller programs. You can find one that will work for you.

Reseller programs are potential income generators, especially for those who want to conduct a living in their homes. Although this is less popular compared to the affiliates, it also offers opportunities for earning income. You just need to get things done in the proper manner. It requires low maintenance but produces high profit for financial independence.

Being a reseller does not make you an employee of a certain company. You act independently. You will be paid based on the sign ups made and this will done on a recurring basis. This means you can do the work at your most preferred time.

Before signing up for any reseller program, there are certain things to consider.

First, identify what you want to resell. Almost all hosting companies prefer outsourcing so they can focus more on running their business.

Then choose among the programs available on the internet. Make sure you choose one having a positive record and already well established. Do not jump at offerings, which promises high yields, yet is not well experienced or established.

After choosing the program, its time to attract prospects Psychology Articles, and the best way is to look for smaller firms or individuals.

Hosting companies prefer reseller programs because they are able to cut down costs on staffing and/or equipments. They only need to pay a minimal amount in exchange for your services. It would be best to find a particular situation in which you will be comfortable to resell in order to be successful in this venture.

Steven Gerber is a professional copywriter & marketing consultant. He is a student of Dan Lok, the World's #1 Website Conversion Expert, & in Steven's totally biased opinion simply THE BEST. You will find the latest internet marketing techniques & tricks at: http://www.websiteconversionexpert.com .

]]> http://miraclemoneyblog.com/homebiztips/HomeBusinessTips_LBo_186/user/index.php

By Liz Tahir

Curt and Justin were life long fishing buddies. Now, in their retirement, together, they had taken up the art of ‘do-it-yourself home-improvers’. Curt decided to tackle wallpapering his living room. When he finished the job, he proudly called his friend over to see his handiwork. Justin was very impressed. In fact, he liked it so much; he asked his friend if he could get the same wallpaper for his living room. Their homes were practically identical in size and layout. Curt thought this was a great idea. Therefore, Justin asked him, “how many rolls of wallpaper he bought for the job?” Seven was the reply.

Justin went right to work and when he finished, called his friend over to his house. “Ah, man, that looks really good”, said Curt. Then Justin said to his friend, “But you know, Curt, it’s a funny thing; our living rooms are the same size, but I had two rolls of wallpaper left over! How come?” To which Curt replied, “You, too? That’s exactly what I had left over!”

Poor Justin; he asked his friend the wrong question. He should have asked how many rolls of wallpaper he needed to use for the job, not…how many rolls of wallpaper had Curt bought for the job.

Knowing the right questions to ask can have a dramatic effect on our success. Not having good information, or not getting the answers we need in doing our jobs can make all the difference in the world. What is hard to realize is that this is often of our own doing. How many times have you been surprised to learn of a turn of events and then asked your employees “Why didn’t you tell me that?” only to have they reply “You didn’t ask me.” Since it is illegal to strangle them when they say something like that, the best course is to figure out how to avoid such communication traps.

The secret weapon of power negotiators is being skilled in asking questions. Why? One of the reasons is that questions get the communication going and encourages the other party to talk, to share information with you. In addition, what you always, always, are looking for is information, particularly something you do not know. Even when you think, you know the answers, get in the habit of asking questions; at least, it will confirm your knowledge. In addition, if you have somehow missed asking the right question, the answer you require will come out, the more the other party talks, and you are talking less.

Of course, we are not talking here about hard interrogation. There is a difference between asking relevant questions and the demanding, rat-a-tat-tat fire of interrogation, as if you were the chief of police. Such action can rank anywhere from offensive to intimidating. In addition, you do not want to put people on the defensive. Asking a question like “How could you possibly have made that mistake?” will solve nothing. The person will just feel compelled to defend his actions. Something as if “What do we need to do to avoid this happening again?” is more likely to get you the answers you require. Your goal is to make sure people are comfortable about opening up and communicating with you.

Train yourself to ask open-ended questions, ones that require complete answers, not by just yes or no, but that require longer, answers that are more expansive. Questions that begin with ‘Why’ or ‘What’ or ‘Who’ will tend to elicit more communication. In addition, you will have more chance of getting all the information you need.

I have a question I try to remember to ask every time an associate discusses a situation with me. At the end of our discussion, I ask, “Is there anything else I need to know?” Alternatively, it may take the form of “Is there anything else we need to discuss?” It is the words “anything else” that are important here. Once asked, I pause and wait for a reply. That is my fair warning of their obligation and their opportunity to tell me everything that is relevant to this situation. No surprises later. So get in the habit of performing this little routine. You will have fewer surprises and no one will ever again be able to hide behind the cloak of “well, you didn’t ask me” or “I didn’t know you wanted to know.”

Sometimes, we do not get the answers we need because we do not listen. Learn to be a good listener. Be sensitive to the possibility that you may be asking your associates the right questions, but not listening to them when they try to answer. Alternatively, maybe you are so fast and sure in your own thought process, that you interrupt and do not give them the opportunity to finish what they are saying before you jump in. Alternatively, you finish their answer for them. Curb these tendencies.

Listening is not passive; a good listener can take complete control of an exchange between people. When you listen well, you earn the trust of others. People come to you with their problems, and their opportunities, when they feel they can trust you to listen.

Your ears may be the receptor for the sounds you hear when you are listening, but something else about you is equally important: your eyes. If you are not making good eye contact or are continually moving around, the other person will not “feel” listened to. They will know you did not hear them. Look directly at the person the whole time they are talking. If it is a particularly long dissertation, you can look away or look down to jot a note, but only for a second before looking right back at them. When you do not maintain this direct eye focus, the person will feel that you do not think what they have to say is valuable to you anyway, so why bother fully answering your questions or coming to you with information.

Having good information is critical in business today. It is yours for the (right) asking!

Copyright 2006, Liz Tahir

Liz Tahir is an international marketing consultant, speaker, and seminar leader, whose mission is to help companies be more effective and profitable. Based in New Orleans, LA, USA, she can be contacted at (504)-569-1670; liz@liztahir.com; http://www.liztahir.com.

]]> http://miraclemoneyblog.com/homebiztips/HomeBusinessTips_LBo_186/user/index.php

By James Saunders

Did you know that you could dramatically increase the number of visitors that come to your site on a daily basis from Google?

Web Content (Mass + Keywords) + Links = SEO

Image Text or JavaScript?

Question: Navigation is based on images, again if these are images of text?

Answer: Search engines obtain links very considerable, and only read text. They like to match the topic of the target page to the text in the link that pointed to the page. Avoid JavaScript.

What to do? Use text only navigation. The text and containing elements can be styles with CSS to set them up, look like images, give a background image, or at least rearrange them to look a little fancier. The optional is to ensure that there is some text based navigation elsewhere on the page.

Gains: Search engines will be able to match the topic of the target page with the reputation (link text). A higher relevancy is better. Ensuring there is text on the page will also help the visually impaired who use text only browsers, in conjunction with Braille output devices, or text to speech software.

Links and Link Relevancy

Question: You want many links to your website?

Answer: Although links may be great for visitors and search engine spiders, the true appraisal of the link may not be fully clear to you. Visitors are unlikely to click on irrelevant links and search engines hate them. Reciprocal links, (you link to me, and I will link to you), can be of use when associated, but carry less weight in the search engines than one-way inbound links.

What to do? Avoid link farms (pages of links, for the sake of links), treat reciprocal link requests with anticipation and stay associated.

Gains: Spending time and thought on your link profile will ensure natural growth of links. Search engines hate anything that looks artificial, or anything that could be interpreted as 'Search engine Trick'.

Duplicate Content

Question: Webmaster copies content from another website, or sets up numerous sites, which are identical, or very similar. Does this mechanism work?

Answer: Search engines apply echo content filters to the search results. Although the idea of increasing the market share is a bona fide idea, a thousand similar sites is not the way to go about doing it. Efforts put into the secondary sites will be forfeited.

What to do? Endorse all of the pages so each of your sites is unique. Querying a search engine for an exact match of long strings of text will show you, if the content is bringing up elsewhere. If a webmaster does have facsimile pages and wishes to avoid any penalties or filters, the webmaster must choose one page to have the other identical pages redirect to. Redirects are covered later. You may also use random RSS Feeds that are mixed before they show up on each page. The RSS have the ability that they always have fresh content, but only if you mix 3 or more RSS feeds, you will get a unique result and not what all the other sites have that are using the same RSS feeds.

Gains: Your efforts are not wasted; time and money can be saved. Always-Fresh content from the RSS Feeds.

Numerous Sites

Question: Following on from identical content, there are numerous sites. A single webmaster has a certain number of closely themed sites, all inter-linked and hosted on the same IP address.

Answer: This is seen as search engine Frame-up, the linking structure and numerous sites just are not natural. Penalties can apply.

What to do? Such site structures can work if set up properly. This means that each site must reside on its own IP address where, at least, the C class is different. IP address is covered later.

Gains: Increased market share, effectively linked and spiderable sites, no penalties applied.

Unfriendly URLs

Question: The URL (web address) of some of your sites pages look like domain dot com/product.php?id=2346&category=665&sid=f29a3483270cc10b3783706916216e3a

Answer: Search engine spiders are getting better, and following, and indexing these form of URLs, but not all of them. The spiders are scared of being caught in an endless loop of identical pages with 1000s of different URLs. They are also off putting to your site visitors who could surely remember mydomain dot com/products/cars/boostvalves.

What to do? Use Search Engine Friendly URLs. If you are running the Apache web server on Linux enabled server use mod_rewrite to translate the URLs into something nicer.

Gains: Higher chance of being indexed by more of the search engines, keywords in your URL, higher chance of being clicked on in the SERPs

Redirects

There are two main redirects, based on the HTTP specification

301 - moved permanently

302 - moved temporarily

You should use 301 redirects wherever possible. This can be done in your server side scripting, eg

Code: php

header("HTTP/1.1 301 Found");

header("Location: w w w newdomain dot com/");

redirects can also be set up in your .htaccess file, if you run the Apache web server

IP addresses (C class)

IP addresses are the numerical addresses of computers connected to the internet. For ease of reading, they are broken down into four parts, each called an octet as they contain 8 bits of data when written in binary form. An example my be 62.85.68.114. in this case, the C class is 68 (and everything up to it), so if you have a few sites hosted on this IP they would all have identical IP addresses. If each had a single IP address that started 62.85.68. then they all share the same C-class IP address. As the allocation of IP addresses within a server involvement is usually configured so that each server has it's own C-class; this means that a search engine knows that all sites on the same C-class IP address are all located on the same server

Your competitors might not be standing still; neither should you.

James Saunders is the owner of TrafficBoosterPro, the SEO software which makes Unique Content pages Quickly and Easily! Software that bring massive Traffic from RSS Feeds in AutoPilot, now in it's 2nd revision at http://TrafficBoosterPro.com.

]]>