Home Business The Easy Way - VSl Update http://www.blogmoneymiracle.com en-us EasyRSS
by Shannon Margolis

In today’s highly competitive business climate, the success and longevity of enterprise businesses of all types and sizes primarily depend on efficient business process management. Considering the fact that a proper business process management plan that incorporates the latest, state-of-the-art business process solutions is what separates the successful, prominent businesses from the rest, all business-oriented companies are permanently looking for improvements in this particular area in order to strengthen their position in the market. By establishing a top-quality business process management plan, customized to fit the exact needs and requirements of your business, you can significantly improve the efficiency of your business, thus ensuring better profits and better exposure.

The concept of business process management encompasses an extensive series of specific activities performed by businesses in order to optimize their regular processes. The activities comprised by business process management can be divided into three distinctive categories: design, execution and monitoring.

The design phase either refers to designing customized business processes or adopting already existing processes and modifying them to fit the specific needs of a certain business. During the stage of business process management design, organizations can also test the efficiency and reliability of the newly developed business processes before introducing them into practice. By integrating specific software for process design to be used for obtaining graphical representations of workflows, as well as for implementing and maintaining workflows, organizations can transform the evolution of business processes into a less demanding and challenging experience.

The phase of process execution, just like the name suggests, basically refers to the execution of the previously designed processes by using various applications. While in the recent past the succession of activities conducted during this stage of business process management depended almost entirely on human intervention, today’s advanced technology allows for a good level of automation, significantly limiting the need for human intervention. Modern software in the category of Business Process Management Systems (BPMS) provides efficient automation solutions, allowing companies to use computer language in performing specific activities. Although the need for human intervention in the phase of process execution hasn’t been completely eliminated, nowadays it represents almost a negligible factor when using highly-competitive software tools.

In order to ensure that their used BPMS is efficient, organizations should check if the software respects the principles of business process architecture (accounts for all the major segments of business process architecture: enterprise architecture, policy and procedures, project management, logistics and so on). Some of the most popular BPMS used at present are built on the Microsoft Platform and include names such as BizTalk Server, SQL Server, InfoPath, MOM and SharePoint. With a good level of training in business process architecture and business process implementation using advanced BPMS, companies can substantially increase business efficiency and prosperity.

The last stage in business process management consists in process monitoring. The process monitoring stage involves performing a series of activities aimed at obtaining conclusive data on the performance of business processes, as well as finding and timely correcting any emerging problems. The monitoring of processes and the reporting of existing problems can nowadays be handled entirely with BPMS. With the right software tools, companies can rapidly identify performance issues, being provided with detailed statistic data and in-depth analyses of each distinctive category of business processes.

The long-term results provided by high-quality business process solutions and efficient business process implementation inside organizations are: significantly increased business efficiency, higher business adaptability, versatility and agility in the market. In order to ensure the optimal performance of your business processes through efficient business process management, you can either employ the services of a reputed business-consulting company and receive the latest solutions, tailored to fit the exact needs of your business, or form your own team of professionals with a good level of training in business process implementation using advanced Business Process Management Systems.

For more information on business process management please visit www.unitekconsulting.com?source=articlesender

Shannon Margolis
Marketing Coordinator
http://www.unitek.com/training

View their website at: http://www.unitek.com/training?source=articlesender/
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by Dean Mercado

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While websites are a key component of Internet marketing, they are not the“be all, end all”. So here are 7 killer Internet marketing tools that you can implement on a shoestring budget without having to have a website of your own.

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When most people think of Internet marketing, they think solely of Websites. Are they right or wrong? Well -- both. While Websites are a key component of Internet marketing and, in many cases, they are the only Internet marketing tool businesses use, they are not the “be-all, end-all”. They are not required for Internet marketing. I do highly recommend them as they are best-suited to sit at the core of your Internet marketing plan, the hub. so to speak -- but that’s a topic for another conversation.

Here are 7 killer Internet marketing tools that you can implement on a shoestring budget without having to have a Website of your own:

1. E-mail Marketing – When properly implemented, there probably isn’t a quicker, better, and less expensive way to stay in front of your prospects and clients than to leverage the power of E-mail. You can literally touch an unlimited amount of prospects and clients with a single click – how’s that for power?!

2. Blogs – Blogging is a great tool when you would like to step it up a notch and stay in constant contact with your prospects and clients. Some ideas on how to use a blog: post what’s new with you or your business, post informative content as a value-add to your clients, or hold an interactive forum with your clients geared towards understanding how to better serve them.

There are a handful of free or low-cost blog hosts out there that really make this process simple (e.g. Blogger and TypePad).

3. Article Marketing – This is a phenomenal approach to bringing notoriety, interest and, ultimately, leads for many types of businesses. You can use article marketing as a major differentiator or value-add, literally telling the readers why they should buy from you, instead of your competitors. Whether your clients are local, regional, national or global -- articles are portable and usable in all situations -- that's part of their charm.

4. eZines – Much like blogs and article marketing, eZines are a great way to stay in touch with your prospects on a more scheduled basis. They are probably the forerunner in helping you develop a list of prospects, so you can easily market and sell your wares.

5. Affiliate Programs -- Get others promoting and selling for you. This tool can become the equivalent of having both a full-blown marketing and a sales staff that gets paid only on performance. If they don’t promote and directly lead to a sale for you, they don’t get paid.

For the do-it-yourselfers, there are plenty of tools to help you set up this type of program. For everyone else, there are excellent service providers who can coordinate and manage this process for you (e.g. Clickbank and Commission Junction).

6. Viral Marketing – Again, a great approach for getting others to promote and help create a buzz about you, your business, your products and/or your services. The best, most genuine way to get this started is by creating raving fans out of your existing clients and then helping them help you spread the word.

7. Public Relations – If I tell you I’m the best at what I do, you’ll take it with a grain of salt. Maybe you’ll believe me, maybe you won’t. However, people tend to believe what they read. If a respected publication tells you that I’m the best at what I do, that usually holds more weight and adds instant credibility to me.

Spend some effort here. Become a resource for the press. You help them and they can significantly help you.

I highly recommend you spend some time with these. Explore how you can implement one, some, or all of these Internet marketing tools to help explode your business.

© 2005 Online Marketing Muscle -- All Rights Reserved.

Online entrepreneur Dean Mercado, "The Motivational Marketer," is creator of the acclaimed 'Pumped-Up Networking' system geared to explode your business through professional relationships. To learn more about it and to sign up for his FREE eZine, the 'Marketing Minute' – a weekly multimedia eZine designed to give you a jolt of marketing wisdom in less than 5 minutes, visit www.OnlineMarketingMuscle.com.

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by Francois du Toit

We have all heard the real estate slogan: “Location! Location! Location!”. Well, if that is the slogan of the real estate industry then “Content! Content! Content!” is certainly the slogan for all webmasters. Maybe I should rather say it SHOULD BE the slogan for all webmasters…Unfortunately many webmasters are only focusing on how they can make more money instead of providing visitors to their website with good content.

I recently heard that more than 40% of all people with an internet business have only been online for no longer than 6 months. I am not sure about the exact percentage but I can believe that 40%+ is not far away from the truth.

One thing is for sure: Many people start an internet business believing they are going to make a fortune online within a very short period of time. The reality is that very few people actually achieve any sort of online success, especially in the first six months. The result is a constant stream of new webmasters and a constant outflow of disillusioned webmasters.

Most newcomers are totally disillusioned with the internet after only a couple of weeks or months. They often fall prey to unscrupulous dealers that sell them expensive programs “guaranteed” to make them succeed on the internet. Most of these programs do not work and they leave with the bitter taste in their mouths of being conned.

Do the statistics prove that one should not attempt to make money online or that the internet is a big hoax? No, they prove that people give us too soon. They prove that people have unrealistic expectations. They prove that people do not acquire enough knowledge before embarking on an online business.

What are the most common mistakes?

1. No clear strategy. Newcomers often have no clear idea of what they want to achieve and how they should go about achieving it. They try to go of in all directions at once or use the shotgun approach of firing away at everything that moves hoping they will eventually hit something.

2. Unrealistic expectations. People often spend $25,000+ pa. on college fees for three years just to earn $40,000 pa. when they graduate. However, when it comes to making money online they refuse to invest the time to learn how to succeed and expect to make $10,000 from the very first month working only a couple of hours per day.

3. People are often chasing money without taking the time to put the necessary structures in place that will enable them to earn money.

Assume you want to open your own restaurant. Do you try to make money without a location or any food to offer your customers? No! You start by drawing up a business plan - What are you planning on doing, how & when are you going to start, who are your competitors, how long will it take before you start making money, how much money do you need to invest, what does your cash flow look like, etc.

Many people still think they can build a quick one page website or get a free affiliate website and that they will have a constant stream of visitors eager to snap up anything they have to offer. Nothing can be further away from the truth.

Think about it logically. Put yourself in the shoes of a visitor. Most people search the internet looking for information (content). The search engines know this and reward unique content websites by indexing them more favorably than poorly constructed websites, websites with very little content or duplicate websites. There are millions of websites on the net. I am sorry, but if a visitor runs a search for a keyword such as “business opportunity” and your site is number 99,000,000 of 100,000,000 then you are never going to get any visitors. Accept it.

What can you do? The first and most important step you can take is to ensure that your website has good content. Write about something you know and are passionate about. If you struggle to write one page about a certain topic then rather forget about it. You should be able to write many pages of relevant content that other people would like to read. Try to remain original and focus on unique content.

There are many things you can do to improve your website in the future by making it more attractive to your visitors as well as the search engines. However, there is really nothing you can do to improve a website with poor content until you do something to improve the content.

Whatever website you want to establish, remember the golden rule: Content! Content! Content!

To your success!

Francois du Toit is the owner of http://www.money-maker-advice.com, a website designed to help new entrepreneurs succeed by evaluating various online and offline business opportunities, affiliate programs and network marketing options. The website also offers free articles and tools that will assist webmasters in building profitable websites.

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By Lynn VanDyke

Get the tips you need to know before hiring a webmaster for your small business. Lynn VanDyke explores several traits that a successful webmaster should inherit. Does your webmaster produce results?

Browsing is reminiscent of the cruising teenagers used to do in there 1954 Chevrolets. Cruising the downtown street was an opportunity to visit favorite places, say hello to friends, get current information of interest, and just enjoy the world in general.


Browsing, or cruising, the internet offers many of the same conventions while you sit in the driver's seat at your computer. On the internet are your favorite sites, instant messaging, and email for conferring with your friends, up-to-the minute information about any topic of interest, and a way to access the whole world.

Once you decide to join the crowd and build a website, many important considerations should go into your project. A webmaster can help you make sure the ‘drive' is safe and enjoyable! Building a Hotrod Website many hotrod restorations are called ‘frame-up' jobs. The car is stripped to its bare frame. Everything on the car is restored, one-step at a time, until completion.

Along the way are hundreds of important decisions that affect the final product – everything from custom exhaust systems to door handles. There are so many intricacies. Normally an expert is hired to assist with the project, especially for the bodywork.

Building a website is no different. When you decide to own a website, how to drive business or traffic to the site and the intricacies of the internet and are best handled by a professional webmaster.

What should you look for in a webmaster?

- Current in website creation methods

- Current in website enhancement techniques including video

- Clear on website ownership issues

- Experienced and has examples of work completed you can review

- Able to apply search engine optimization techniques

- Offers owner access for changes or input- Willing to incorporate owner written material

- Good communication skills

- Provides statistical analysis of website traffic

- Hourly or project cost fits within your budget

A webmaster has the big responsibility to satisfy your project requirements, within a budget, on time, and successfully drive business to your site. A webmaster is a professional. The company you hire will understand how to create an effective website that is easy to use.

It is extremely frustrating when you turn the key on your hotrod and nothing happens. It is just as frustrating to visit a website and not be able find what you want or is so convoluted it is impossible to browse. A webmaster insures that your website does not fall prey to these common mistakes.

Breakdowns!

You are cruising in your hotrod. Suddenly, smoke starts coming out the tailpipe. The inevitable breakdown occurs and you are stuck on the side of the highway. No need to panic because the expert who helped assemble the car will also help with the repairs.

Your website, once built, will always need maintenance. There will be upgrades, new additions, deletions, problems, and expansions needed on the site. The webmaster you choose should offer site maintenance. Some common needs include:

- Addition of new information about your company

- Changing graphics

- New pages or information

- Corrections

- Changes resulting from user comments

- Redesigns

Webmasters also have plans that include marketing your website. Naturally, just like taking the disabled hotrod to the mechanic for repairs, maintenance and marketing plans usually incur additional charges.

When you sign a contract with a webmaster, make sure the rates are ones you can afford and are consistent with market pricing. If possible, try to hire a webmaster that includes marketing in the initial quote.

Back On The Highway

You want your hotrod cruising the streets, not sitting in a garage. Your website is meant to be available 24 hours a day and 7 days a week. An inoperable site is worthless to a business.

A webmaster can make sure your site is always cruising. Whether you need design, redesign, or maintenance, a webmaster is the best mechanic for the job.

Lynn VanDyke is an SBI certified webmaster. She is one of the fastest growing webmasters for entrepreneurs and small business owners needing to generate targeted traffic from search engines. Learn more about Lynn (http://www.lynnvandyke.com/).

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Google bots love content and can't get enough of it. That's why a successful website should have new content on a regular basis. This way google bots keep coming for more. But they won't find your content unless they follow links to it. So after you write your content, make sure you link to it. This is why I refer to content as "King" and links as "Queens".

Now, here is the tricky part. Content should be optimized in such a way that search engines can find all the relevant keywords while still remaining easy-to-read by normal people (who will buy your products or services). The best practice is to write for your target audience first, then add your keywords in a few places (being careful not to overkill the article with keywords). Doing this will ensure that your visitors will continue browsing your website, in turn increasing the likelihood that they will buy your products or services.

Try to keep your site content fresh by regularly adding new pages, articles or even updating the current content you have. Unique content ranks better on search engines today since they are able to find the original content source and remove duplicates out of their results. There are other advantages to using unique content in your site as well.

When your King is ready, he needs his Queen to help him rise. Links are how search engines find you and spider your pages. Most of the time, search engines will find your site without any links, but the more links you have the faster you'll be found. Also, when other people link to you, this mean they like your site, which in return tells the search engines that your site will result in a better user experience. But now, with all the link farms and automated link services, it's harder to find quality sites to link back to you.

Let other webmasters and bloggers find your site so they can link to your website. Also, you want to make doing so as easy as possible, so always provide a "Link To Us" page with links and content.

Include your site link in every article you write (something like "By: My Keyword where 'My Keyword' "will be linked to your website). Doing this ensures that your link will be published again and again in every place that your article is duplicated and published.

More information and articles on SEO can be found at http://www.nograyseo.com.]]> http://miraclemoneyblog.com/homebiztips/HomeBusinessTips_VSl_180/user/index.php
Creating an effective viral video is one of the best ways to bring massive amounts of traffic to your site.

There are many good viral videos around the internet, especially on YouTube, but sometimes when one goes to create a viral video, things can go horribly wrong.

Remember, for a viral video to be special, it has to be different from all the others floating around. To do this you have to come up with something original. However, you will find that creating a viral video that is original and spreads through the internet like a "virus" is not that difficult. Just one good idea can create a killer viral video and get you millions of hits to your site.

Here are 10 tips to ensure you create a killer viral video:

1) Don't copy another viral video that previously failed because you will fail.

2) Try to make your viral video shocking, funny, sexy or attention-grabbing.

3) Make your viral video controversial so it causes a stir and inspires discussion.

4) Make sure you viral video a "piggy-back" off something that has happened recently.

5) Get an expert to edit your viral video so it has a professional feel to it.

6) Once your viral video is finished, share it with friends to get the viral effect going.

7) Include at least 1 thing in your viral video that will get people talking.

8) Make sure that your viral video is not boring

9) Make sure your viral video is relativly short (under 10 minutes).

10) Create an introduction that causes your audience to feel anticipation and lead this into an ending that lets them know you appreciate their time in watching.

For maximum exposure, you should add your viral video to : YouTube, Google video, Yahoo Video, ifilm, MySpace and your own personal blog.

These site are going to give your viral video maximum exposure and ensure your viral video gets talked about.

The last thing to do if you find out that your viral video doesn't do so well is to experiment and test things later. This is what marketing is all about. Do more of what works and less of what doesn't work.

Good Luck

For the most amazing secrets for generating massive internet traffic please visit http://www.trafficsecretsreport.com.]]> http://miraclemoneyblog.com/homebiztips/HomeBusinessTips_VSl_180/user/index.php
by Erich Sweaney

Newbies and Expert Internet Marketers all have one thing in common: Trying to get their Websites indexed through the top three major search engines quickly. For larger Websites, the task is even more daunting, and there are a few small but effective techniques that can assist in the indexing process.

Patience is a virtue and in today's internet marketing world patience and planning is a key.

Smaller one- or two-page Websites, also known as sales pages, are the easiest and quickest to get indexed in the three major search engines. Almost anyone can generally succeed by just manually submitting through each search engine's submission process.

Websites with a considerable number of pages will often immediately get their first page indexed, which therefore requires small effective planning strategies and a little bit of patience to become completely indexed.

Effective Key Planning Strategies:

(1) Prior to submitting your Websites to the search engines, establis link partners, which will cause the search engines to start indexing your Website.

Start planning out the basic Website structure so that search engine robots can easily flow through your Website and index each page.

(a) Have a sitemap linked from you main index page that thinks throughout your Website.

(b) If possible, ensure that each page is linked together, not just back to the main index page. This has been a successful technique in the past.

(c) Build and submit a Google Sitemap.

(2) Test your Websites design and structure using Google Sitemap Software such as SOFTplus GSiteCrawler (Freeware) that will try and index your entire Website.

If you're unsuccessful building a index of your entire Website, then further planning and design changes may be in order, to index your entire Website. If the software cannot index your entire Website, how will the search engine robots index your entire Website?

(3) Instead of manually submitting your Websites, submit your Website through directories and establish link partnerships. This will improve how often your Website is crawled by the search engines and how fast your Website is indexed.

Also, when establishing link partnership and directories, the higher their Google Page Rank, the quicker your Website will be indexed and more often your Website is crawled.

(4) Patience. The process the search engines will go through while indexing your Website is: First, the search engine will have to find your Website (hence, establishing partnerships with high Google Page Rank), then crawling through your Website and absorbing all the information contained, then ranking each individual page and, finally, your Website will appear in the search engine result pages (SERPs).

Erich Sweaney has been marketing online since 1999. http://www.es-solution.com - Discover the Power of Internet Marketing!

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Here is one method that you can use to get traffic to your web site. It relies on choosing some niche keywords based on your web site theme. The process is fairly simple and can be expanded to get tons of traffic to your site. Here is how.

It is often tempting to chase after popular themes and then select the major keyword as your target. However, this is not a great move-- well, not in the beginning anyway. You first have to build your credibility with the search engines before they will place you near the top.

The key is to choose a keyword phrase that people are using in popular search engines (such as Google) but have very few web sites that cater to that keyword phrase. How do you find such valuable keyword phrases? Here’s how!

If you use a software tool such as Good Keywords or the Google AdSense tool, it will return you many different keyword phrases. Look for specific phrases that look a bit odd. One of the ones that I look for are those that are book titles. Sometimes the words are jumbled but after you have gone through a few of them you will easily recognize them because initially they seem to make no sense. This is often because the words in the title of the book have been sorted into alphabetic order.

If you choose this phrase and set up a web page targeting that phrase, you can then produce a few paragraphs on the book based on reviews at any of the popular online book- sellers, such as Amazon. You can then have affiliate links to the major booksellers and receive an affilaite commission from them.

I have used this technique to target books on Poker which have attracted traffic where I can offer either the book of their interest or to one of the gaming clubs or to my other web pages on Poker.

A book with a similar title is “Liar’s Poker: Rising Through the Wreckage on Wall Street”. The tools indicate that it was searched for in Overture (Yahoo) 12,043 times in one month, so probably 120,000 in Google. Yet depending on how it is entered, Google shows that there ar only 997 sites that cater to that phrase. That’s pretty good odds for you to get a high ranking in the search engines. You can then offer your new-found traffic links to products and services related to the finance industry – a high-paying industry.

If you can find other books related to this them, then you can aggregate the traffic through links to your home page. Eventually you will raise your page rank to a fairly high level.

This is a method that is easy to implement, yet can be refined on an ongoing basis to improve the natural search traffic to your web site.

Ron Skruzny is a webmaster at http://www.criticalmass.biz, a site devoted to Search Engine Optimization. Apart from more articles on SEO, the website also offers lessons and links to a whole range of SEO related resources. If you want to get an increasing level of sustainable web traffic then http://www.criticalmass.biz may have just the right information to help you.]]> http://miraclemoneyblog.com/homebiztips/HomeBusinessTips_VSl_180/user/index.php
by Laurie Hayes

One of the most powerful words that can help you save time, increase productivity, feel better about yourself and reach your goals faster and easier is only two letters long! The problem is, it’s almost the most difficult word to use.

Discover how to put this little powerhouse to work for you without guilt or fear.

A common characteristic shared by successful home business owners is the steadfast, almost fanatical way in which they guard their time.

Large corporations and businesses hire people and spread the responsibilities and, although I highly urge you to leverage your time by surrounding yourself with people who will take care of lower return activities, there is still no escaping the many interruptions and distractions that are a part of home business life.

People who play at the top of their game, whether in business, sport or life, have learned how to either eliminate or reduce distractions by mastering the use of one simple word ... "No."

The inability and fear around using these two little letters has caused more home business failures, tears, stress, frustration and relationship troubles than any other.

And, although many new home business owners insist their greatest weaknesses are lack of marketing and sales skills, the biggest obstacle that is blocking their ability to develop these skills is the fact they are not saying "no" to time-robbing activities, so they can focus on building and growing.

Lack of time is the number one challenge every one of my clients brings to the table when we begin working together.

Learn to say "no" to doing everything yourself.

Oftentimes I'll hear, "But I'm in start-up, I have to guard my spending," and I respond with, "You can't save yourself into profitability. You have to focus on making money."

This mental block will never allow you to grow, especially at an accelerated rate.

Low pay-off activities can be delegated, bartered, given to volunteers, students and family members. Do some creative brainstorming with your coach, mastermind group or trusted colleague.

Learn to say "no" to the demands of daily living.

How many times have you said "yes" to the following, even though you either didn't want to or knew it would take you away from your own priorities?

- taking care of your neighbor's kids after school because she had a hair appointment

- volunteering to cover the refreshments table at your child's high school dance

- loaning out equipment or items you know you won't get back unless you ask for them several times

- agreeing to listen to your friend rant for the third time this week about how his wife is trying to ruin him in a nasty divorce battle

- taking your mom to visit her friend across town every week because your brother and sister are too busy

- making Johnny and Sally's beds because they have to rush to school in the morning and don't have time

- going to every birthday and holiday dinner a family member hosts

- reading every single e-mail and taking every single call that comes in ...

By not saying "no" to the hundreds of non-critical demands that are placed on you every month, you will not create the business success or freedom you want and deserve.

The two biggest obstacles in mastering the skill of saying "no" are fear and guilt.

Fear that you will be loved less or rejected and feeling guilty that you may have hurt someone's feelings.

Saying "no" doesn't have to hurt anyone or cause you to be rejected and the way you deliver the message can make all the difference for you.

To refuse a request, be honest and assertive in your reply by stating, "I'm sorry, however I have to turn down your offer/request at this time because I've been so busy with obligations, I've neglected my own priorities and have to give them my attention right now."

If others get angry with you or try to make you feel guilty for wanting to give yourself the attention you deserve, it's time to decide whether or not they're the kind of people you want in your life.

Start small. Build your "no" muscle slow and easy and work your way up to the larger demands. Like any skill, you can develop it, and once you become a master, you'll enjoy quantum leaps in your happiness levels and business success.

2007 © Laurie Hayes - The HBB Source

Laurie Hayes, founder and Director of The HBB Source, helps freedom seekers cross the bridge from employee to home-based entrepreneur. Subscribe to her FREE E-zine for valuable tips and resources designed to create business success, at http://www.thehbbsource.com

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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/.

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By Aran Kay

To view where the facts came from to write this article, please click on the links below:

1. Jakob Nielsen for Sun MicroSystems (http://www.sun.com/980713/webwriting/)
2. Stanford Poynter Project (http://www.poynterextra.org/et/i.htm)

This article will highlight the differences between writing copy for the web and writing copy for print. Some of these facts go against intuition and against cultural norms. However, these facts detail how people read on the web.

There is no use in arguing against them. Instead, you should embrace them and use this knowledge to your advantage. Here is what the facts are and how they are going to affect your website.

1) Where Do Eyes Go First When Your Homepage Comes Up?

Contrary to what you might think, it is not towards the graphics or photos like in print advertising. Instead, your prospects eyes will first go to the copy, specifically, your headline and sub-heads. Therefore, your first chance to engage the prospect is through copy, not graphics.

Most web users look at a web page for only 3-15 seconds before deciding whether to stay or move on. The fact that they look at copy first has massive implications for your website. Fancy graphics will not make a prospect stay on your website. However, a strong headline and strong sub-heads will.

2) How Much Of Your Copy Do Users Actually Read?

The fact is that online users, on average, read 75% of the length of any given page. This is big news because most web pages will have the important conclusions, calls to action, and order information on the bottom 25% of any given page. That is a big no-no, because it will never be read.

You have to have your call to action and order information presented early on your web page to ensure it is read.

3) Why Do Most Banner Ads Produce Poor Click-Through Rates?

How long will an average user look at your banner ad? 1.25 seconds. That is just enough time to perceive one image or six words (based on college student's average reading speed of 350 words/minute).

Therefore, banner ads that have animation, taking 4-5 seconds to run through a cycle, or more than 6 words must be reconsidered. However, if you really must keep your animated banner ad because "it just looks so cool!" I would suggest that you at least keep your company logo visible throughout the entire animation sequence.

4) Why Is Reading Online More Frustrating Than Reading Print?

Reading from a computer screen causes a person's reading speed to slow by 25%, when compared to reading print. This means reading long copy online can be very frustrating. Break up the copy to help users through.

Have a few one-line paragraphs.

Use headlines and sub-heads to summarize information. Users who are tired of reading word-by-word can quickly scan the rest of your document.

5) Are Your Web Page Users Not Getting The Whole Picture?

If you have not made your web page truly scannable, prospects to your site may only be getting part of the sales message. Only 21% of online users read word-by-word. The other 79% scan a web page headline-to-headline, sub-head to sub-head, picking up only the larger, bolded, or italicized copy.

Your sales message has to be read by both scanners and word-by-word readers. Therefore, all your major selling points, benefits, call to action, and order info must be in easily scannable type.

Otherwise, your website will only generate 21% of the sales. In addition, for the money you put into your website, which is not good enough.

So, if online reading is so different from offline reading. Clearly, your web copy has to follow suit. Take home message? Make sure your website is performing on all cylinders. Have a professional web writer write your website. It will save you money in the end.

Aran Kay is a marketing consultant and freelance copywriter with experience working for Nintendo, Direct Energy, Kellogg's and more. He has written numerous marketing articles, and includes a selection of them on his web site. http://www.ProfessionalCopy.ca is also your source for "The 52 Best Marketing Web Sites." It is a great resource and yours FREE just for visiting his web site.

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By Dechen Lau

Content is the soul of a website. Content is comprised of the words or text on a web page along with the graphics and structure of a website. Today Web content is the best tool for building relations with your potential customers. The look and feel of a site is crucial, but quality web content may be more important.

Two of the most popular methods of getting traffic from search engines include PPC – (Pay Per Click), and SEO – (Search Engine Optimization).

PPC:

Pay per click advertising on search engines allows you to choose keywords that you would like your site to appear for, when a search is performed. You decide how much you are willing to pay each time a person clicks on the search results. The more you are willing to pay per click, the higher your site will appear in the results for the keywords you choose. Pay Per Click is advertising provided by the search engine providers (Google, Yahoo! and others) where you PAY for top placement. Their strategies for placement differ slightly. Some search engines will give you higher placement if your ad has a higher click-through rate, (meaning more people click on your ad in ratio to the amount of times your ad appears); others give top positions to the highest bidder.

You already know surveys are excellent for finding out what your target market wants. However, if combined with low cost, quick and dirty Google PPC, surveys can also send many targeted prospects to your site every month.

In either case, you PAY. It is a quick way to be listed in the search engines and a smart way to get your traffic flowing. You could spend far more than is profitable for your business, if you do not know what you are doing.

Search Engines: While crawling pages of a website, search engines look for content more than anything else. Search engines can pick up quality content and it is the only factor that they emphasize and value most while ranking a website. For the benefit of their users, search engines try to find the best and most useful content on the Internet for any given set of keywords.

SEO:

Search engines are extremely competitive (in terms of placement). The major search engines account for over 90% of all traffic. With that though in mind, companies that are serious about earning a share of the internet market should be committed to securing top 10 rankings for the keywords or phrases that pertain to the products and services that they offer.

The best way to ensure a solid return on your website investment is to employ the services of a Search Engine Optimization firm with a proven track record of success, knowledge of current and cutting edge techniques, and experience working with the business community.

There are a lot of companies working ‘behind the scenes’ to help website owners get plenty of traffic from the natural search engine listings. Natural listings mean the search engine has ranked you according to the value it believes your site will offer an individual searching for a specific word or phrase.

Understanding exactly WHAT the search engines want to see when ranking sites requires knowledge of the algorithms. These algorithms change all the time as search engine providers try to outwit the search engine optimizers trying to find loopholes in the ranking system.

Some SEO companies will promise you top spots for a certain cost. Some are honestly creating optimized websites – others may be using techniques that could possibly get your site BANNED from the search engines entirely, (once the search engine catches on). However, optimizing your website for better placement in the search engines is a technique that you should become familiar with and use to your advantage.

Both of these traffic methods have their pros and cons for generating traffic from the search engines. You will find out more about using them properly later on. First, you need to know what REALLY works…

Dechen Lau., is an Author, Speaker and Internet Marketing Consultant
http://www.powersuccessmarketing.com
http://www.powersuccessresponder.com

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By Shane Hunte

Why is article marketing so great? Why do the greatest marketers on the planet employ this method of marketing?

The greatest remain in the front seat because they know what works. The fact that they continue to use article marketing as one of their main methods of marketing shows. You guessed it, article-marketing works for them.

The possibilities for your articles are endless. It is an investment of time and not money, which makes it cost effective. All you need is patience and commitment and you will succeed with this marketing method.

The greatest marketers use this method because:

It is cost effective. Actually, let me tell you plan and simple, there is no cost to do this, it is free.

It builds credibility and expert status on the internet on any subject there is under the sun.

It drives floods of traffic to you promotions.

You reach a laser-targeted audience with you articles.

This method proves to give you quality back-links to your website, and subsequently, raise your website rankings, which equals more traffic.

These are just previews of the wealth that article writing can bring to you. Although these are not all the reasons, these should be enough reasons for you to use this method of marketing.

The most successful people have one thing in common; they copy the best, as we can see, the best marketers all said yes to article marketing as one of their most frequently used internet-marketing methods.

What is the magical blue print for writing articles like the big guns?

Here is the step-by-step blue print that the greatest use to build their articles at lightening speed:

Step 1. Plan your article.

This may sound elementary but very few people can write articles and they try to skip this step entirely.

When you plan your article, it makes it easier to write on the topic that you choose. You need to dedicate time for this step because it is the doorway for the other steps to follow.

Step 2. Brainstorm your article topic.

What are you going to write about and why? Do people want this information? Can you solve a problem that others have? Asking yourself these questions coupled with a little research can get you a long way.

Step 3. Brainstorming your article points and organizing them.

You have a good topic. Now, what are the points that you want to discuss on that topic? Organize these topics into the order in which you want to hit on them first, and then expand on it.

Step 4. Write selflessly about the topic to give quality information to your readers.

This often separates the good from the great. People want information that helps them solve a problem. We usually get the wrong idea with this form of marketing and dive into a sales letter for a product we promote.

You are not promoting a product right now. You are trying to build your credibility in the minds of readers.

This will make them trust you more. They will be more open-minded to your recommendations for your promotions. Sales letters not only will it turn off readers, it also turns off publishers to post your articles on their sites because it is not of value to their website traffic.

Step 5. Double check and triple check your article for mistakes.

You do not want your articles filled with spelling errors and other major or minor mistakes because this will make people not like your writing.

Publishers will review your pieces. If multiple errors show, then it will not be submitted to their audience.

Print out the article, read it aloud, and pass it to a close friend to read it for you, and provide and objective opinion on what they think about your article. Two sets of eyes are better to find mistakes. Use the feedback you get to write better.

Now that you have a simple blue print to follow, consider using it to write articles. Article marketing is the lifeblood for many great marketers out there and you should make it part of your marketing plans. It continuously adds $150-$200 a day to the pockets of those who use it. Maybe that alone could be your motivation to try.

Shane Hunte is an experienced internet marketer who makes a full time income online. If you to would like to learn the simplest way to make money online then learn article marketing. Go to http://www.internetrevinue.com/Jim_Edwards.html to find out everything you need to know today about profiting fast using your own articles.

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By Dee Cohen

Writing articles are effective ways to get one-way links to your site, as well as, to have people learn more about your website or service. There are ways to do this that can make you more successful versus having your articles be overlooked and not considered.

Shane Pearce has written the ‘Lazy Man's Guide to Article Writing’, which outlines some helpful tips. I was impressed with his tip that when you submit your article to an ezine publisher or a webmaster, you can offer that he uses his own affiliate link in place of your own. For instance, if you have written an article on motivation and have a link to a Clickbank ebook on motivation and goals, you can offer the publisher that he uses his own affiliate id instead of yours. What this means is that the ezine or website publisher will be getting a free article already written with a link that may give him some monetary income. You would still have your own information in your resource box at the end, so people can click to your website, as well. Think about what the website publisher you write to will get out of the exchange and find a way to make his or her life easier.

Other tips he gives are to read ‘Frequently Asked Questions’ to find out what people want to know about in terms of popular topics. Shane discusses how to make a viral ebook based on a FAQ niche that can be passed around. If there are frequently asked questions on a topic, it is a sign that the topic has an interest, as well as, there may be an interest in some guide or tutorial.

In addition, I like the sample autoresponder examples he uses with different ideas for a signature file at the end of one's article. I think he is very good at showing how to integrate a couple of affiliate links without being pushy. He recommends sending people to opt-in to a mailing list as part of your signature file.

Another section I found useful discusses how to create checklists and use them both for your website and in articles that lead back to your website. People like checklists. Shane discusses how to use these. They also help break through writer's block or paralysis because you can have a list of steps.

There are ideas given about utilizing both 2-tier affiliate programs and residual income programs that will help you keep you earning as your articles circulate around the net. Shane gives some interesting suggestions on types of sites that work for this.


I also like that Shane gives an example of a flop he did of an unsuccessful attempt at marketing. He analyzes it and compares it to something someone else wrote he feels was better expressed. It is a very interesting study covering various ways to get your articles noticed and published. I publish articles regularly but learned some valuable tips from this ebook.

Dee Cohen is an author and publisher at http://www.socialsitesmarketing.com/article-writing.html; you can visit to learn effective ways to gain traffic by writing free articles.

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By Jeff Neil

Usually when we think of multilevel marketing, what comes to mind is recruiting. We try to find people who want to earn money from home, and then convince them to join our opportunity. Convincing is the key word here. Nobody wants to join a convincing business. However, that is what we do in our industry.

Then we wonder why we have a hard time building a solid organization.

Initially, people join an mlm opportunity for the money. I mean, that is why we do this, for the money right?

Maybe.

If you look at the leaders in this industry, and in your own organization, I mean really look. You will see they offer something to their downline more than just “How to Make Money". Because the ‘how-to's’ can be found in your local bookstore, or even the public library.

Sorry to tell you, but just the "how-to's" will never be enough.

One of the things your leaders are doing is they are busy climbing the mountain. They are going on ahead of the pack. They make sure the mountain is safe to climb. While you are climbing that mountain, your leaders are encouraging you. As if to say "Yeah, you can do it, if I made it this far so can you".

Your leaders are also yelling down to you, they are pointing out where the rocks are. In addition, giving advice on how to go over the rocks, or under them, or around them. A great leader will even try to get you up the mountain even higher than the leader is.

Remember, MLM is certainly not the only way to make money. Just watch late night television.

Pretend you watched some infomercial on TV, and ended up buying an ATM machine, or some Internet Kiosk Thingy. Are those companies going to do all the stuff your upline does? No. They will not, "because they don't care about you.” However, your upline does!

It is this extra attention. The caring leadership. The built in self-development that appeals to so many people. In addition, do not forget, people are becoming more spiritually aware than ever before.

I am not talking religion here either. People are tired of the corporate, do not give a damn rat race, tread mill, life they are living. They want purpose, and passion. People want to feel good inside. They want to feel important.

Like they belong to something, a movement. In addition, they want to feel that what they are doing with their lives is of value to other people. Because when you uncover all the B.S., people, almost all people, are really, nice.

So let us point this back to you. I know you are a nice person. However, what can you do to inspire people? If you can inspire others, you will set yourself apart from all the other, "please join me" net workers.

In addition, you do want that, right?

So first, forget about the money. The money will come. However, stop focusing on it when you are dealing with people. Think about your vision, and all that when you are alone.

Pretend you are doing mlm free. As a volunteer thing. Alternatively, charity. Ask yourself why. With the money issue gone, why would you do mlm? If you cannot find an answer, you are in the wrong industry. Go sell vacuum cleaners or something.

Because if you do not love this, if you do not feel this business, people will not follow you. In addition, you will never be able to grow much of a downline.

Find the desire to be better, to do more, to grow as a human being, and to bring up as many people as you can along the way. Think about how you can give increase to everyone you meet. Even if you have no intentions to do business with them.

Think about what your purpose is. It does not have to be to save the world, just something you feel very strongly about. In addition, how being in the network marketing industry is helping you with your purpose.

In addition, you need to have confidence. Yes, things can get scary. However, just do a tiny little thing you have never done before. Something small that you know will help you or others. Then do just a tiny little bit more.

All those little actions will become big actions. You will build your confidence and be someone who takes big actions.

If you think about it, you already know what to do. Because growing yourself and others is a very natural thing. Just allow yourself to do it. In addition, fine-tune it as you go along.

Jeff Neil is a tattooed, bald headed ex-cop who sells candles in his spare time. However, you do not care about that. What you might care about is how to be a leader in this industry. Find out at his mlm blog http://www.4mlm.com/category/mlm-leadership/.

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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.

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By Sharon Housley

Let us look at slogans and how just a few words can say volumes. A slogan is a memorable phrase used in conjunction with a political, commercial, or religious advertisement. Slogans convey a deeper meaning. Slogans elicit emotions, or the slogan might paint a visual image that implies something more.

When considering a slogan or a tagline, keep in mind your objectives. What image do you wish to portray? Slogans should be short, but not to the point of being curt. Slogans should conjure positive images and distinguish the value your company or product provides.

The best way to analyze slogans is to look at a few.

Slogan: "The toughest job you will ever love" (Peace Corps)

Message behind slogan: This is much more than just a job; it takes heart to be in the Peace Corps; join the Peace Corps and you will be a better person. This job is not about money, it is about helping people.

Slogan: "Be Seen, Be Sold" (Shareware Promotions)

Message behind slogan: Being found on the Internet is not easy. Use us to be found on the Internet."

Slogan: "You could learn a lot from a dummy. Buckle up" (National Highway Traffic Safety Admin)

Message behind slogan: Learn from test dummies, be safe and buckle up.

Slogan: "Parents who use drugs have kids who use drugs" (The Partnership for a Drug-free America)

Message behind slogan: Model what you preach; do you want your children to do drugs? It is your responsibility to model appropriate behavior for your children.

Slogan: "This is your brain on drugs" (The Partnership for a Drug-free America)

Message behind slogan: Do you know what this stuff does to you? Taking drugs is stupid.

Slogan: "A diamond is forever" (DeBeers '1948)

Message behind slogan: Diamonds represent marriage; marriage should be forever. If you really want your marriage to last, seal it with a diamond.

Slogan: "It takes a licking and keeps on ticking" (Timex Corp)

Message behind slogan: It does not get any more durable than this, other watches cannot stand up, but Timex will endure regardless of the treatment.

Slogan: "For all you do, this Bud's for you" (Budweiser)

Message behind slogan: After a long hard day, drink beer to relax.

Slogan: "Where's the beef?”(Wendy’s)

Message behind slogan: Our competitors use small patties, but our burgers are big.

Slogan: "I love New York" (NYC)

Message behind slogan: New York is a special place, everyone loves NY, you should come and visit, you will love it too.

Slogan: "See what brown can do for you" (UPS)

Message behind slogan: We do more than just ship packages; we have additional offerings and can do more than just ship.

Slogan: "The few, the proud, the Marines" (US Marines)

Message behind slogan: We are a select group of very special individuals. Do you want to be elite? Take pride in representing the US.

Slogan: "Friends don't let friends drive drunk"

Message behind slogan: You will die if you drive drunk. It is your responsibility to protect your friends. Be responsible, do not let people drive drunk.

Effective slogans leave impressions in the minds of people who see or hear the slogans. Often slogans will have hidden meanings, or be a play on words. The goal of the slogan creator should be to create a memorable tagline that conveys a key benefit or differentiates the brand. Slogans will often help position the product or service in the marketplace. Slogans with just a few words can indicate superior value, excellence, or inspiration.

A business identity and image conveyed through a short statement will affect the way that consumers, competitors, and others in the industry perceive your business. Slogans will distinguish your company in a unique way. Words are powerful, and if used properly, they can be an important sales tool.

Sharon Housley manages marketing for FeedForAll http://www.feedforall.com software for creating, editing, publishing RSS feeds and podcasts. In addition Sharon manages marketing for NotePage http://www.notepage.net a wireless text messaging software company.

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By Krishna De

Are you losing credibility and damaging the brand of your business through lack of attention to one of your critical marketing tools in your business, your business card? Discover how your business card can enhance your brand and ensure that you stand out from your competition.

When we are at a networking event or meeting a client, exchanging business cards occurs.

Very often, without realizing it, we are assessing our colleague by their business card, and asking ourselves:

- Is the business card professionally designed?
- Is the business card crumpled at the edges?
- How does the weight of the business card feel - substantive or flimsy?
- Does it look like the business card was made on their PC - or worse, does it have a message at the bottom of the card to say where you, too, can access free cards?

I have collected thousands of business cards over my time in business. I am sub-consciously assessing the professional status of them and their business when I receive their business card.

We review someone's card at least 3 times:

1. Once on receiving it
2. A second time when we put it in our pocket, folio or bag as we leave the meeting
3. A third time as we make a decision to keep it, transfers the information into our data bank, or bin it!

Our business card is a critical part of our marketing collateral. If you cannot afford to put in place other marketing materials, short changing the investment in developing a professional business card is definitely not something we should do, if we are looking to develop a professional brand.

When meeting someone in person, alongside how you present yourself in person, your business card can enhance or devalue the strength of your brand, and it reveals how others perceive you.

Here are four tips to enhance your brand through your business card:

1. Ensure that you work with a professional designer to develop your business card. It is not whether you like the design; it is about whether it will represent your business effectively and professionally to your target audience.

2. Ideally, have your business card printed on 400g card and by a traditional lithographic printer. Yes, it is more expensive than digital printing, but the quality is worth investing in and a litho print gives far greater definition to your corporate identity and the color of your brand.

3. Matt laminates your card on the reverse for extra stability and style. Do not laminate both sides as people will not be able to write on your card - we often note down things to remember about the person we met on their card.

4. Use the valuable real estate on the back of your card to provide a call to action, for example, how to access your white paper or special report on your web site.

Take action:

Over the next 30 days, take the opportunity to review the business cards of your contacts and assess their card against yours.

1. What can you learn from other people’s business cards?

2. How could you take those learning’s and further enhance your business card?

Your goal is to ensure that your business card is a positive reflection of both you and your company, and it represents a strong brand.

Invest in your business card, distribute it widely and you will be sure of expanding your professional success.

Krishna De invites you to join her in conversation with experts from around the globe to discover how to build your brand and grow your professional services firm at http://www.bizgrowthlive.com/. You will also receive access to Biz Growth Express a weekly newsletter bringing you strategies, inspiration and tips to grow your professional services practice. Register today at http://www.krishnade.com/.

©Krishna De, Oneocean Ltd 2006. All rights reserved Worldwide. Reprint Rights: You may reprint this article providing the article is printed in its entirety; you leave all of the links active, do not edit the article in anyway and include the copyright statement.

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By Alvin Phang

Before you decide what to sell on the internet, you have to develop an Internet Marketing Strategy. It is the essential part of your online success on the Internet.

You have to take into consideration the following:
1. Find a large and easy to reach niche market
2. Find a Product or Service the niche market demands
3. Set up your website
4. Have a great sales copy (your 24/7 sales man)
5. Create an opt-in page to collect email address
6. Have a great sales process
7. Make your website scalable and search engine friendly
8. Backend, backend, and backend

Each step plays an important role to your success in your Internet Marketing Strategy Planning. If you miss one-step, you will not be able to see the results you would like to see, as each step is equally important to the other.

1. Find a large and easy to reach niche market.

Your first step in your Internet Marketing Strategy planning requires you to do your research. Find a large and easy to reach niche market to promote your product. From here, you can go to Free Keywords tools and search for niche keywords that have high click through and low competitions.

Example, the keyword “Dog Food For Sale”, when you search that on Google, there are actually 5,650,000 which is seriously not a lot of competition but you also have to check is there a demand for it by using tools from www.seobook.com to look at the KEI rate. The higher the KEI rate the better the keyword.

2. Find a Product or Service the niche market demands.

After you have found two or three keywords that you would like to target, you would want to find products that will serve the market that demands it.

Example the keyword “Dog Food for Sale”, you would not want to promote Cat Food, as it does not relate to the topic you want to promote. So find related products like an eBook “where to find a great sale for dog food” or “dog products that dogs like to eat.”

3. Setup your website.

After you have decided what product or service you want to sell online, you would want to setup a website to promote your product. The best way to do it is by creating a Blog talking only about Dog Food that is for Sale, because Google and Yahoo search-engines love Blogs so much. You virtually get listed just 24 hours upon updating, compared to a normal website, which will take at least a few weeks to be ‘cached’ into the search engine.

4. Have great sales copy (your 24/7 sales man).

Do not be mistaken, sales copy is not the sale. A sales copy is a page with descriptions and details to promote your product on your website. When I first heard of this term sales copy, I was totally stunted how important it was to have a sales copy.

Depending on how good your copy writing skills are, you can get people to write your sales copy, or simply teach yourself to write one. If you can try to write it yourself, as copy, writing is a very good skill to learn, especially when you are an Internet Marketer who plans Internet Marketing Strategy.

5. Create an opt-in page to collect email address.

This is another important step that many do not have. It is the most important. Why? It is because they fail to collect email address from their website. With the email address, you can design out your sales process in the next step, which I will explain further.

6. Have a great sales process

With your opt-in page in place, you can use the captured email address and name to follow up with people who are interested to know more about what you are promoting in your opt-in page. This is a way to build your email list, and keep, and send them information or promotion products to sell those products again in the future.

7. Make your website scalable and search engine friendly.

With all that done, you would now need to read up on Search Engine Optimization. Practicing this will allow search engines like Yahoo and Google to spider your website easily. The good thing about Blogs is that you can ping the search engines to spider your site easily and you can be listed very quickly within 24 hours.

8. Backend, backend, and backend

Upon completion of all seven steps, you just need to keep on sending backend information to your list from your opt-in emails that you receive and keep on driving traffic from your opt-in page to get more email address to sent out promotions to your customers.

If you constantly follow this eight-step formula for your Internet Marketing Strategy Plan, you will see great massive results after 3 months upon setup. So do the math and start planning your Internet Marketing Strategy today!

Alvin Phang is the owner of http://GatherSuccess.com. Get the right Internet Marketing Strategy for your Internet Business with our free resource of Tutorials, Video and much more...

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By Jerry Oakman

Fact number 1: Kids in high school are making thousands of dollars every month with AdSense.

Fact number 2: Housewives, retirees, mom and dads, who are just staying at home and have never made a dime on the internet have created full-time incomes by simply placing AdSense ads on their web site or blog.

These are just some of the “super AdSense earners”. You may have already heard about their story for they are among the few who are on their way to making millions worth of cash just by promoting AdSense sites.

Anyone, any age, and gender can become money generating AdSense publishers, as long as, he or she has what it takes. How does one go about this Internet advertising?

Writing articles for AdSense is the way to do it. Using the right keywords in your articles and having Google ads on a certain site has become the most profitable way of marketing that anybody can get into. No experience and level of education needed. If you are not using this strategy, or may not be aware of it in the first place, chances are you may be losing thousands of dollars worth of extra income and still do not know it yet.

This is one of the many reasons why writing original quality content articles are now the latest in marketing buzz.

Content and links. When combined together becomes a really powerful tool to a successful web site and richer individuals.

Many internet marketing professionals are already aware of the value of an original quality content and how using keywords can drive targeted traffic into their sites from the search engines.

So why do not all these web site owners write and submit their own articles, if that is what is important?

The simple and understandable answer is that it takes time to write articles, submit them, and get targeted traffic to their websites. They get the services of those who can spare some time to write the articles that can cater to their site purpose, and still turn out good quality and unique work.

To get into the AdSense marketing business, to start earning some good cash, ask yourself, did you enjoy writing when you were in school? If you answer yes to this question, you already have an initial advantage over most internet marketing business owners who want to make money online and do it from home.

With the boom in the AdSense market comes the need for sites to want fresh, quality, and original keyword rich content.

This way, web site owners can have a steady supply of articles with the proper keywords that relate to their site contents. The result of this is in the sites page rank when indexed by the search engines.

This, in turn, gets more AdSense ads to show above, below, or next to the article on their website with targeted traffic.

What do people have to do?

Write quality and original content, keyword, or phrase rich articles with links to your website in the resource box.

Then build a website or web page with targeted keyword or phrase rich, original content for the targeted traffic that originates from the articles you wrote. Finally, you will have Google AdSense ads that are targeted to your keyword or phrase rich, original content site where visitors will get to visit when they come looking for information.

This is a win-win situation, if you think more about it. It is a favor for persons looking for quality content and information. It is a win-win for the persons writing the original content articles. In addition, also for the person with the quality original content rich website. Of course, the search engines and its advertisers are getting targeted traffic and sales, but so what? As long as you are getting something in your favor, it does not really matter what the others are getting for themselves.

Therefore, who else wants to start earning money with AdSense? You?

Everyone. Anybody. Internet marketing has many opportunities wide open for this group of people. Writing articles and using AdSense for your kind of internet marketing strategy is one sure way of getting a piece of that action and cash.

Better, not be left behind the many who are making millions already.

Visit: http://adsense.awardspace.biz

Jerry Oakman webmaster, SEO specialist & internet marketer from Y2K, some of his "must see" projects are:

http://adsense.awardspace.biz
http://articles.awardspace.biz
http://directories.awardspace.biz

where you can find free FFA, eZines, article posting & SEO news, eBooks, viral stuff, internet marketing tools, video tutorials, current eBusiness information and more.

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By Paul Mccord

Whether you know it or not, your database of current and past clients is your best source of new clients. “Prospecting” for a new clientele is time consuming and expensive. If you can find a way to increase your sales without the time commitment and expense of cold calling, mass direct mail, advertising, or purchasing leads, would you be willing to implement it? Of course, you would!

Taking the time and effort to keep in contact with past clients will grow your business through new direct sales to the client and generating referrals to qualified prospects.

Often sales people complain that keeping in touch with past clients takes too much time, effort, and money. Considering the return on investment, this is not true—at least for most sales people. The key is finding a way to communicate that is time efficient, relatively inexpensive, and effective.

Studies indicate that in order to keep your name at the top of your customer’s mind, you need to “touch” your customer a minimum of 14 times per year—more if possible.

What is a “touch?” A touch is any communication from you to your client—email, telephone call, snail mail, postcard, holiday card, in-person meeting, or any other method of getting in front of your customer. If you are communicating with the client, you are touching them.

What is the most effective way to touch your past clients? Studies have shown that there is not a “best” way to touch the client, but rather, the most effective client communication programs enlists a number of communication formats.

Is sending 14 emails a year effective? Is sending 14 snail mail pieces a better choice? Is making 14 phone calls a better option? Is sending 14 postcards a viable option? What alternatives will work the best? However, constructing a campaign using a combination of these methods could be a very effective program. For instance, setting a marketing calendar to send 4 postcards per year, 6 emails, 2 snail mail letters, one phone call, and one holiday card during the course of the year allows you to touch your clients approximately once every 3 ½ weeks during the course of the year.

However, what do you send? What do you say 14 times during the course of the year? The content of your communication is just as important as the fact that you sent something. When you communicate with a past client, the fact that you have something in front of a previous customer is not necessarily a good thing, in and of itself.

Many traditional marketers will disagree. Much traditional thinking says that any time you get your name in front a client it is a good thing. However, is a 3-second trip to the trash for your expensive postcard or letter the best use of your money?

Whether or not your communication campaign is effective will depend on what you are communicating. If you send junk, just to send something, your customer will quickly learn to ignore you and your communications and everything you send will take that 3-secnd trip to the trash. On the other hand, if your communications offer something of interest and value, you will train your client to pay attention to you.

Which would you rather have: a client that ignores you or one that pays attention to you?

I assume you would rather have a client that pays attention to you. To train your clients to pay attention, and, therefore, to keep you at the top of their mind, you must figure out how to send them communications that give them value. Can you offer a special for them or someone they refer to you? Can you provide them an annual or semi-annual update on their purchase? Can you send or email them articles of interest that relate to their purchase or an interest of theirs? What you send does not have to be large or costly—it just needs to be of interest to the client.

A program such as this requires thought and considerable customization of content, but the payoff can be enormous. Think about what you are sending and what it will—or will not—communicate about you and your business. If you want your clients to think of you and not ignore you, then take the time and the effort to make sure you are sending value. If you are not sure it has value, it probably does not. Marketing to your client database should be at the top of your “to do” list and your campaign should be constructed with the thought and care as if you were marketing to the most important people in the world, because for you, they are.

Author and trainer, Paul McCord is a leading authority on prospecting, referral selling, and personal marketing. His book, Creating a Million Dollar a Year Sales Income (John Wiley & Sons) teaches the strategies the million dollars a year sales superstars use. http://www.powerreferralselling.com

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By Michael Fleischner

Okay, so your marketing has paid off - you have new customers. The key to growing your business is to effectively communicate and leverage these new customers into advocates for your products and services and purchasers of additional services.

Do this in a variety of ways. Follow some basics steps to ensure retention. Here are some tips you can use to develop long-term relationships with newly acquired customers.

1. Proactively shape impressions about your business. Whether you are sending a welcome message, making the first contact via phone, or sending a letter, be sure to position you company for the long-term. Often times, individuals buy products without knowing a whole lot about the company where they are buying.

A popular tactic is sending a welcome kit or an overview letter that introduces your company, your values, and the additional resources you have available for your customers including a support email address, 1-800 number, and so on. This lets you control your company's image among newly acquired customers. Otherwise, your customers are free to form their own opinion without any guidance whatsoever.

2. Categorize your customer. Is your customer a high potential? Are they a transactional buyer that will likely never buy from you again unless you offer the lowest price? By segmenting your buyers based on your existing database or known behaviors, you can develop customized communication plans to retain them for years to come. Some communication plans focus on up-sell while others may only focus on retention. Base the communication plan you implement on the proper categorization of your customer.

3. Show your thanks. Once you have acquired a customer, do not forget to thank them. This may seem trite. However, done properly, this goes a long way. Often a hand-written note or personalized email from a company president can do the trick. The real key is to make the customer feel good about the purchase they have made and the company they have chosen.

4. Provide consistency among all touch points. Once you have acquired a new customer, you must make sure that you provide a consistent user experience. For example, if the prospect contacts your technical support rep the first day after they have purchased a product and received an answer to their question, then they call the following day only to receive a different answer, they are going to lose faith in your company's ability to provide consistent and reliable support.

You can benefit greatly by developing procedures that can be documented and delivered consistently - meeting customer expectations. This builds trust in your business and can minimize defections. If the consumer knows they can count on you to give them what they need/want, they will be willing to forgo a better price or promise of a better deal elsewhere.

5. Share customer testimonials on future marketing pieces. Many marketers believe that testimonials are only for prospects. The truth is that testimonials can help retain customers, especially new ones, with exposure to positive experiences of individuals just like them. In addition to sharing testimonials, it is always a good practice to ask newly acquired customers (within 30 days of purchase) for their feedback/testimonials.

The benefit of reaching out to your customers is that if a problem exists, you can react to it and if they have something positive to say about your product or business, it is useful to reinforce your brand. (Note: be sure to get permission to publish a customer’s testimonial).

These techniques are very effective for maximizing lifetime customer value. By shaping the image of your company, providing a consistent experience, and sharing testimonials for similar customers, you can develop a positive, lasting impression with your marketplace.

Most importantly, keep it simple. Do not overwhelm your new customers with tons of email, or direct mail. Develop a well thought-out communication plan that has a definite purpose. In addition, most importantly, remember to thank your customers for choosing your company, product or service.

Michael Fleischner is a marketing expert with more than 12 years marketing experience. He has appeared on The TODAY Show, Bloomberg Radio, and other major media. For more free marketing articles like this one, visit http://www.marketingscoop.com.

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By Ian Simpson

One of the most effective forms of low-cost Internet marketing is using email to reach a targeted audience. While email marketing has undergone changes over the years, in particular, the outlawing of spam email, it still has great appeal and is one of the most widely used internet marketing techniques. It is quite simply the best way to keep in touch with your customers on a regular basis on autopilot. Providing you respect the spam laws and use email properly, you will have a trouble-free email marketing business.

Email marketing is more commonly associated with the use of an autoresponder service. It allows you to import your email messages into the autoresponder and send them out to your customers at a fixed date and time - you could have a series of messages sent over a period of weeks, months or even years, if you wanted. The exciting thing is that once the autoresponder has been set up, that part of your business will run hands free, allowing you to concentrate on other important things.

The costs associated with an autoresponder vary considerably from free up to $100 a month. Try to avoid free autoresponders where possible, although they are free, they come at a price! The price being the restrictions on usage, and they will nearly always carry an advert of some sort on your message, which can distract your recipient from the real reason, why they have received the message. In addition, it is not necessary to pay a silly price for an autoresponder, big companies may want to pay top price because they can afford to but as an individual, you do not need to. Excellent, cost effective autoresponder services can be obtained from aweber.com or getresponse.com. These are web-based programs so they will work for you 24/7.

You could of course, use a desktop-based autoresponder such as Mailloop. This type of program is a software application installed on your computer and it allows you to manage your email campaigns from your desktop. You need to be aware that you will need to leave your computer running all the time or else you will not be able to receive or send emails automatically. However, it is a great way to have a series of autoresponders for a one-time payment and no recurring fees.

So, having decided on using autoresponders for your email business, what do you do with one? Well, building up a customer database should be a priority. Initially, you will want to create a form for your website that allows potential subscribers to insert their details. When they agree to subscribe, they enroll automatically onto an email course that you will have loaded into the autoresponder. The course can, as long as you want it to be, sent automatically over a period of time - this is where the automation of your email business will come into its own. It is essential that any information you send to your subscribers is of value and instructive. It is no good sending rubbish; you will lose your subscriber quicker than you got him! Quality email courses you can use are found in the Turbomembership.com.

If you offered a 14-day email course on internet marketing, for example, then you could provide links to various marketing ebooks or resources. In each email would be a link to a different ebook. Of course, each link would have your unique affiliate code. The unique Turbomembership.com affiliate program provides quality marketing ebooks and software scripts that you can re-sell at 95% commission.

This is just one of the many ways you can use autoresponders in your email marketing business. Finding and using the right autoresponder service, setting up your autoresponder, and loading, it with quality information is just the tip of the iceberg where marketing is concerned. However, it is a good place to start and gain the necessary experience for future marketing projects.

Ian Simpson reviews and writes about software and informational products on the internet. Great marketing resources can be found at http://information4income.com/sfpr.

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By Obono John

You are ready to launch that new product or promotion. You are really counting on a piece of advertising copy to come through for you.

You are looking for stellar results! In addition, you are determined to do everything in your power to get them. This means surveys, thorough testing, and ongoing refinement of your ad copy.

Hold the phone!

You finish your draft and run it through this 12-point inspection. Cover all these basics, and you can be certain you are off to a running start.

1 – Do You Have A Compelling Headline?

Does it generate curiosity or envy? Does it promise a benefit that will compel someone with an interest in what you are selling to keep reading? Remember, your headline is the ad for the ad.

When I write direct response ad copy, or a sales letter, or have a very important sales objective of my own, I normally write 25 headlines before I begin the body of the piece.

Then I will pick half a dozen that I think will work & test them. The best of the rest, I use as sub headings throughout the piece to propel readership, and draw skimmers & skippers back into the copy as they move down the page.

2 – Are Your Headlines Pleasing To The Eye?

I most often find that headlines work best when centered on the page, and present a balanced appearance in terms of the shape they create. Encasing them in quotation marks also serves to grab more attention.

Long, top headlines tend to reduce readership, but if they help qualify more effectively, they can improve sales! Try them, but look for ways to modularize the text using punctuation and spacing so your readers do not suffocate trying to read them. Sometimes a long, top headline needs to be two or even three separate headlines.

3 – Is Your Opening Provocative & Arresting?

Does it trip the reader, interrupting the internal turbulence of the day? Each line of your ad copy must serve to "sell" the reader on continued reading, especially at the beginning.

You are looking to build enough momentum and interest to convey the points necessary to generate a greater desire for the product than its price. The higher the cost of the product, the more words required.

4 – Are You FAB Balanced?

You must focus on painting a picture of your prospects future life, because of their purchase. Does your copy promise emotional benefits? Does it pledge the realization of positive feelings, or the relief of negative ones?

Does it show how to achieve these outcomes with concise descriptions of the features and advantages that will deliver them? Your ad copy must strike a balance between emotion and logic if it is to be effective.

5 – Are You Creating Excitement & Enthusiasm?

Demonstrate your personal belief in what you are selling. Will your message quicken the readers pulse? Is it upbeat, positive, & full of inspired energy? Is there a sense of WOW?

6 – Is Your Body Copy Highly Readable?

Remember simple is best. Keep sentences short. Use a plain 10-point to 12-point font. Keep paragraphs to a few lines. Use words that are comfortable and specific to the audience you are targeting. Inject subheads to break up text. Highlight important points.

7 – Do You Have High ‘YOU’ density?

Remember to use the words ‘YOU’ and ‘YOUR’ to the hilt. Your reader is auto-translating to ‘ME’ and ‘MINE’.

8 – Are you speaking intimately?

Can you get a strong sense of personality when you review your letter after being away from it for a while? Visualize yourself, or the character you are personifying, writing a personal letter to your perfect prospect. Never write to a crowd.

9 – Are you inspiring the reader’s imagination?

You must trigger mental images with your writing. The mind has difficulty distinguishing between vividly painted word pictures, and reality. Daydreams enchant, and emotions flow in their wake.

When you have emotion, you have desire. When you have desire, you have suggestibility. When you have suggestibility, you can direct action. Your levers are allegory (storytelling), metaphor, similes, verbs, adjectives, and specificity.

10 – Do you offer proof?

Specific testimonials and convincing guarantees worked into your ad copy are essential.

Obono John is the owner of http://www.butterflymarketzone.blogspot.com, The Viral Marketing Experiment.

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By Damon Smith

Everyone in online marketing or affiliate marketing, earning an income, has to research all over the internet to get the information he or she needs to succeed.

I have seen people spend hours, days, weeks, months, and even years just to come out making little or no income at all. As a publisher online, for Hailey Comet Weekly, I have met some of the most powerful people that have made thousands, even millions of dollars with the time they have been online.

Some have done it in as little as a few months and then retired. Then you have those who work very hard every day, no matter how much they make to help others to do the same. Do you remember when the doublers programs hit the internet and people made hundreds even thousands over night? Do you remember what happened within two months of them hitting the internet? People that were dealing with Storm Pay were stuck holding an empty bag because they went under and all kinds of trouble broke out.

The only true programs that make money are ones that last. There are very few of these. One that has made it to the top is Success University, because of the people behind the program, not because they have specials all the time, but because there are REAL people to talk with and to learn and teach you. I have met with people that joined the so-called PAS program and paid out $3,900!

In addition, most of them did not get anything from it. Do you know why? Because there was no one to teach them how to market the program, to make a profit, and they ended up being burnt!

Look at this link, http://www.damonday.net

If you take the time to read it, you will not only see that this group of master marketers are online to help you make a living , but also to teach you how to talk with others in a way to make them buy from you, and learn to work together as a team.

Success University is just what the name stands for. They have been online for quite sometime. The companies that I own depend on the things that I learn online. I would only suggest what I know will work to my own list of people, and not something, that is gone the next day.

My own list of people in my newsletter trust me because they all know, over the past 9 years, that when I have something to tell them it is only the truth and not something that will break their bank accounts. I have been called "The Howard Stern" of publishing and my newsletter is in most of the biggest Co-Ops and directories and forums. The reason for my success is because of people like Damon Day (It is funny we both have the same first names)

However, a "FLY BY NIGHT" company Success University is not. Some of the biggest companies there are back it. It is not just for people who are into affiliate marketing but also for people just starting out online and do not want to lose a lot of money. I will tell you from the start that it takes money to make money. This one company can take your funds, and turn it into something to be proud of. Right now, they are running a $2 14 day trial offer, and the monthly cost is less then a night on the town. So do not miss something that will give you everything you need to earn online.

So take five minutes of your time and look. It will surprise you to see what some people will do to help others instead of just thinking of themselves and what they can get out of people that don’t know any better.

Example: http://www.damonday.net

If you talk with Damon, tell him that I sent you to him so he will know that after everything we have been through, I still believe there are good people online!

Damon Smith is the publisher of Hailey Comet Weekly eZine that gives you the truth about online marketing and advertising. You can check out his newsletter at http://www.haileyscometweekly.com and get some of the best insight info on how he went from nothing to earning thousands a month by helping others.

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By Gary Wollin

Batteries not included. These are three of the dumbest words.

Your Company spent millions of dollars to develop this wonderful product. Engineers spent countless hours creating and refining it. You spent additional millions of dollars in advertising to get me to buy it.

I bought it. I took it home and now it will not work because YOU neglected to include the only part that WILL make it work. For a couple of extra bucks, your cost and mine, I am frustrated and angry with you and your Company.

It is the same with customer service.

No matter what you sell; whether its goods or services, big ticket or small, sales and customer service are not two separate pieces. Every sale must come with the customer service built in.

Exceptional customer service is NOT an extra cost of doing business. It is an investment in your own future success.

In the early 1950s, my uncle had a very small clothing store in Miami, Florida. In those days, Miami was a major entertainment center, with the biggest names in show business appearing at the major hotels, very similar to Las Vegas today.

One evening, as he was leaving the stage at the end of the early show, a young singer ripped his tuxedo jacket on a nail sticking out of the wall. It was after 8 P.M., all the clothing stores were closed.

The hotel management called the major stores and owners because the singer did not want to go on stage with a torn jacket or worse, no jacket.

None of the fancy clothing shop owners would leave their homes to accommodate the young man. Finally, in desperation, my uncle got the call. Would he come downtown with a couple of tuxedos?

Within an hour, my uncle was at the hotel with four tuxedos. He did the fitting and tailoring right on the spot.

The young singer and the big hotel management were ecstatic. The singer tried to shove a few extra hundred-dollar bills into my uncle's hand, but he would not take the money, explaining it was an honor to have the opportunity to earn the business.

The singer promised he would never forget my uncle's kindness and would tell his show biz friends about my uncle. True to his word, the singer continued to tell his friends about my uncle, even as his singing career skyrocketed.

The young singer - Frank Sinatra.

My uncle - went from a tiny clothing store on the edges of oblivion to "Mickey Hayes - Clothier to the Stars"; his walls covered with hundreds of photographs of the biggest names in show business.

On the other side of the coin is INTEL, the major manufacturer of computer chips, and, a great company.

Some years ago, Intel's newest chip had a design flaw that caused a problem in only the tiniest number of calculations, and only in highly complex situations. As this problem began to unfold in the press, owners of computers built with these new chips wanted replacements.

Intel's management stated that these customers were somewhat stupid since only highly complex calculations in specialized situations would experience that problem and then, only on the rarest occasions. They said that they would replace the chip if the customer could substantiate the claim that their chip was flawed.

How stupid. If it only goes bad once in a zillion times, why not give a lifetime guarantee? Most of the customers would never run into that problem. If Intel had immediately offered the lifetime replacement guarantee, ALL of the customers would have had a high degree of confidence that they would never need to take Intel up on their offer.

Intel finally did offer lifetime replacement - after worrying, offending, and insulting millions of their customers.

We can all learn a valuable lesson from Nordstrom's; the department store famous for customer service. Their service to customers is so incredible, that people go out of their way to shop there.

Mr. Nordstrom calls it 'customer heroics'. "We do it because we want more business - NOT simply because we're nice guys."

I have always told my employees - "don't save me 'MY' money. If it helps the customer, SPEND my money. Even if they make a mistake, they won't be criticized if it helped the customer".

Nordstrom, over a period of many years, has developed a corporate culture of service to the customer. Any corporate culture, if it is going to endure successfully, MUST take on a life of its own, apart from the wishes of management. It has to be adopted by every employee, because each ONE thinks it is a good idea.

Whether you are a one-person operation or the largest company, you know what good customer service is. It's the Golden Rule applied to business - "Do unto others".

Listen to your customers' spoken requests - and unspoken. They will tell you what they want. Add a large portion of your own good common sense. Make a commitment to yourself that you will give your customers, service beyond their highest expectations

If you will do these few simple things, I can guarantee you success beyond YOUR expectations.

Gary Wollin is a Warren Buffet style investment advisor with 45+ years of Wall Street experience. He has been regularly featured in The Wall Street Journal, New York Times and many other publications around the world. He writes and speaks on sales, customer loyalty, and the stock market.

For more information, please visit http://www.garywollin.com.

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By Akhil Shahani

A well thought out game plan is a winning strategy in any battle! Your business is no less than a battle. Every moment, your competitors are trying to outsmart you. To win this war, you need a game plan for your business. In other words, you need a marketing plan.

A marketing plan is a highly researched, well-written document, which details all marketing actions necessary to achieve business objectives. It could be for a product, service, brand, or a product line. From time to time, you need to stand back and see if your plan is working, and whether your day-to-day activities line up.

So let us begin with the basics of writing a marketing plan:

1. Title Page - This must include the name of your company and the management team, which is instrumental in developing strategies.

2. Executive Summary - This is a quick overview of the main points in your plan. Although the summary comes first, it is best to write this last. This will ensure that you have not overlooked something and that your plan makes sense.

3. Current Situation - Here, you need to analyze both the macro environment, as well as, the current market situation. The macro environment analysis will give you an insight into the economy, and larger legal and technical aspects that can affect your business. The current market situation will throw light on the potential market segment, competitor landscape, industry structure etc.

4. Consumer Behavior - Present an analysis of your customers' demographic profile and buying habits, talk about key motivators, loyalty segments, and similar issues.

5. Company Analysis - This is your chance to do some 'blah-blah' on your company. Just kidding! Analyze the internal situation of the company in terms of its vision and mission, long-term business objectives, short-term goals, resource position, etc. This is also an appropriate place to do a thorough SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) analysis. This will help you identify the sustainable competitive advantages of your company, and understand the key success factors for your business.

6. Market Research - This chapter describes the process of data collection, method of analysis, and key findings.

7. Marketing Strategy - Step 1 - discuss product mix, product life cycle management, brand name, brand image, etc. Step 2 - analyze market share by products, customer segments, and geography Step 3 - it is all about money, honey! This is where you talk pricing strategy Step 4 - share your advertising and promotion plans Step 5 - put down your ideas about how you will distribute your product.

8. Implementation - discuss the nitty-gritty here. Chart out resource requirements, key deliverables, time frame, and other issues related to implementation.

9. Financial Summaries - include projections of income, break-even analysis, and payback period. List assumptions clearly.

10. Outlook - this contains predictions for the future and plans of action for alternative scenarios, if any.

11. Appendix - include all supporting material, tables and data.

Generally, a basic marketing plan will run into 30 - 40 pages. While you could abridge your report, make sure you do not overlook any important aspects.

Finally, we will leave you with a thought - if you fail to plan, then you plan to fail!

Hi, I am Akhil Shahani, a serial entrepreneur who wants to help you succeed. Over the years, I have run many successful businesses & made many mistakes on the way. I have created http://www.aykya.com to help you benefit from all I have learned on my journey. Please visit us & download our special 'Freebie of the Month' as a thank you for your visit.

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By Anthony Braide

Spammers have done their best to give email marketing a bad name. Email is such an all-pervasive communication tool, and its use as an extremely effective means of building customer relationships and selling products and services remains un-dented. Imagine trying to run your business today without access to email - it would be impossible. In fact, surveys have found that the vast majority of internet user's site email as their primary reason for using the internet, despite the spammers' best efforts.

While we are on the subject of spam, here is a quick word to the wise, do not do it!

It is an effective way of upsetting future clients and associating your company, products and services with dodgy Viagra, porn, and scam artists. Most importantly, spam does not work. It is as simple as that.

However, opt-in email marketing is exploding because it does work. Companies are lured to it by incredibly low costs and high response rates. It is easy to get started, and it puts any organization, large or small, on a level playing field.

There is a right way and a wrong way to do anything and the vast majority of email marketers are getting it wrong. The industry is young. Those who are doing well are not falling over themselves to share the secrets of their email marketing success with competitors. However, there is some good news. Unlike conventional direct marketing pieces, email marketing is both cheap and easy to test, and the results can be comparatively easy to collate and analyze.

If that is the case, then why do so many of the marketing emails I receive get just about everything wrong? Why do not the senders never seem to learn from their mistakes?

Learn from your mistakes

The advantage that email marketing has over any other type of marketing is its tractability. Instant, live results from your marketing campaign were a marketers dream just a few, short years ago. Now they are a reality, but not everyone is taking advantage.

Emailing your database from Outlook or using bulk email sending software is usually a waste of time for both you and the recipient. The main reason being, you get little or no feedback, unless a recipient chooses to email you back. True, you can set up a read receipt in Outlook but that only tells you a very small part of the story. Imagine if you could tell, at a glance, who is not interested in your services and really does not want to hear from you again, (do not waste any more of your valuable time on them). Alternatively, who opened your email and read it repeatedly, (wow, those people must really be interested!) Better still, imagine if they clicked directly through to your website and you knew what link they clicked on (you would know exactly what interested them). Useful stuff like that!

Fortunately, all that information is easy to obtain if you use a good email-marketing tool like www.livewirecampaign.co.uk rather than Outlook. There might be a learning curve of a few days, but it is worth it, to make your emails 100% more effective, right?

With this kind of marketing intelligence you can really start to harness the power of email, because email can give you something special - instant, live, two-way communication from every address you deliver. That is right, every single one. Even emails that bounce back tell you something - it's likely those addresses are dead and you need to update your database. If you are getting 20% opens and only 22% reads, then you know something about your email is not connecting with your recipients. If it was; they would be reopening the email to re-read it or show it to the boss, so you would be getting a much higher percentage of 'reads' to 'opens'.

With this kind of in-depth information, you can begin to learn from what you are getting right and what you are getting wrong. You can begin to mould your campaigns and target your messages. Improve your response rates and follow up on click throughs. In essence, learn from your mistakes and find out what works for you.

To start you on the right track, here are five tried and tested ways of improving the effectiveness of your emails.

1. Keep your subject lines short and to the point. Longer than 40 characters and they will be cut off by many email clients. Do not use words like OFFER or FREE or exclamation marks for emphasis!!! You will be relegated to the spam folder.

2. Keep it simple stupid. Do not make your emails too long or try to cram in to many offers. You have got a second or so to grab your readers' attention so keep it concise.

3. Let your readers know what to do next. Put a clear call to action on your email; use a link to your website or your telephone number, big and bold.

4. Make it time limited. Putting a deadline on your email proves to increase response rates. Make it clear to your recipients that if they snooze they loose!

5. Time it right. Do not send your email at 10'o'clock on a Monday morning when everyone is manic. It is going to get deleted. Timing is everything so choose a time of day when your recipient will be more receptive.

Pay close attention to just these five rules and I guarantee you will improve your response rates. Good luck and remember the power of email marketing; customer knowledge!

Anthony Braide is Managing Director of Gencia Media Ltd, makers of http://LiveWireCampaign.co.uk

LiveWire Campaign is a UK Company that gives you access to free email marketing to you clients and candidates. No need to pay for expensive software, just create your free account and start your first campaign today. Send a campaign to up to 50 recipients per month free. Purchase a unique Pay-as-you-go voucher if you need to send more.

Visit the website at http://www.LiveWireCampaign.co.uk or call 01565 641481 and speak to an Email Marketing Specialist.

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