Copyright © 2005 Stephen Wright
It's an on going saga. How can business owners locate potential customers who are willing to buy your programs and products? What are the techniques that work effectively in making this happen? How to attract more customers willing spend more money and bring more profits and revenues in?
A perfectly reasonable question unless you are in business only to give away your programs, products, or services. As a general rule, most business owners are not in business just to provide charity and they need some way to attract more customers who will spend more money.
The official name for attracting customers in this manner is customer acquisition. Buying office furniture, designing business cards, applying for licenses, purchasing computer systems -- none of these counts more in a business than customer acquisition. To make a profit and stay in business, every business owner needs a reliable way to get more customers in the door, who are willing to spend money on what you have to offer.
Hands down, the very best way to acquire more customers is through a direct response marketing system for off-line marketing with the capability of carefully tracking and accounting for the source of the traffic. This simply means that whatever method a business owner chooses to seek out new customers should have a built-in way of tracking response so the owner knows where the customer came from.
You must tell your potential customers where they can find you AND give them a compelling reason for doing business with you. This actually is the secret behind all marketing. All marketing practices can be boiled down to this one thought. Tell your potential customers where they can find you and why they should do business with you. It sounds so simple when you think about it, but this is one of the major stumbling blocks to a successful business. The owner thinks potential customers will spend time and energy searching out a company to do business with. Wrong!
Most potential customers will shop only at places they already know. Stop and really think about this for a minute. Most potential customers will only shop at places they already know -- AND they need a good reason to do business with you. If they do not know how to find you, they will not be coming to buy from you. You must find a way to tell potential customers where your business can be found.
To accomplish this is easy, if you follow a few basic steps. Following is a sampling of the possibilities that can be used for this purpose:
1. Distribute a press release detailing the latest breakthrough in your business field, available only at your place of business. AND include a special telephone number for customers to call for more information.
2. Place an add in your local yellow pages publication. It doesn't have to be huge, elobrate, or expensive. Something modest, but consistenly run will do. Readers become comfortable with ads they have seen before. After your ad runs a feww times, you will be surprised how many people begin to feel they can trust giving your ad a try. Additionaly, it can be quite an added attraction to couple your local ad with such things as special discount offers in the ad.
3. Send everyone in your zip code a postcard announcing a sale at your place of business. AND have them bring in the postcard to receive the discounted price.
4. Become the local expert in your business field by being interviewed on the radio. AND include a special phone number for customers to call during the broadcast to get more information.
5. Give a speech at the Chamber of Commerce. AND hand out problem solving brochures with your address, phone number and a special code number for customers to use to get a discount.
Many business owners regard marketing only as a necessary evil. They would rather concentrate on their core business activities. But when they use these simple methods to harness the powerful secret to getting more customers, they can eliminate the pain of marketing. Then their businesses will be truly successful in bringing in more customers, more money and more profits.
Stephen Wright is President & CEO of InternetMarketingUSA.com
Get everything you need to make money online in "Dotcomology: The Science of Making Money Online". Includes Over 30 Time-Saving, Profit-Producing, Influence-Expanding Tools And Software Programs Absolutely Free at: http://www.InternetMarketingUSA.com/dotcomology.html
NOTE: You have full permission to reprint this article within your website or newsletter as long as you leave the article fully intact and include the "About The Author" resource box. Thanks! :-)
Sunday, December 25, 2005
Monday, December 12, 2005
Blogging – A Critical Part of Your Web Business Strategy
Copyright © 2005 Stephen Wright
The methods by which we use to contact each other, especially in internet marketing activities continue to undergo dramatic transformation. In the not to distant past (only a couple of years ago!) we kept in touch with customers – existing or potential new ones, using the telephone, fax machines, direct mail marketing and even in-person meetings. Today, people expect more frequent updates, new information, and the latest of everything. So much so that it is literally impossible to keep up with this dizzying pace and certainly not on a continuing or ongoing basis with any consistency.
Thankfully, blogging has come to the rescue. Setting up a blog on your web site - and having an associated RSS feed - means you can keep in constant touch with your clients and potential customers. Plus you don't have to email them and they can get your latest news without having to visit your web site.
So how does this all work? A blog is really a fancy name for a web page that gets updated regularly. It's nothing special. There are several methods of writing 'blogs', but they are nothing more than computer programs which allow you to easily update a web page. Far and away the easiest way to start a blog is with a popular blog website. One example is called blogger.com.
However, for keeping in touch with your customers, RSS is the key. RSS stands for Really Simple Syndication. What this means is that your blog can be automatically delivered to people who want to read it - you don't have to send it to them and neither do they have to come and collect it. All they need is the address of your RSS Feed and their RSS Newsreader can do the job for them. There are several RSS readers available and new web browsers incorporate the ability to read RSS feeds and keep them updated.
Whenever you add new content to your blog, the RSS Feed automatically gets updated in everyone's Reader program or web browser. That means you are guaranteed to be able to keep in touch with clients and prospects. You don't have to do anything other than produce the content. Equally, you don't face the problems of email filters and anti-spam programs blocking your email. Furthermore, people tend to read
RSS Feeds because they have subscribed to them whereas they tend to ignore non urgent emails. After a small amount of basic research and reading, you will quickly see, there are numerous advantages to Blogs and RSS Feeds. One of the biggest reasons is that search engines love them. This is because blogs provide fresh and new content - precisely the thing that searchers are looking for. Hence the search engines are actively pushing blogs higher up the search engine ranking. What this means to internet marketers is that if you don't have a blog for your business, you are potentially reducing your chances of a high search engine ranking. You need a blog nowadays to get noticed by the search engines.
For all the reasons mentioned above (and many, many more), blogging is essential. Not only does it improve your web presence, it also means you can keep in touch with clients and prospects more easily. All the marketing research you can find will tell you that regular contact with your customers is a vital component in retaining existing clients, as well as gaining new business. Don’t put it off any longer; it is time to get your blog going---today!
The methods by which we use to contact each other, especially in internet marketing activities continue to undergo dramatic transformation. In the not to distant past (only a couple of years ago!) we kept in touch with customers – existing or potential new ones, using the telephone, fax machines, direct mail marketing and even in-person meetings. Today, people expect more frequent updates, new information, and the latest of everything. So much so that it is literally impossible to keep up with this dizzying pace and certainly not on a continuing or ongoing basis with any consistency.
Thankfully, blogging has come to the rescue. Setting up a blog on your web site - and having an associated RSS feed - means you can keep in constant touch with your clients and potential customers. Plus you don't have to email them and they can get your latest news without having to visit your web site.
So how does this all work? A blog is really a fancy name for a web page that gets updated regularly. It's nothing special. There are several methods of writing 'blogs', but they are nothing more than computer programs which allow you to easily update a web page. Far and away the easiest way to start a blog is with a popular blog website. One example is called blogger.com.
However, for keeping in touch with your customers, RSS is the key. RSS stands for Really Simple Syndication. What this means is that your blog can be automatically delivered to people who want to read it - you don't have to send it to them and neither do they have to come and collect it. All they need is the address of your RSS Feed and their RSS Newsreader can do the job for them. There are several RSS readers available and new web browsers incorporate the ability to read RSS feeds and keep them updated.
Whenever you add new content to your blog, the RSS Feed automatically gets updated in everyone's Reader program or web browser. That means you are guaranteed to be able to keep in touch with clients and prospects. You don't have to do anything other than produce the content. Equally, you don't face the problems of email filters and anti-spam programs blocking your email. Furthermore, people tend to read
RSS Feeds because they have subscribed to them whereas they tend to ignore non urgent emails. After a small amount of basic research and reading, you will quickly see, there are numerous advantages to Blogs and RSS Feeds. One of the biggest reasons is that search engines love them. This is because blogs provide fresh and new content - precisely the thing that searchers are looking for. Hence the search engines are actively pushing blogs higher up the search engine ranking. What this means to internet marketers is that if you don't have a blog for your business, you are potentially reducing your chances of a high search engine ranking. You need a blog nowadays to get noticed by the search engines.
For all the reasons mentioned above (and many, many more), blogging is essential. Not only does it improve your web presence, it also means you can keep in touch with clients and prospects more easily. All the marketing research you can find will tell you that regular contact with your customers is a vital component in retaining existing clients, as well as gaining new business. Don’t put it off any longer; it is time to get your blog going---today!
Friday, December 09, 2005
Phishing Kicked Up a Notch--The IRS Scam
I keep reading countless articles and forum posts about various scams. Scammers are cooking up a growing number of so-called phishing schemes, using e-mails that look like they are from reputable sources to cull personal data needed to steal your hard-earned money. Scam artists are so much in hot pursuit of your identity that using popular targets like eBay and PayPal is only the tip of the iceberg.
I heard about a new one that really seems to be just starting up and is predicted to escalate dramatically; the closer we get to the official tax filing season. The scam involves e-mails promising income-tax refunds. The message directs recipients to a scam site where they are asked for private and personal details such as credit-card and Social Security numbers.
What makes this hoax especially effective is that it used a legitimate government site, GovBenefits.gov, to direct would-be victims to its own page. The government quickly caught wind of the hoax and on Dec. 1 fixed the loophole that enabled phishers to use its site as a conduit.
As the online shopping season kicks into full gear, you're probably spending plenty of time wielding your credit card while on the Net. And with tax-preparation time just around the corner, refund-related frauds could reappear.
How does the tax-refund scheme work?
Recipients get an e-mail from tax-refunds@irs.gov that appears to promise a tax refund and asks users to click on a GovBenefits.gov URL, described as the place to go for accessing tax returns. But when victims copy and paste that link into their Web browsers, GovBenefits.gov directs them instead to a criminal Web site that has a fake IRS form asking for personal information.
Here is some information I obtained from the GovBenefits site about what to do, what you should look out for:
What should I do if I receive one of these e-mails?
You can file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission, which maintains a database of identity theft cases used by law enforcement agencies for investigations. If you go to the FTC's identity theft site, you can find a link to a complaint input form that's secured with encryption.
Skittish about links? Then call the FTC's Identity Theft Hotline, toll-free: 877 ID-THEFT (438-4338) or write the Identity Theft Clearinghouse, Federal Trade Commission, 600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, D.C. 20580.
Phishing is one of many ways that thieves can gather information used to steal identity. The Anti-Phishing Working Group received 15,820 unique reports in October, compared with only 6,957 the same month last year. The industry association discovered 4,210 phishing sites in October, an explosion from 1,142 a year earlier.
And, of course, be leery of any e-mail that requests account information, Social Security numbers, or passwords. Banks and other legitimate establishments won't ask for these details through e-mail.
Let's be careful out there!!
Stephen Wright is President & CEO of InternetMarketing.com
Get everything you need to make money online in "Dotcomology: The Science of Making Money Online". Includes Over 30 Time-Saving, Profit-Producing, Influence-Expanding Tools And Software Programs Absolutely Free at: http://www.InternetMarketingUSA.com/dotcomology.html
(Source: Business Week Magazine (12-05-05), GovBenefits.gov, and FTC.gov)
I heard about a new one that really seems to be just starting up and is predicted to escalate dramatically; the closer we get to the official tax filing season. The scam involves e-mails promising income-tax refunds. The message directs recipients to a scam site where they are asked for private and personal details such as credit-card and Social Security numbers.
What makes this hoax especially effective is that it used a legitimate government site, GovBenefits.gov, to direct would-be victims to its own page. The government quickly caught wind of the hoax and on Dec. 1 fixed the loophole that enabled phishers to use its site as a conduit.
As the online shopping season kicks into full gear, you're probably spending plenty of time wielding your credit card while on the Net. And with tax-preparation time just around the corner, refund-related frauds could reappear.
How does the tax-refund scheme work?
Recipients get an e-mail from tax-refunds@irs.gov that appears to promise a tax refund and asks users to click on a GovBenefits.gov URL, described as the place to go for accessing tax returns. But when victims copy and paste that link into their Web browsers, GovBenefits.gov directs them instead to a criminal Web site that has a fake IRS form asking for personal information.
Here is some information I obtained from the GovBenefits site about what to do, what you should look out for:
What should I do if I receive one of these e-mails?
You can file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission, which maintains a database of identity theft cases used by law enforcement agencies for investigations. If you go to the FTC's identity theft site, you can find a link to a complaint input form that's secured with encryption.
Skittish about links? Then call the FTC's Identity Theft Hotline, toll-free: 877 ID-THEFT (438-4338) or write the Identity Theft Clearinghouse, Federal Trade Commission, 600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, D.C. 20580.
Phishing is one of many ways that thieves can gather information used to steal identity. The Anti-Phishing Working Group received 15,820 unique reports in October, compared with only 6,957 the same month last year. The industry association discovered 4,210 phishing sites in October, an explosion from 1,142 a year earlier.
And, of course, be leery of any e-mail that requests account information, Social Security numbers, or passwords. Banks and other legitimate establishments won't ask for these details through e-mail.
Let's be careful out there!!
Stephen Wright is President & CEO of InternetMarketing.com
Get everything you need to make money online in "Dotcomology: The Science of Making Money Online". Includes Over 30 Time-Saving, Profit-Producing, Influence-Expanding Tools And Software Programs Absolutely Free at: http://www.InternetMarketingUSA.com/dotcomology.html
(Source: Business Week Magazine (12-05-05), GovBenefits.gov, and FTC.gov)
Saturday, November 26, 2005
Writing Emails With A Purpose
Copyright © 2005 Stephen Wright
How many times have you seen it? You open your inbox just to see another long, seemingly endless list of emails. You cautiously open each one, giving “some” of them 10-20 seconds of a quick scan. If something captures your interest, you read on. If not, it’s a quick click (delete key) and you move on.
If this is your pattern, you are not alone. This scenario is repeated by thousands, if not millions of internet users each and every day. Knowing this pattern makes the job of internet marketers even more difficult. Our ability to cultivate and retain any significant numbers in a downline is directly determined by our ability to maximize these precious few seconds of reading time. Have you got what it takes to write an email and get the replies flying in?
Most of us send out emails almost every day. We do it all too often with out carefully thinking about it. As a result these emails are often written and sent out less than perfect and fail to produce the desired result.
The purpose of sending out mass email is usually intended to attract visitors to view a website rather than make a sale, therefore it is important to take your time and define your aim precisely before writing the email.
Keep it simple and brief; avoid using long or technical words as some people may not understand them. Do not use three words where one will suffice. If the email is long and full of waffle boredom will set in and without a doubt it is likely to be deleted before reaching the end of it.
The opening paragraph is vital. If it does not click with the reader right away you have wasted your time sending it. It's true that even the best writers spend time editing and rewriting their articles and emails.
Start with an eye catching headline. It might be a question or statement. You must grab their attention right away. Make sure to look at it from your readers point of view, is it forceful enough or exciting to make you want to read on and discover the end result?
Headlines hook prospects and lead them to the next line. There you start to build their interest to ensure they read the next sentence... and each subsequent one. You might even find it is worth offering a free gift or a monthly newsletter that would help their business. There are plenty of free e-books on the web that you can give away.
If the intention of your email is to make a sale then offer a guarantee or a full refund this should dispel any fears they may have.
A cheeky way to test out your email is to send it to a couple of friends who are interested in business, add a message at the end of it and ask them to email you. If you don't receive a reply, take it as a sign that perhaps your email was discarded before they made it far enough down the message, to get your message. When this happens it is a good idea to edit your email and remove any unneeded text before sending back out to your master list.
The exact techniques and methods you use will vary depending on personal preferences, product differences, market circumstances, etc. However, the basic approach is to make sure you give it some advance preparation and work, before sending them out. You will be pleasantly amazed at the difference it makes.
About The Author:
Stephen Wright is President & CEO of InternetMarketing.com
Get everything you need to make money online in "Dotcomology: The Science of Making Money Online". Includes Over 30 Time-Saving, Profit-Producing, Influence-Expanding Tools And Software Programs Absolutely Free at: http://www.InternetMarketingUSA.com/dotcomology.html
How many times have you seen it? You open your inbox just to see another long, seemingly endless list of emails. You cautiously open each one, giving “some” of them 10-20 seconds of a quick scan. If something captures your interest, you read on. If not, it’s a quick click (delete key) and you move on.
If this is your pattern, you are not alone. This scenario is repeated by thousands, if not millions of internet users each and every day. Knowing this pattern makes the job of internet marketers even more difficult. Our ability to cultivate and retain any significant numbers in a downline is directly determined by our ability to maximize these precious few seconds of reading time. Have you got what it takes to write an email and get the replies flying in?
Most of us send out emails almost every day. We do it all too often with out carefully thinking about it. As a result these emails are often written and sent out less than perfect and fail to produce the desired result.
The purpose of sending out mass email is usually intended to attract visitors to view a website rather than make a sale, therefore it is important to take your time and define your aim precisely before writing the email.
Keep it simple and brief; avoid using long or technical words as some people may not understand them. Do not use three words where one will suffice. If the email is long and full of waffle boredom will set in and without a doubt it is likely to be deleted before reaching the end of it.
The opening paragraph is vital. If it does not click with the reader right away you have wasted your time sending it. It's true that even the best writers spend time editing and rewriting their articles and emails.
Start with an eye catching headline. It might be a question or statement. You must grab their attention right away. Make sure to look at it from your readers point of view, is it forceful enough or exciting to make you want to read on and discover the end result?
Headlines hook prospects and lead them to the next line. There you start to build their interest to ensure they read the next sentence... and each subsequent one. You might even find it is worth offering a free gift or a monthly newsletter that would help their business. There are plenty of free e-books on the web that you can give away.
If the intention of your email is to make a sale then offer a guarantee or a full refund this should dispel any fears they may have.
A cheeky way to test out your email is to send it to a couple of friends who are interested in business, add a message at the end of it and ask them to email you. If you don't receive a reply, take it as a sign that perhaps your email was discarded before they made it far enough down the message, to get your message. When this happens it is a good idea to edit your email and remove any unneeded text before sending back out to your master list.
The exact techniques and methods you use will vary depending on personal preferences, product differences, market circumstances, etc. However, the basic approach is to make sure you give it some advance preparation and work, before sending them out. You will be pleasantly amazed at the difference it makes.
About The Author:
Stephen Wright is President & CEO of InternetMarketing.com
Get everything you need to make money online in "Dotcomology: The Science of Making Money Online". Includes Over 30 Time-Saving, Profit-Producing, Influence-Expanding Tools And Software Programs Absolutely Free at: http://www.InternetMarketingUSA.com/dotcomology.html
Friday, November 18, 2005
Getting The Most From Your Advertising Dollars
Copyright © 2005 Stephen Wright
You now have that website up and running. You have a great product. You are all set to start taking orders and making those trips to the bank to make deposits! And then you wait, and wait, and wait some more! Unless someone can find your site, you will have a very long wait! That is where the value and benefit of advertising comes in. Advertising is what brings potential customers into your "virtual business door". As a business owner, every dollar you spend is a dollar right out of your pocket. This affects your profit margin and revenues. This can be especially difficult if it comes at a time when you're trying to grow your business. If you're going to succeed, you have to pay close attention to your bottom line and look for creative, innovative ways to cut costs while still getting what you need.
That old saying that it "takes money to make money" has never been truer than when it comes to promoting your business. And when it comes to spending money on advertising, how do you make sure that your advertising is working hard enough, without spending a fortune that consumes all your profits or even worse money that far exceeds your business revenues?
Thanks to the Internet, you've got lots of options for finding cost-effective advertising that does what it's supposed to -- bring targeted customers who are hungry for what you're selling, right to your door. But don't forget about cost-effective offline methods as well. Here are a few ideas to help you get started:
Always make sure you focus your advertising dollars on your target market. The tighter your niche, the better your chances of finding the customers who are looking for exactly what you've got to sell! So rather than going wide, and trying to sell to everyone, narrow your focus, and then, if possible, narrow it some more! Figure out who your "ideal" customer is, and then create an advertising campaign for them. Once you know who you're selling to, look for media that targets that demographic. Depending on your product or service, think community and neighborhood newspapers, high school sponsor advertising, chamber of commerce directories, etc.
If your ideal customers aren't defined by a specific geographic location, look at regional or specific demographic publications. Perhaps a regional paper runs an annual issue that focuses on an issue or activity that reaches your target market. Use local cable television to broadcast your ads only in certain markets. You'll get cheaper rates and a more focused demographic.
Always ask for a discounted rate. (Many publications offer an "agency" discount of up to 15 percent. If you are acting as your own in-house advertising agency, you might qualify for the special rate. Sure, you might be turned down more often than not, but make it a habit to ask. It will be worth it every time it works for you.
Some monthly magazines offer discounts for multi-ads placed over a 3, 6 or 12 month time period. Most publications have a different rate schedule for different types of advertisers -- so depending on your product or service, you could qualify. And if not, sometimes just asking for the discount will give it to you.
Buy leftover space or airtime. This is advertising that the publication, radio or television station hasn't filled by their usual deadline. Of course you'll have to take the spots that are available, but again, depending on your business and the product or service you're selling, that inconvenience could still be worth the discount and the exposure you'll receive.
Use classified ads. They're not just for employment offers any more. You'll find classified ads in magazines and newspapers. Before writing your ad, go to your local library, and look through the back issues of the magazine or newspaper that you're considering. Look at the ads that catch your eye, or that are repeated month after month. Those ads wouldn't be in there each month, if they weren't making the advertiser money. Use those ads as springboards for ideas when you're ready to start writing your own classifieds.
Test your ads. Start out with the cheaper publications, so you can find out what's working and what's not. Play with them, and tweak them. Once you've got an ad that works, keep using it. You can run it more than once, or in more than one publication at a time. When it quits bringing in customers, or you start noticing a drop in effectiveness, then it's time to change it.
Do you own a retail business? If so, check into co-op advertising funds that may be offered by your vendors. Co-op programs provide joint advertising for your and your vendor, and you'll get a portion of the cost of the ad reimbursed because the ad mentions the vendor. (Note: most Co-op programs have strict guidelines, so check with your vendors and make sure you're following the rules).
Barter for goods and services. This can be especially effective with radio stations and local papers. See if you can provide your products or services in trade for the cost of advertising. (Also called "trade" or "In-kind" ads, the radio station or publication gives you the ad in exchange for products or services of equal value, and then uses those products or services as part of a promotion or contest for their listeners or readers). This can also be a great way to get additional free publicity, so if you decide to try this method, get creative and think outside the box!
Don't forget or be afraid to recycle the good ads in other advertising medium. If you've got an ad that's especially effective, looks great (or more importantly that is profitable), by all means reuse it in a circular, brochure, handout, flyer or direct mail piece. Use the graphics on your Webpages if available.
In summary, your goal should be to find a balanced mix of online and offline advertising. This will go a long way towards getting the greatest bang for your advertising buck! With a little creativity you will be maximizing your profits while minimizing your expenses.
About The Author:
Stephen Wright is President & CEO of InternetMarketing.com
Get everything you need to make money online in "Dotcomology: The Science of Making Money Online". Includes Over 30 Time-Saving, Profit-Producing, Influence-Expanding Tools And Software Programs Absolutely Free at: http://www.InternetMarketingUSA.com/dotcomology.html
You now have that website up and running. You have a great product. You are all set to start taking orders and making those trips to the bank to make deposits! And then you wait, and wait, and wait some more! Unless someone can find your site, you will have a very long wait! That is where the value and benefit of advertising comes in. Advertising is what brings potential customers into your "virtual business door". As a business owner, every dollar you spend is a dollar right out of your pocket. This affects your profit margin and revenues. This can be especially difficult if it comes at a time when you're trying to grow your business. If you're going to succeed, you have to pay close attention to your bottom line and look for creative, innovative ways to cut costs while still getting what you need.
That old saying that it "takes money to make money" has never been truer than when it comes to promoting your business. And when it comes to spending money on advertising, how do you make sure that your advertising is working hard enough, without spending a fortune that consumes all your profits or even worse money that far exceeds your business revenues?
Thanks to the Internet, you've got lots of options for finding cost-effective advertising that does what it's supposed to -- bring targeted customers who are hungry for what you're selling, right to your door. But don't forget about cost-effective offline methods as well. Here are a few ideas to help you get started:
Always make sure you focus your advertising dollars on your target market. The tighter your niche, the better your chances of finding the customers who are looking for exactly what you've got to sell! So rather than going wide, and trying to sell to everyone, narrow your focus, and then, if possible, narrow it some more! Figure out who your "ideal" customer is, and then create an advertising campaign for them. Once you know who you're selling to, look for media that targets that demographic. Depending on your product or service, think community and neighborhood newspapers, high school sponsor advertising, chamber of commerce directories, etc.
If your ideal customers aren't defined by a specific geographic location, look at regional or specific demographic publications. Perhaps a regional paper runs an annual issue that focuses on an issue or activity that reaches your target market. Use local cable television to broadcast your ads only in certain markets. You'll get cheaper rates and a more focused demographic.
Always ask for a discounted rate. (Many publications offer an "agency" discount of up to 15 percent. If you are acting as your own in-house advertising agency, you might qualify for the special rate. Sure, you might be turned down more often than not, but make it a habit to ask. It will be worth it every time it works for you.
Some monthly magazines offer discounts for multi-ads placed over a 3, 6 or 12 month time period. Most publications have a different rate schedule for different types of advertisers -- so depending on your product or service, you could qualify. And if not, sometimes just asking for the discount will give it to you.
Buy leftover space or airtime. This is advertising that the publication, radio or television station hasn't filled by their usual deadline. Of course you'll have to take the spots that are available, but again, depending on your business and the product or service you're selling, that inconvenience could still be worth the discount and the exposure you'll receive.
Use classified ads. They're not just for employment offers any more. You'll find classified ads in magazines and newspapers. Before writing your ad, go to your local library, and look through the back issues of the magazine or newspaper that you're considering. Look at the ads that catch your eye, or that are repeated month after month. Those ads wouldn't be in there each month, if they weren't making the advertiser money. Use those ads as springboards for ideas when you're ready to start writing your own classifieds.
Test your ads. Start out with the cheaper publications, so you can find out what's working and what's not. Play with them, and tweak them. Once you've got an ad that works, keep using it. You can run it more than once, or in more than one publication at a time. When it quits bringing in customers, or you start noticing a drop in effectiveness, then it's time to change it.
Do you own a retail business? If so, check into co-op advertising funds that may be offered by your vendors. Co-op programs provide joint advertising for your and your vendor, and you'll get a portion of the cost of the ad reimbursed because the ad mentions the vendor. (Note: most Co-op programs have strict guidelines, so check with your vendors and make sure you're following the rules).
Barter for goods and services. This can be especially effective with radio stations and local papers. See if you can provide your products or services in trade for the cost of advertising. (Also called "trade" or "In-kind" ads, the radio station or publication gives you the ad in exchange for products or services of equal value, and then uses those products or services as part of a promotion or contest for their listeners or readers). This can also be a great way to get additional free publicity, so if you decide to try this method, get creative and think outside the box!
Don't forget or be afraid to recycle the good ads in other advertising medium. If you've got an ad that's especially effective, looks great (or more importantly that is profitable), by all means reuse it in a circular, brochure, handout, flyer or direct mail piece. Use the graphics on your Webpages if available.
In summary, your goal should be to find a balanced mix of online and offline advertising. This will go a long way towards getting the greatest bang for your advertising buck! With a little creativity you will be maximizing your profits while minimizing your expenses.
About The Author:
Stephen Wright is President & CEO of InternetMarketing.com
Get everything you need to make money online in "Dotcomology: The Science of Making Money Online". Includes Over 30 Time-Saving, Profit-Producing, Influence-Expanding Tools And Software Programs Absolutely Free at: http://www.InternetMarketingUSA.com/dotcomology.html
Monday, November 14, 2005
Do you have what it takes to be an e-entrepreneur?
Copyright © Stone Evans, The Home Biz Guy
Author of "Dotcomology - The Science of Making Money Online"
These days, it seems like everyone wants to work
from home and make money on the Internet. But
before you even turn on your computer, the first
question you have to ask yourself is whether
you’re cut out for this kind of work.
The fact is, building a home-based business isn’t
for everyone. Some people like the commute. They
really do enjoy having a boss who tells them what
to do, and they like the routine of working
nine-to-five for an ordinary salary that can
barely pay the mortgage. Personally, I think
they’re nuts.
More reasonably, there are people who are
concerned about the risk of starting up their own
business. They’re not sure it’s worth the
investment of time and money, and they’re scared
of the responsibility that comes with running
their own company. They wonder if there is
another way to escape the rat race.
I’m sure there is. You could win the lottery or
wait for your Aunt Sue to keel over and leave you
her condo. Or maybe you could sit down with a pen
and paper and draw the blueprint for "The Next
Big Thing". Anything can happen... Right?
For me, what happened was creating a successful,
self-running Internet marketing system. It didn’t
happen without effort. It didn’t happen without
at least some initial investment of both time and
money and, of course, it doesn’t happen now
without me making sure that the taxes are filed
and the paperwork is done. But it happened.
I’m my own boss. I work from home according to my
own schedule and I get to pocket all the cash my
business makes. If you’re prepared to give an
e-business the time, the work and the money it
needs to get started and get growing, it can
happen for you too.
Article excerpted from "Dotcomology":
Don't Pay A Dime For Any Ebook, Marketing
Course, Software Program Or Anything Else Until
You've Read This Groundbreaking Document...
Click Here to Discover "Dotcomology" Now!
Copyright © Stone Evans, The Home Biz Guy
Author of "Dotcomology - The Science of Making Money Online"
These days, it seems like everyone wants to work
from home and make money on the Internet. But
before you even turn on your computer, the first
question you have to ask yourself is whether
you’re cut out for this kind of work.
The fact is, building a home-based business isn’t
for everyone. Some people like the commute. They
really do enjoy having a boss who tells them what
to do, and they like the routine of working
nine-to-five for an ordinary salary that can
barely pay the mortgage. Personally, I think
they’re nuts.
More reasonably, there are people who are
concerned about the risk of starting up their own
business. They’re not sure it’s worth the
investment of time and money, and they’re scared
of the responsibility that comes with running
their own company. They wonder if there is
another way to escape the rat race.
I’m sure there is. You could win the lottery or
wait for your Aunt Sue to keel over and leave you
her condo. Or maybe you could sit down with a pen
and paper and draw the blueprint for "The Next
Big Thing". Anything can happen... Right?
For me, what happened was creating a successful,
self-running Internet marketing system. It didn’t
happen without effort. It didn’t happen without
at least some initial investment of both time and
money and, of course, it doesn’t happen now
without me making sure that the taxes are filed
and the paperwork is done. But it happened.
I’m my own boss. I work from home according to my
own schedule and I get to pocket all the cash my
business makes. If you’re prepared to give an
e-business the time, the work and the money it
needs to get started and get growing, it can
happen for you too.
Article excerpted from "Dotcomology":
Don't Pay A Dime For Any Ebook, Marketing
Course, Software Program Or Anything Else Until
You've Read This Groundbreaking Document...
Click Here to Discover "Dotcomology" Now!
Wednesday, November 09, 2005
Designing Websites with Sales In Mind
Copyright © 2005 Stephen Wright
One of the very first decisions we make as internet marketers involves the critical choices in designing websites. We each have differing opinions and viewpoints of just what our site should look like. More often than not, these decisions are based on personal opinions or selections limited to the templates of the respective applications utilized for building the site. But there has to be more to this than personal preference - with no real basis for the logic and methodology that should go into making the decisions!
What about this logic ---beyond the appearance - lets also look at the "sales" potential of one design versus another. Think about it, why do some websites sell better than anothers? Do you need a marketing degree to create a website? Does design have much impact on sales?
You may not realize this but many of the successful internet marketing businesses already figured out that design, or layout of the website should be as much of a marketing decision as the ad copy. Why is that?
Web designers (and individuals with software apps) can do some amazing things with graphics and colors. You will also have a much more professional looking site when an expert applies his or her handiwork. However, it is critically important to understand some of the key elements that smart marketers make certain appear (or NOT appear) on highly profitable sites. After all, having a "pretty" site does you no good if you are not getting traffic or revenue from sales. Being aware of these will enable you (or your selected designer) to keep in mind this balance between marketing and design. The three key elements are color, graphics, and layout.
COLOR: Designs with a dramatic color can make compelling choices for setting a mood. But reading on a computer screen demands as much contrast as possible, otherwise the reader will develop vision fatigue. You do not want to irritate or tire your visitors in any way or they may leave, so be certain that the main body of your website copy is black writing on a white background - or as close to that ideal as possible.
Colors also change appearance on different monitors, so what looks cool and calm on one monitor may be bright and glaring on another. Simple works.
GRAPHICS: Striking, bold graphics can be a real eye-catcher for visitors. Still, successful internet marketers are pretty much unanimous in stating that you should avoid flash graphics as much as possible. Again, they tend to tire visitors eyes or create a distraction from the written copy. Even if they are initially impressed by the work it may subconsciously annoy them. Simplicity is again the best way to go.
LAYOUT: The first 'fold' of your site is similar to opening a tractional paper letter. If you remove a letter from an envelope that is folded in three, you will obviously view the top 'fold' first.
This fold is what individuals will see without scrolling down the page. It is CRUCIAL that important elements like descriptive headlines, your contact number, newsletter subscription form etc. all show in the first fold. Do NOT place banners here unless they are the main element of your business as you will be giving prime space to other websites and your customer (which you fought hard to get in the first place) will be gone just as quickly.
These are just some of the important elements you should be aware of when designing your site. This "balance" will greatly increase your sales potential - once you incorporate this into your design criteria. With both design and "sales-ability" used as the foundation for the website in the initial design phases you will reap the financial benefits for years and years.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Stephen Wright is President & CEO of InternetMarketing.com
We personally build a Money Making Website Just For You - 100%
Ready To Take Orders And Pull In Massive Residual Profits! Get
the details today at: http://www.InternetMarketingUSA.com/pips.html
One of the very first decisions we make as internet marketers involves the critical choices in designing websites. We each have differing opinions and viewpoints of just what our site should look like. More often than not, these decisions are based on personal opinions or selections limited to the templates of the respective applications utilized for building the site. But there has to be more to this than personal preference - with no real basis for the logic and methodology that should go into making the decisions!
What about this logic ---beyond the appearance - lets also look at the "sales" potential of one design versus another. Think about it, why do some websites sell better than anothers? Do you need a marketing degree to create a website? Does design have much impact on sales?
You may not realize this but many of the successful internet marketing businesses already figured out that design, or layout of the website should be as much of a marketing decision as the ad copy. Why is that?
Web designers (and individuals with software apps) can do some amazing things with graphics and colors. You will also have a much more professional looking site when an expert applies his or her handiwork. However, it is critically important to understand some of the key elements that smart marketers make certain appear (or NOT appear) on highly profitable sites. After all, having a "pretty" site does you no good if you are not getting traffic or revenue from sales. Being aware of these will enable you (or your selected designer) to keep in mind this balance between marketing and design. The three key elements are color, graphics, and layout.
COLOR: Designs with a dramatic color can make compelling choices for setting a mood. But reading on a computer screen demands as much contrast as possible, otherwise the reader will develop vision fatigue. You do not want to irritate or tire your visitors in any way or they may leave, so be certain that the main body of your website copy is black writing on a white background - or as close to that ideal as possible.
Colors also change appearance on different monitors, so what looks cool and calm on one monitor may be bright and glaring on another. Simple works.
GRAPHICS: Striking, bold graphics can be a real eye-catcher for visitors. Still, successful internet marketers are pretty much unanimous in stating that you should avoid flash graphics as much as possible. Again, they tend to tire visitors eyes or create a distraction from the written copy. Even if they are initially impressed by the work it may subconsciously annoy them. Simplicity is again the best way to go.
LAYOUT: The first 'fold' of your site is similar to opening a tractional paper letter. If you remove a letter from an envelope that is folded in three, you will obviously view the top 'fold' first.
This fold is what individuals will see without scrolling down the page. It is CRUCIAL that important elements like descriptive headlines, your contact number, newsletter subscription form etc. all show in the first fold. Do NOT place banners here unless they are the main element of your business as you will be giving prime space to other websites and your customer (which you fought hard to get in the first place) will be gone just as quickly.
These are just some of the important elements you should be aware of when designing your site. This "balance" will greatly increase your sales potential - once you incorporate this into your design criteria. With both design and "sales-ability" used as the foundation for the website in the initial design phases you will reap the financial benefits for years and years.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Stephen Wright is President & CEO of InternetMarketing.com
We personally build a Money Making Website Just For You - 100%
Ready To Take Orders And Pull In Massive Residual Profits! Get
the details today at: http://www.InternetMarketingUSA.com/pips.html
Thursday, October 27, 2005
The Importance of Blogging/RSS to Your Home Business
(The Importance of Blogging/RSS to Your Home Business) Copyright © Stephen Wright President/CEO - Internet Marketing USA http://www.InternetMarketingUSA.com
In the 'good old days' (which now was only about three years ago!!) you used to keep in-touch with your customers using phone calls, email messages and face to face meetings. Nowadays the world has changed. People expect even more frequent updates, yet it's nearly impossible to meet with every business contact on a regular basis.
Thankfully, blogging has come to the rescue. Setting up a blog on your web site - and having an associated RSS feed - means you can keep in constant touch with your clients and potential customers.
Plus you don't have to email them and they can get your latest news without having to visit your web site. All this without the normal or typical cost of autoresponders and expensive email programs. So how does this all work?
A blog is really a fancy name for a web page that gets updated regularly. It's nothing special. There are several methods of writing 'blogs', but they are nothing more than computer programs which allow you to easily update a web page. Far and away the easiest way to start a blog is with a website called blogger.com.
However, for keeping in touch with your customers, RSS is the key. RSS stands for Really Simple. Syndication. What this means is that your blog can be automatically delivered to people who want to read it - you don't have to send it to them and neither do they have to come and collect it. All they need is the address of your RSS Feed and their RSS Newsreader can do the job for them. There are several RSS readers available and new web browsers incorporate the ability to read RSS feeds and keep them updated.
Whenever you add new content to your blog, the RSS Feed automatically gets updated in everyone's Reader program or web browser. That means you are guaranteed to be able to keep in touch with clients and prospects. You don't have to do anything other than produce the content. Equally, you don't face the problems of email filters and anti-spam programs blocking your email. Furthermore, people tend to read RSS Feeds because they have subscribed to them whereas they tend to ignore non urgent emails.
As you can see, there are several advantages to Blogs and RSS Feeds. But it doesn't stop there. Search engines love them. All the big search engines (such as Google) are including RSS/Blog content as bonus items in their scoring formulas these days. That's because blogs provide fresh and new content - precisely what searchers are looking for. Hence the search engines are actively pushing blogs higher up the search engine ranking. This means if you don't have a blog for your business, you are seriously reducing your chances of a high search engine ranking. You need a blog nowadays to get noticed by the search engines.
So, blogging (and RSS feed) is essential. Not only does it improve your web presence, it also means you can keep in touch with clients and prospects more easily. And all the marketing research you can find will tell you that keeping in regular touch with your customers is an important component in gaining new business. So get blogging I say!
In the 'good old days' (which now was only about three years ago!!) you used to keep in-touch with your customers using phone calls, email messages and face to face meetings. Nowadays the world has changed. People expect even more frequent updates, yet it's nearly impossible to meet with every business contact on a regular basis.
Thankfully, blogging has come to the rescue. Setting up a blog on your web site - and having an associated RSS feed - means you can keep in constant touch with your clients and potential customers.
Plus you don't have to email them and they can get your latest news without having to visit your web site. All this without the normal or typical cost of autoresponders and expensive email programs. So how does this all work?
A blog is really a fancy name for a web page that gets updated regularly. It's nothing special. There are several methods of writing 'blogs', but they are nothing more than computer programs which allow you to easily update a web page. Far and away the easiest way to start a blog is with a website called blogger.com.
However, for keeping in touch with your customers, RSS is the key. RSS stands for Really Simple. Syndication. What this means is that your blog can be automatically delivered to people who want to read it - you don't have to send it to them and neither do they have to come and collect it. All they need is the address of your RSS Feed and their RSS Newsreader can do the job for them. There are several RSS readers available and new web browsers incorporate the ability to read RSS feeds and keep them updated.
Whenever you add new content to your blog, the RSS Feed automatically gets updated in everyone's Reader program or web browser. That means you are guaranteed to be able to keep in touch with clients and prospects. You don't have to do anything other than produce the content. Equally, you don't face the problems of email filters and anti-spam programs blocking your email. Furthermore, people tend to read RSS Feeds because they have subscribed to them whereas they tend to ignore non urgent emails.
As you can see, there are several advantages to Blogs and RSS Feeds. But it doesn't stop there. Search engines love them. All the big search engines (such as Google) are including RSS/Blog content as bonus items in their scoring formulas these days. That's because blogs provide fresh and new content - precisely what searchers are looking for. Hence the search engines are actively pushing blogs higher up the search engine ranking. This means if you don't have a blog for your business, you are seriously reducing your chances of a high search engine ranking. You need a blog nowadays to get noticed by the search engines.
So, blogging (and RSS feed) is essential. Not only does it improve your web presence, it also means you can keep in touch with clients and prospects more easily. And all the marketing research you can find will tell you that keeping in regular touch with your customers is an important component in gaining new business. So get blogging I say!
Thursday, October 20, 2005
Home Based Business - Organize for Success
(Home Based Business - Organize for Success)
Copyright © Stephen Wright
President/CEO - Internet Marketing USA
http://www.InternetMarketingUSA.com
Running your own home based internet business is a piece of cake. Right? Well maybe, maybe not. It certainly can be. However, all too often the exact opposite is closer to the reality for many eager home based business owners.
You've probably heard how easy it is to rake in tens of thousands of dollars practically over night, and how you can have all kinds of "free time" and extra cash for traveling and shopping at your favorite store...
Just throw up a web site, add a few affiliate links, post to some forums and presto - you're in the money!
But the reality is this. If you want to succeed in your own home based internet business, whether it's affiliate marketing or selling your own products, you will have to work at making it successful. You have to make it your job to succeed. You must treat it as your job, not as your hobby. That means developing and maintaining committed to the task.
It's great to think that with just a few easy strokes you'll be running on auto-pilot, bringing in loads of cash and then on to the next venture. But without some simple planning and consistent effort you're setting yourself up for failure.
To aide you in this effort, here are a few tips to help you develop good habits for achieving your goals:
STAY ORGANIZED:
Set up folders in your email program:
You should set up a folder for each contact and keep important correspondence while deleting what you don't need. If you belong to membership sites that require passwords, keep the "welcome" letters where you can find them.
Set up folders on your desktop.
If you download a lot of software, ebooks or PDF books from specific individuals simply name a folder on your desktop after the author or site owner. Then when you download something you can place it in their folder.
Make your own HTML home page.
For quick and easy access to all your important sites make up an HTML page with hyperlinks to your most frequently used sites along with a brief explanation of each site. Keep it on your desktop for easy access.
While it is possible at some point to eventually catch up on being organized this way, starting out that way and keeping it organized will save you hours and hours of searching, frustration, and missed opportunities.
STAY FOCUSED:
Set aside a specific time for working on your internet activities.
It could be from 7pm-9pm every day or whatever time's good for you. During this time try everything possible to not get distracted from doing only what needs to be accomplished for your business. Try to use the same time slot every day so you get into a routine and get used to the working mindset. I have found that setting aside time this way is important not only for myself, but other members of the household (my wife, kids and the dog!) - all know that this is important "do not distrub time for me as well! Oh, and my the way, save the surfing for another time.
SET ASIDE A WORK SPACE:
Make sure that your have a clearly defined work area to put your work materials and important files into. It is important that your family know that this area is off limits.
Finish one task before starting another.
As the old saying goes, "Put one foot in front of the other." Don't start working on something new until the first task is completely finished.
BE CONSISTENT
Work the ideas that "work."
When you find something that works well for you work it hard and get as much out of it as possible. If you're submitting articles to a certain site and they're paying dividends, keep feeding the cycle.
LEARN FROM FAILURES:
Don't get discouraged. Each failure's just a learning process. Use any failure to your advantage by taking the lesson and applying it to your next venture.
Test, test, and more test.
Always test headlines and ad copy. A small change can reap huge rewards.
With these few simple steps you will stay organized, stay focused, be consistent in your efforts and build a solid foundation on which you can build your internet empire!
After all, you are the one who will ultimately determine the success or failure of your business!
Best of Luck with your internet ventures!
Copyright © Stephen Wright
President/CEO - Internet Marketing USA
http://www.InternetMarketingUSA.com
Running your own home based internet business is a piece of cake. Right? Well maybe, maybe not. It certainly can be. However, all too often the exact opposite is closer to the reality for many eager home based business owners.
You've probably heard how easy it is to rake in tens of thousands of dollars practically over night, and how you can have all kinds of "free time" and extra cash for traveling and shopping at your favorite store...
Just throw up a web site, add a few affiliate links, post to some forums and presto - you're in the money!
But the reality is this. If you want to succeed in your own home based internet business, whether it's affiliate marketing or selling your own products, you will have to work at making it successful. You have to make it your job to succeed. You must treat it as your job, not as your hobby. That means developing and maintaining committed to the task.
It's great to think that with just a few easy strokes you'll be running on auto-pilot, bringing in loads of cash and then on to the next venture. But without some simple planning and consistent effort you're setting yourself up for failure.
To aide you in this effort, here are a few tips to help you develop good habits for achieving your goals:
STAY ORGANIZED:
Set up folders in your email program:
You should set up a folder for each contact and keep important correspondence while deleting what you don't need. If you belong to membership sites that require passwords, keep the "welcome" letters where you can find them.
Set up folders on your desktop.
If you download a lot of software, ebooks or PDF books from specific individuals simply name a folder on your desktop after the author or site owner. Then when you download something you can place it in their folder.
Make your own HTML home page.
For quick and easy access to all your important sites make up an HTML page with hyperlinks to your most frequently used sites along with a brief explanation of each site. Keep it on your desktop for easy access.
While it is possible at some point to eventually catch up on being organized this way, starting out that way and keeping it organized will save you hours and hours of searching, frustration, and missed opportunities.
STAY FOCUSED:
Set aside a specific time for working on your internet activities.
It could be from 7pm-9pm every day or whatever time's good for you. During this time try everything possible to not get distracted from doing only what needs to be accomplished for your business. Try to use the same time slot every day so you get into a routine and get used to the working mindset. I have found that setting aside time this way is important not only for myself, but other members of the household (my wife, kids and the dog!) - all know that this is important "do not distrub time for me as well! Oh, and my the way, save the surfing for another time.
SET ASIDE A WORK SPACE:
Make sure that your have a clearly defined work area to put your work materials and important files into. It is important that your family know that this area is off limits.
Finish one task before starting another.
As the old saying goes, "Put one foot in front of the other." Don't start working on something new until the first task is completely finished.
BE CONSISTENT
Work the ideas that "work."
When you find something that works well for you work it hard and get as much out of it as possible. If you're submitting articles to a certain site and they're paying dividends, keep feeding the cycle.
LEARN FROM FAILURES:
Don't get discouraged. Each failure's just a learning process. Use any failure to your advantage by taking the lesson and applying it to your next venture.
Test, test, and more test.
Always test headlines and ad copy. A small change can reap huge rewards.
With these few simple steps you will stay organized, stay focused, be consistent in your efforts and build a solid foundation on which you can build your internet empire!
After all, you are the one who will ultimately determine the success or failure of your business!
Best of Luck with your internet ventures!
Monday, October 10, 2005
Information "Overload" in Your New Home Business
(Information "Overload" in Your New Home Business)
Copyright © Stephen Wright
President/CEO - Internet Marketing USA
http://www.InternetMarketingUSA.com
The good news; at last, you have achieved your dream. You've escaped the traditional, away from home work force and are now self-employed whether it be part-time or full-time. Now, the bad news;You are now self-employed. It is both good news and bad news. That is, if you are not prepared to deal with the information overload. There you sit, in your spiffy new office - whether it's in the corner of the sitting room or in a converted bedroom surrounded by your equally spiffy new toys...your computer, desk and some strategically placed shelves. Your new multi-function center will print stuff, fax stuff and copy stuff. (It won't hang out the washing, but hey, you can't have everything.)
You've even got work coming-in and the immediate worry about making a living has vanished. Hooray! You really *can* work from home! At first, working at home is pure bliss. Then you get a week when everybody and their dog seems to want your services. After putting in a few late nights, you meet all the deadlines and think; phew...I'm glad that's over! You decide to relax and give yourself a day off. After all, you worked all through the weekend and earned it, right?
Unfortunately, the following week you find yourself off to a bad start trying to make-up for your day off. Before you know it, you find that you are dropping further and further behind. You reflect gloomily that when you were working for someone else, at least at the end of the day you were finished...what didn't get done didn't get done!
Well, it's time to take heart and set a few simple strategies in place that will keep you in control of your time...and your sanity.
=== 1. Do NOT Accept Any New Work This Week. ===
Take a good look at what you have on your plate now, and carefully plan the week ahead. Your aim is to regain control. Tell new clients that you are fully booked, but you can put them on a priority list to be phoned next week. (This will not only allow you to catch up, but make your services appear highly in demand.)
=== 2. Build In Time For Leisure and Rest. ===
Not only for this week, but EVERY week. A half hour walk; a twenty-minute break in the sun with a cup of coffee; a quick swim or a movie outing with friends - all these activities can recharge your batteries. You will find that you can achieve far more when you are rested and alert. (How many times have you sat at the computer staring at the screen, achieving very little, because you're over-tired?)
=== 3. Tackle Urgent Tasks First. ===
If you're behind, your first step must be to contact all clients and arrange firm new deadlines. Make sure you base these new deadlines on what you CAN achieve, not what you HOPE you can achieve. If any existing client needs your services or products urgently, bump them up the queue.
=== 4. Prioritize Remaining Tasks. ===
Scrap anything that is not essential, and delegate what you can. Consider involving family, business associates or friends to handle some tasks. (Warning: do not hand over tasks that must be carried out only by you as the principal of the business. Your reputation is important.)
=== 5. Set Achievable Daily Goals. ===
If you finish a task ahead of schedule, begin the next... but adhere to a definite cut-off time each day. What you are doing this week is establishing a system that will continue to work for you.
Getting out of trouble when your business is in overload is just like getting out of debt. Your business rating is similar to your credit rating - nothing can be gained by denying that a problem exists. Nothing can be gained by slipping deeper into the mire. Call a halt; contact the main players; set workable strategies in place and you can quickly regroup.
Before you know it, your home business dream will be on track once more.
Copyright © Stephen Wright
President/CEO - Internet Marketing USA
http://www.InternetMarketingUSA.com
The good news; at last, you have achieved your dream. You've escaped the traditional, away from home work force and are now self-employed whether it be part-time or full-time. Now, the bad news;You are now self-employed. It is both good news and bad news. That is, if you are not prepared to deal with the information overload. There you sit, in your spiffy new office - whether it's in the corner of the sitting room or in a converted bedroom surrounded by your equally spiffy new toys...your computer, desk and some strategically placed shelves. Your new multi-function center will print stuff, fax stuff and copy stuff. (It won't hang out the washing, but hey, you can't have everything.)
You've even got work coming-in and the immediate worry about making a living has vanished. Hooray! You really *can* work from home! At first, working at home is pure bliss. Then you get a week when everybody and their dog seems to want your services. After putting in a few late nights, you meet all the deadlines and think; phew...I'm glad that's over! You decide to relax and give yourself a day off. After all, you worked all through the weekend and earned it, right?
Unfortunately, the following week you find yourself off to a bad start trying to make-up for your day off. Before you know it, you find that you are dropping further and further behind. You reflect gloomily that when you were working for someone else, at least at the end of the day you were finished...what didn't get done didn't get done!
Well, it's time to take heart and set a few simple strategies in place that will keep you in control of your time...and your sanity.
=== 1. Do NOT Accept Any New Work This Week. ===
Take a good look at what you have on your plate now, and carefully plan the week ahead. Your aim is to regain control. Tell new clients that you are fully booked, but you can put them on a priority list to be phoned next week. (This will not only allow you to catch up, but make your services appear highly in demand.)
=== 2. Build In Time For Leisure and Rest. ===
Not only for this week, but EVERY week. A half hour walk; a twenty-minute break in the sun with a cup of coffee; a quick swim or a movie outing with friends - all these activities can recharge your batteries. You will find that you can achieve far more when you are rested and alert. (How many times have you sat at the computer staring at the screen, achieving very little, because you're over-tired?)
=== 3. Tackle Urgent Tasks First. ===
If you're behind, your first step must be to contact all clients and arrange firm new deadlines. Make sure you base these new deadlines on what you CAN achieve, not what you HOPE you can achieve. If any existing client needs your services or products urgently, bump them up the queue.
=== 4. Prioritize Remaining Tasks. ===
Scrap anything that is not essential, and delegate what you can. Consider involving family, business associates or friends to handle some tasks. (Warning: do not hand over tasks that must be carried out only by you as the principal of the business. Your reputation is important.)
=== 5. Set Achievable Daily Goals. ===
If you finish a task ahead of schedule, begin the next... but adhere to a definite cut-off time each day. What you are doing this week is establishing a system that will continue to work for you.
Getting out of trouble when your business is in overload is just like getting out of debt. Your business rating is similar to your credit rating - nothing can be gained by denying that a problem exists. Nothing can be gained by slipping deeper into the mire. Call a halt; contact the main players; set workable strategies in place and you can quickly regroup.
Before you know it, your home business dream will be on track once more.
Monday, October 03, 2005
5 Simple and Easy Ways to Advertise Online
(5 Simple and Easy Ways to Advertise Online)
Copyright © Stephen Wright
President/CEO - Internet Marketing USA
http://www.InternetMarketingUSA.com
Some people say that advertising is everything!
Regardless if you have a product, a service, a hobby website or
just want to share pictures of your wedding, you have to
advertise somehow to get the traffic to your site or blog.
But not all traffic is equal. There are services that can help
you drive tons and tons of traffic to your site and it won't do
you any good at all because it's not targeted traffic.
Take for example all of the many different 'surf for traffic' or
'traffic clicking' programs that are out there. If you have a
website that is about your hobby, say model airplanes, then what
good is this traffic really going to do you? Who's using these
services?
Webmasters and marketers that want traffic on their own site.
So they most likely won't spend any more time on your page than
is required by the little timer these services use and then they
are gone again. Even if your site is about these traffic services
(this is about the only time you will see very much benefit from
using such a tool) you will still have to spend a ton of time
just surfing and clicking around to get a real benefit from these
programs. Once marketers realized this they switched gears. They
started promoting all the different programs to a lot of other
marketers to get them in their downlines, so they could get some
traffic as a bonus. This became their new focus. The problem is
that everyone else did exactly the same thing, so not a lot of
people were surfing the internet anymore.
Bottom-line is this. You need targeted traffic. So here are some
tips on how you can generate exactly the traffic you need and
bring the visitors you want to your website without having to
chase after them.
1. Content
What is your website about? Do you just have a page with a lot of
links and not much else?
If this is the case, think about adding some content to your
website that will be of value to any potential visitors. You
could write articles or find articles at one of the many
directories that you can reprint on your site.
2. Talk about your experiences in your subject matter.
You don't have to put up some kind of resume (although that can
work too), but rather try writing about what you are doing, as it
relates to your topic of choice. Let's look at the model
airplanes again briefly, you could talk or write about the latest
plane type you built, how the last time flying your plane went,
what challenges you run into or perhaps even post some pictures
of your plane or of you flying it.
3. Forums and bulletin boards.
You could add a forum or bulletin board to your website where
your visitors can interact with each other. There are a lot of
free services available out there that you can use to either
remotely host a forum for you, or even software you can install
on your website's server. To find some of these, just head over
to your favorite search engine and you will definitely find
plenty to choose from.
And while you are visiting the search engine, why not run a
search for any bulletin boards and forums that are already out
there for your chosen topic? You could visit those and interact
with the visitors there and since many allow you to post a
signature or a profile, you could add a little line about your
own site with a link (just check the rules of the forum first so
you don't violate any of them).
4. Start a blog.
Blogs are very popular and search engines love them because they
provide constantly new and fresh content. Your blog would be a
great place to talk about what you are up to that day.
So if you spent some time today buying new parts for your plane
you could write about where you found them, how much they cost
you, why you chose those parts, anything really goes.
The really great part about this is that you can point links from
your blog back to your website, so when the search engine stops
by to grab and index your latest content, it will also stop by
your website and you will start seeing very targeted traffic
heading your way.
5. Write articles.
Writing articles isn't hard and can be a great source of fresh,
new traffic to your website. There are a lot of ezines on any
topic out there and there are also a lot of directories where you
can share your article.
Basically, what you do is write an article and then add a small
resource box that links back to your website (just like a
signature) and then let other ezine publishers know that you are
allowing them to print your article in their ezine. And many
publishers go to the article directories to find new content for
their newsletter and even their websites. And since there are
websites and ezine newsletters on any imaginable topic out there,
you can't lose. Write an article every couple of days and post it
in the directories (even one a week or every two weeks will start
getting you traffic). Very soon you will find new traffic coming
from search engines, newsletters and websites.
Best of all, these 5 simple tips will bring targeted traffic,
meaning the visitors are coming to you because they are
interested in what you wrote.
So there you have it. Wheather you have a simple and basic Work
at Home Business or a significant Internet Marketing enterprise
you can benefit from these 5 easy and simple ways to advertise and
drive traffic to your website at absolutely no cost.
About The Author:
--------------------------------------------------------------
Through partnership with Stone Evans, we will personally build
a Money Making Website Just For You that is 100% Ready To Take
Orders And Pull In Massive Residual Profits Today!
Get All The Exciting Details And Signup Now At:
Here's how: http://www.PlugInProfitSite.com/main-9930
--------------------------------------------------------------
NOTE: You have full permission to reprint this
article within your website or newsletter as long
as you leave the article fully intact and include
the "About The Author" resource box. Thanks! :-)
Copyright © Stephen Wright
President/CEO - Internet Marketing USA
http://www.InternetMarketingUSA.com
Some people say that advertising is everything!
Regardless if you have a product, a service, a hobby website or
just want to share pictures of your wedding, you have to
advertise somehow to get the traffic to your site or blog.
But not all traffic is equal. There are services that can help
you drive tons and tons of traffic to your site and it won't do
you any good at all because it's not targeted traffic.
Take for example all of the many different 'surf for traffic' or
'traffic clicking' programs that are out there. If you have a
website that is about your hobby, say model airplanes, then what
good is this traffic really going to do you? Who's using these
services?
Webmasters and marketers that want traffic on their own site.
So they most likely won't spend any more time on your page than
is required by the little timer these services use and then they
are gone again. Even if your site is about these traffic services
(this is about the only time you will see very much benefit from
using such a tool) you will still have to spend a ton of time
just surfing and clicking around to get a real benefit from these
programs. Once marketers realized this they switched gears. They
started promoting all the different programs to a lot of other
marketers to get them in their downlines, so they could get some
traffic as a bonus. This became their new focus. The problem is
that everyone else did exactly the same thing, so not a lot of
people were surfing the internet anymore.
Bottom-line is this. You need targeted traffic. So here are some
tips on how you can generate exactly the traffic you need and
bring the visitors you want to your website without having to
chase after them.
1. Content
What is your website about? Do you just have a page with a lot of
links and not much else?
If this is the case, think about adding some content to your
website that will be of value to any potential visitors. You
could write articles or find articles at one of the many
directories that you can reprint on your site.
2. Talk about your experiences in your subject matter.
You don't have to put up some kind of resume (although that can
work too), but rather try writing about what you are doing, as it
relates to your topic of choice. Let's look at the model
airplanes again briefly, you could talk or write about the latest
plane type you built, how the last time flying your plane went,
what challenges you run into or perhaps even post some pictures
of your plane or of you flying it.
3. Forums and bulletin boards.
You could add a forum or bulletin board to your website where
your visitors can interact with each other. There are a lot of
free services available out there that you can use to either
remotely host a forum for you, or even software you can install
on your website's server. To find some of these, just head over
to your favorite search engine and you will definitely find
plenty to choose from.
And while you are visiting the search engine, why not run a
search for any bulletin boards and forums that are already out
there for your chosen topic? You could visit those and interact
with the visitors there and since many allow you to post a
signature or a profile, you could add a little line about your
own site with a link (just check the rules of the forum first so
you don't violate any of them).
4. Start a blog.
Blogs are very popular and search engines love them because they
provide constantly new and fresh content. Your blog would be a
great place to talk about what you are up to that day.
So if you spent some time today buying new parts for your plane
you could write about where you found them, how much they cost
you, why you chose those parts, anything really goes.
The really great part about this is that you can point links from
your blog back to your website, so when the search engine stops
by to grab and index your latest content, it will also stop by
your website and you will start seeing very targeted traffic
heading your way.
5. Write articles.
Writing articles isn't hard and can be a great source of fresh,
new traffic to your website. There are a lot of ezines on any
topic out there and there are also a lot of directories where you
can share your article.
Basically, what you do is write an article and then add a small
resource box that links back to your website (just like a
signature) and then let other ezine publishers know that you are
allowing them to print your article in their ezine. And many
publishers go to the article directories to find new content for
their newsletter and even their websites. And since there are
websites and ezine newsletters on any imaginable topic out there,
you can't lose. Write an article every couple of days and post it
in the directories (even one a week or every two weeks will start
getting you traffic). Very soon you will find new traffic coming
from search engines, newsletters and websites.
Best of all, these 5 simple tips will bring targeted traffic,
meaning the visitors are coming to you because they are
interested in what you wrote.
So there you have it. Wheather you have a simple and basic Work
at Home Business or a significant Internet Marketing enterprise
you can benefit from these 5 easy and simple ways to advertise and
drive traffic to your website at absolutely no cost.
About The Author:
--------------------------------------------------------------
Through partnership with Stone Evans, we will personally build
a Money Making Website Just For You that is 100% Ready To Take
Orders And Pull In Massive Residual Profits Today!
Get All The Exciting Details And Signup Now At:
Here's how: http://www.PlugInProfitSite.com/main-9930
--------------------------------------------------------------
NOTE: You have full permission to reprint this
article within your website or newsletter as long
as you leave the article fully intact and include
the "About The Author" resource box. Thanks! :-)
Saturday, October 01, 2005
Your Home Business: Turning Pennies into Dollars
Your Home Business: Turning Pennies into Dollars
Copyright © Stone Evans, The Home Biz Guy
http://www.PlugInProfitSite.com/main-9930
Henry Ford taught us that to simplify the
manufacture of automobiles, that the best way to
do so was to install the assembly line. That one
change revolutionized the auto manufacturing
industry permitting the industry to build cars at
a cost whereas the average person could afford to
buy one.
The lesson we should take from this is that
having the ability to improve the process of
getting the job quicker and cheaper, without
compromising the quality of the job being done,
will help catapult the person who simplified the
process to the top of his/her field.
Pennies saved in your home business can turn into
dollars at the end of the day, and dollars can
quickly multiply into hundreds or thousands of
dollars over time.
Doubt me if you will, but let me ask you a
question. Do you think a saving of two fifths of
a penny could make any real difference in the
profit margin of a home business? Of course
the right answer is "it depends on how many
transactions are done in a year, utilizing the
savings of the two fifths of one penny."
You only have to think back a couple of decades
to really appreciate this question. Do you
remember the nut that lived and died in a Las
Vegas hotel room? You know the one who was a
billionaire, and was so worried about germs that
he died of starvation? If you guessed Howard
Hughes (1905-76), pat yourself on the back.
Now Howard did not make all of his money on his
two fifths of one penny. He did however make a
ton of money from his two fifths of one penny. It
seems Howard owned a can manufacturing company.
And one day, Howard's team figured out how they
could make one minor change in the design of
their food can to reduce the amount of tin
necessary to make a single can.
As the story goes --- if my memory serves me
correctly --- the reduction in tin usage equaled
a saving of two fifths of one penny per can.
Howard --- being the really smart businessman
that he was --- decided that he would not be so
greedy as to keep all of the savings for himself.
What Mr. Hughes did do was to keep half of the
savings for himself, and give the other half
to his customers. The incredible thing about Mr.
Hughes decision is that by saving his customers
an extra one fifths of one cent per can, he
managed to take more market share away from his
competition --- netting his company an additional
and substantial portion of the total market share
in the canning industry.
Let us return our thoughts to your home business.
Have you ever gotten the feeling of excitement
--- when you read something or thought of
something --- that you could not wait to
implement this new idea? This could be one of
those moments...
In every home business, there are certain
processes that we do over and again. Sometimes it
may be possible to trim the time or expense of a
process which in turn will add pennies or dollars
to your bottom line. If it is a process that you
do hundreds or thousands of times per month, then
your savings will multiply into hundreds or
thousands of dollars in monthly savings.
Imagine what running a home business was like
BEFORE the computer...
Before the personal computer, we had to hand type
all letters and invoices. Now, we can setup a
letter or invoice that we send out quite often,
and we can save it in our word processor so
that when we need to use it again, we can print
it quickly and efficiently. There is no longer a
need to type the document again from scratch.
The computer has simplified our business
communications and has provided us the
opportunity to reduce our costs of doing business.
Think about all of the other processes that the
computer has enabled us to do for far less
expense than what we could in the past.
In this case, the computer is a tool that permits
us to save time and money.
So, my challenge to you is to begin examining the
processes in your own home business and look for
ways in which you can save yourself time and
money. It is far better for you to contemplate
on this matter than it is for me to do so for
you. Simply put, you know your business better
than anyone on the planet does. Therefore, you
are in a better position than anyone to find
those extra dollars that will decrease your costs
and increase your profits.
The extra pennies and dollars you could extract
from your business could spell the difference
between success and failure for your home
business enterprise.
About The Author:
--------------------------------------------------
Stone Evans Will Personally Build A Money Making
Website Just For You That's 100% Ready To Take
Orders And Pull In Massive Residual Profits Today!
Get All The Exciting Details And Signup Now At:
http://www.PlugInProfitSite.com/main-9930
--------------------------------------------------
NOTE: You have full permission to reprint this
article within your website or newsletter as long
as you leave the article fully intact and include
the "About The Author" resource box. Thanks! :-)
Copyright © Stone Evans, The Home Biz Guy
http://www.PlugInProfitSite.com/main-9930
Henry Ford taught us that to simplify the
manufacture of automobiles, that the best way to
do so was to install the assembly line. That one
change revolutionized the auto manufacturing
industry permitting the industry to build cars at
a cost whereas the average person could afford to
buy one.
The lesson we should take from this is that
having the ability to improve the process of
getting the job quicker and cheaper, without
compromising the quality of the job being done,
will help catapult the person who simplified the
process to the top of his/her field.
Pennies saved in your home business can turn into
dollars at the end of the day, and dollars can
quickly multiply into hundreds or thousands of
dollars over time.
Doubt me if you will, but let me ask you a
question. Do you think a saving of two fifths of
a penny could make any real difference in the
profit margin of a home business? Of course
the right answer is "it depends on how many
transactions are done in a year, utilizing the
savings of the two fifths of one penny."
You only have to think back a couple of decades
to really appreciate this question. Do you
remember the nut that lived and died in a Las
Vegas hotel room? You know the one who was a
billionaire, and was so worried about germs that
he died of starvation? If you guessed Howard
Hughes (1905-76), pat yourself on the back.
Now Howard did not make all of his money on his
two fifths of one penny. He did however make a
ton of money from his two fifths of one penny. It
seems Howard owned a can manufacturing company.
And one day, Howard's team figured out how they
could make one minor change in the design of
their food can to reduce the amount of tin
necessary to make a single can.
As the story goes --- if my memory serves me
correctly --- the reduction in tin usage equaled
a saving of two fifths of one penny per can.
Howard --- being the really smart businessman
that he was --- decided that he would not be so
greedy as to keep all of the savings for himself.
What Mr. Hughes did do was to keep half of the
savings for himself, and give the other half
to his customers. The incredible thing about Mr.
Hughes decision is that by saving his customers
an extra one fifths of one cent per can, he
managed to take more market share away from his
competition --- netting his company an additional
and substantial portion of the total market share
in the canning industry.
Let us return our thoughts to your home business.
Have you ever gotten the feeling of excitement
--- when you read something or thought of
something --- that you could not wait to
implement this new idea? This could be one of
those moments...
In every home business, there are certain
processes that we do over and again. Sometimes it
may be possible to trim the time or expense of a
process which in turn will add pennies or dollars
to your bottom line. If it is a process that you
do hundreds or thousands of times per month, then
your savings will multiply into hundreds or
thousands of dollars in monthly savings.
Imagine what running a home business was like
BEFORE the computer...
Before the personal computer, we had to hand type
all letters and invoices. Now, we can setup a
letter or invoice that we send out quite often,
and we can save it in our word processor so
that when we need to use it again, we can print
it quickly and efficiently. There is no longer a
need to type the document again from scratch.
The computer has simplified our business
communications and has provided us the
opportunity to reduce our costs of doing business.
Think about all of the other processes that the
computer has enabled us to do for far less
expense than what we could in the past.
In this case, the computer is a tool that permits
us to save time and money.
So, my challenge to you is to begin examining the
processes in your own home business and look for
ways in which you can save yourself time and
money. It is far better for you to contemplate
on this matter than it is for me to do so for
you. Simply put, you know your business better
than anyone on the planet does. Therefore, you
are in a better position than anyone to find
those extra dollars that will decrease your costs
and increase your profits.
The extra pennies and dollars you could extract
from your business could spell the difference
between success and failure for your home
business enterprise.
About The Author:
--------------------------------------------------
Stone Evans Will Personally Build A Money Making
Website Just For You That's 100% Ready To Take
Orders And Pull In Massive Residual Profits Today!
Get All The Exciting Details And Signup Now At:
http://www.PlugInProfitSite.com/main-9930
--------------------------------------------------
NOTE: You have full permission to reprint this
article within your website or newsletter as long
as you leave the article fully intact and include
the "About The Author" resource box. Thanks! :-)
Understanding the Different Methods of Online Promotion
Understanding the Different Methods of Online Promotion
Copyright © Stone Evans, The Home Biz Guy
http://www.PlugInProfitSite.com/main-9930
Did you realize there are only three types of
online promotion?... This statement may seem odd
and even untrue in your mind, but I am speaking
in more general terms than you might be thinking.
Let me explain.
The three types of promotion are Junk, Active and
Passive promotions.
JUNK PROMOTIONS ARE MONEY PITS
Junk promotions are those that seem to produce
results, but by their very nature are really only
illusionary promotions.
For example, let me begin with FFA (Free For All)
pages. You might find yourself subscribing to a
submission program that tricks you into believing
you are submitting your links to tens of
thousands search engines.
Yes, you can submit your URL to a FFA page, but
FFA’s usually only permit 100 or 1000 links on
their page at any one time. So, if ten thousand
people are submitting a link to an FFA page on a
daily basis, then the average life of your link
is between seven minutes and 144 minutes. I
suspect the actual number of submitters is much
higher and the results are much worse. Given
that few people surf FFA pages, the chances of
your submission being of any real value is
practically nothing!
Most of the people telling you that you can
submit your site to tens of thousands of search
engines are truly only submitting your site to
FFA pages! Beware of the false promises.
Another junk promotion method is Safe Lists. A
safe list is a mailing group that is signed up to
be received by people who want to submit their
own ads. Now, most safe lists have thousands of
subscribers who are able to submit their ads daily
or weekly. The person signed up to receive the
list will receive anywhere from twenty to 140+
messages a day from the list. These messages will
be received by people only interested in promoting
their own thing who do not have the right
motivation to open, let alone read Your
Advertising. As a result, thousands of messages
go out daily or weekly that will never be seen by
anyone but the sender of the ad. Where is the
value in that? There is none.
ACTIVE PROMOTIONS
Active promotions are the type that require you
to go out on a daily basis or a weekly basis and
put out your advertisements. With active
promotions, you will either place your advertising
or you will not sell your products or services.
Your choice is simple --- work or starve.
Examples of active promotions include Pay Per
Click Search Engines (PPCSE’s), Direct Email,
Ezine Advertising, Solo Ezine Ads, Newsletter
Publishing, Ezine Ad Swaps, Classified Ads,
Auctions, Site Sponsorship and Banner Ads.
Some people are able to utilize these methods
very productively, while others are destined to
drop their money into the bottomless pit of
failed Internet promotions.
PASSIVE PROMOTIONS
Passive promotions are those promotions that can
continue to provide results for you long after
you have invested the work to make them available
to the Internet community.
Examples of passive promotions include: Link
Exchanges, Articles, Ebooks, Content Exchanges
and Writing Testimonials for others.
Let’s look at articles as a solid example of my
point.
You are reading an article that I have written to
promote my own business. This article is timeless
and therefore could have been written five years
ago and still have been as valuable as it is
today.
Due to the fact that the article is timeless, it
can and will be placed in newsletters/ezines and
their accompanying online archives, on websites
and in ebooks for many more years to come.
As a result, this article will continue to serve
me well beyond the time in which I wrote it and
submitted it to publishers and webmasters for
public consumption and publication.
This is the best example I can give you of an
excellent passive promotional method.
AVOID THE MONEY PITS
Many try and even fewer succeed to conquer the
Internet and to produce their dreams of online
wealth.
My hope is that you will be one of the people who
conquer the challenges before you and to make a
nice living while working online. It will take
drive, determination, study plus trial and error,
but you can make it work for you.
Please continue to educate yourself so that you
can avoid the money pits - instead, strive to
find the money barrels. It can be done. I am
living proof.
About The Author:
--------------------------------------------------
Stone Evans Will Personally Build A Money Making
Website Just For You That's 100% Ready To Take
Orders And Pull In Massive Residual Profits Today!
Get All The Exciting Details And Signup Now At:
http://www.PlugInProfitSite.com/main-9930
--------------------------------------------------
NOTE: You have full permission to reprint this
article within your website or newsletter as long
as you leave the article fully intact and include
the "About The Author" resource box. Thanks! :-)
Copyright © Stone Evans, The Home Biz Guy
http://www.PlugInProfitSite.com/main-9930
Did you realize there are only three types of
online promotion?... This statement may seem odd
and even untrue in your mind, but I am speaking
in more general terms than you might be thinking.
Let me explain.
The three types of promotion are Junk, Active and
Passive promotions.
JUNK PROMOTIONS ARE MONEY PITS
Junk promotions are those that seem to produce
results, but by their very nature are really only
illusionary promotions.
For example, let me begin with FFA (Free For All)
pages. You might find yourself subscribing to a
submission program that tricks you into believing
you are submitting your links to tens of
thousands search engines.
Yes, you can submit your URL to a FFA page, but
FFA’s usually only permit 100 or 1000 links on
their page at any one time. So, if ten thousand
people are submitting a link to an FFA page on a
daily basis, then the average life of your link
is between seven minutes and 144 minutes. I
suspect the actual number of submitters is much
higher and the results are much worse. Given
that few people surf FFA pages, the chances of
your submission being of any real value is
practically nothing!
Most of the people telling you that you can
submit your site to tens of thousands of search
engines are truly only submitting your site to
FFA pages! Beware of the false promises.
Another junk promotion method is Safe Lists. A
safe list is a mailing group that is signed up to
be received by people who want to submit their
own ads. Now, most safe lists have thousands of
subscribers who are able to submit their ads daily
or weekly. The person signed up to receive the
list will receive anywhere from twenty to 140+
messages a day from the list. These messages will
be received by people only interested in promoting
their own thing who do not have the right
motivation to open, let alone read Your
Advertising. As a result, thousands of messages
go out daily or weekly that will never be seen by
anyone but the sender of the ad. Where is the
value in that? There is none.
ACTIVE PROMOTIONS
Active promotions are the type that require you
to go out on a daily basis or a weekly basis and
put out your advertisements. With active
promotions, you will either place your advertising
or you will not sell your products or services.
Your choice is simple --- work or starve.
Examples of active promotions include Pay Per
Click Search Engines (PPCSE’s), Direct Email,
Ezine Advertising, Solo Ezine Ads, Newsletter
Publishing, Ezine Ad Swaps, Classified Ads,
Auctions, Site Sponsorship and Banner Ads.
Some people are able to utilize these methods
very productively, while others are destined to
drop their money into the bottomless pit of
failed Internet promotions.
PASSIVE PROMOTIONS
Passive promotions are those promotions that can
continue to provide results for you long after
you have invested the work to make them available
to the Internet community.
Examples of passive promotions include: Link
Exchanges, Articles, Ebooks, Content Exchanges
and Writing Testimonials for others.
Let’s look at articles as a solid example of my
point.
You are reading an article that I have written to
promote my own business. This article is timeless
and therefore could have been written five years
ago and still have been as valuable as it is
today.
Due to the fact that the article is timeless, it
can and will be placed in newsletters/ezines and
their accompanying online archives, on websites
and in ebooks for many more years to come.
As a result, this article will continue to serve
me well beyond the time in which I wrote it and
submitted it to publishers and webmasters for
public consumption and publication.
This is the best example I can give you of an
excellent passive promotional method.
AVOID THE MONEY PITS
Many try and even fewer succeed to conquer the
Internet and to produce their dreams of online
wealth.
My hope is that you will be one of the people who
conquer the challenges before you and to make a
nice living while working online. It will take
drive, determination, study plus trial and error,
but you can make it work for you.
Please continue to educate yourself so that you
can avoid the money pits - instead, strive to
find the money barrels. It can be done. I am
living proof.
About The Author:
--------------------------------------------------
Stone Evans Will Personally Build A Money Making
Website Just For You That's 100% Ready To Take
Orders And Pull In Massive Residual Profits Today!
Get All The Exciting Details And Signup Now At:
http://www.PlugInProfitSite.com/main-9930
--------------------------------------------------
NOTE: You have full permission to reprint this
article within your website or newsletter as long
as you leave the article fully intact and include
the "About The Author" resource box. Thanks! :-)
Understanding the Different Methods of Offline Promotion
Understanding the Different Methods of Offline Promotion
Copyright © Stone Evans, The Home Biz Guy
http://www.PlugInProfitSite.com/main-9930
No business can survive the long run without some
form of consistent advertising. As a result, most
business owners will eventually consider using
advertising to promote their business.
The toughest part of the advertising equation is
in determining where and how to spend your
advertising dollars. If you do it wrong, you
could plunk down your entire advertising budget
and receive absolutely no return on your
investment. But, if you do it right, your
advertising could continue to bring a nice return
for years to come.
HOW DO I MAKE THE RIGHT ADVERTISING DECISIONS
In order to make good decisions concerning how to
spend your advertising budget, you must first
have a good understanding of the different types
of advertising and promotion available and what
can be expected to be achieved by each.
· You must understand which markets the different
media's can reach.
· You must understand the demographics of the
media's consumers.
· You must understand the buying habits of the
consumers reached through the media.
WHAT OFFLINE ADVERTISING & PROMOTION MEDIA'S
SHOULD BE CONSIDERED
The media's that people think of most often are
television, radio, newspaper and magazine
advertising. Of course, these are the big boys
that big businesses use regularly.
Other methods of promotion include trade shows,
press releases, direct sales, telemarketing, word
of mouth, branding and billboard advertising.
CONSIDERING THE BIG MEDIA OUTLETS
The big boys of advertising media's generally
cost big bucks. Given certain circumstances, the
big media's can be bought for very little money.
Take for example, television, radio and
newspapers cost big bucks during their prime
times, but can be bought for pennies on the
dollar during non-primetime hours.
Television primetime is between 7pm and 10pm.
Radio primetime is between 7am and 6pm. With
newspapers, the primetime is Wednesdays and
Sundays.
If you intend to hit a media during prime time,
get ready to drop some bucks. Primetime means
that you will be able to hit more consumers
during these times. So, in most cases, a
primetime buy will enable you to reach more
people with your advertising.
Non-primetime hours can still deliver a lot of
eyes and ears to your message, and sometimes,
these off-hours can be bought for a bargain
basement price.
GETTING MILEAGE FROM EVENTS
Trade shows and press releases are more
event-driven. The trade show is the event, while
the press release generally exploits an event.
Trade shows are an exceptional tool when you deal
directly with potential sellers of your products
or services. Other shows are directed at the
consumer, and those can be very valuable avenues
for sales as well.
The press release is aimed towards gaining
attention for a business by distributing
newsworthy information about the business.
Sometimes the appearance of a business at a trade
show or other show can provide the necessary
angle for a press release. But most often, a
successful press release will actually require
more noteworthy information than the appearance
of a business at a show.
Yet, even the most mundane of information could
be spiced up to give the real air of importance
necessary to get your press release read and
printed.
The great thing about a press release is that
might permit you to get relatively inexpensive
promotion on television, radio, newspapers and
magazines; for far less than what it would cost
you to buy advertising in those same outlets.
UTILIZING A SALES TEAM
Depending on what type of business you run and
the consumers you are trying to reach, you might
find direct sales and telemarketing to be very
lucrative ways to drive sales to your business.
Both are very similar in nature. Direct sales can
be very expensive, as it requires a great
investment of time to accomodate. Telemarketing
seeks to minimize the time expenditure, but it
often leads to a smaller degree of respect and
attention.
Depending on your product or service --- and
always depending upon the people you employ to
the task --- each method will be more suited to
each business on an individual basis.
BRANDING YOUR BUSINESS
I grouped branding and billboard advertising
together in my original list for a reason. I did
this because billboard advertising serves most
businesses best by helping to support the process
of branding.
Branding is the process of establishing your
business as the supplier of a certain product or
service, or in emphasizing a certain USP (Unique
Selling Proposition) as it pertains to your
business.
If branding and USP seems to be a confusing
concept, think about Wal-Mart and their tag line:
"Always Low Prices, Always."
Think about Ford Motors, "Quality is Job One."
Think about the Visa Card, "It's Everywhere You
Want To Be."
You see, these top corporations have managed to
make their USP part of their branding.
Even if you are only competing in a local
marketplace, your USP can and should fit snugly
into your branding strategy.
NO MATTER THE MEDIA OR METHOD
Whichever method or media you should choose to
employ in your advertising and promotion, you
should become knowledgable about your market, and
the consumers reached by each media. It is
important to understand which consumers can be
reached by a certain media, and in what
quantities.
However you choose to spend your advertising
dollars, you should always track the results of
your promotional efforts. Failing to track
successes and failures will ultimately lead to
the failure of a business.
When you know whom you are trying to reach and
how you think you might be able to reach them,
you will begin to learn how to use advertising
and promotion to make your business successful.
That is a good thing --- after all, that is why
you got into the business in the first place,
isn't it?
About The Author:
--------------------------------------------------
Stone Evans Will Personally Build A Money Making
Website Just For You That's 100% Ready To Take
Orders And Pull In Massive Residual Profits Today!
Get All The Exciting Details And Signup Now At:
http://www.PlugInProfitSite.com/main-9930
--------------------------------------------------
NOTE: You have full permission to reprint this
article within your website or newsletter as long
as you leave the article fully intact and include
the "About The Author" resource box. Thanks! :-)
Copyright © Stone Evans, The Home Biz Guy
http://www.PlugInProfitSite.com/main-9930
No business can survive the long run without some
form of consistent advertising. As a result, most
business owners will eventually consider using
advertising to promote their business.
The toughest part of the advertising equation is
in determining where and how to spend your
advertising dollars. If you do it wrong, you
could plunk down your entire advertising budget
and receive absolutely no return on your
investment. But, if you do it right, your
advertising could continue to bring a nice return
for years to come.
HOW DO I MAKE THE RIGHT ADVERTISING DECISIONS
In order to make good decisions concerning how to
spend your advertising budget, you must first
have a good understanding of the different types
of advertising and promotion available and what
can be expected to be achieved by each.
· You must understand which markets the different
media's can reach.
· You must understand the demographics of the
media's consumers.
· You must understand the buying habits of the
consumers reached through the media.
WHAT OFFLINE ADVERTISING & PROMOTION MEDIA'S
SHOULD BE CONSIDERED
The media's that people think of most often are
television, radio, newspaper and magazine
advertising. Of course, these are the big boys
that big businesses use regularly.
Other methods of promotion include trade shows,
press releases, direct sales, telemarketing, word
of mouth, branding and billboard advertising.
CONSIDERING THE BIG MEDIA OUTLETS
The big boys of advertising media's generally
cost big bucks. Given certain circumstances, the
big media's can be bought for very little money.
Take for example, television, radio and
newspapers cost big bucks during their prime
times, but can be bought for pennies on the
dollar during non-primetime hours.
Television primetime is between 7pm and 10pm.
Radio primetime is between 7am and 6pm. With
newspapers, the primetime is Wednesdays and
Sundays.
If you intend to hit a media during prime time,
get ready to drop some bucks. Primetime means
that you will be able to hit more consumers
during these times. So, in most cases, a
primetime buy will enable you to reach more
people with your advertising.
Non-primetime hours can still deliver a lot of
eyes and ears to your message, and sometimes,
these off-hours can be bought for a bargain
basement price.
GETTING MILEAGE FROM EVENTS
Trade shows and press releases are more
event-driven. The trade show is the event, while
the press release generally exploits an event.
Trade shows are an exceptional tool when you deal
directly with potential sellers of your products
or services. Other shows are directed at the
consumer, and those can be very valuable avenues
for sales as well.
The press release is aimed towards gaining
attention for a business by distributing
newsworthy information about the business.
Sometimes the appearance of a business at a trade
show or other show can provide the necessary
angle for a press release. But most often, a
successful press release will actually require
more noteworthy information than the appearance
of a business at a show.
Yet, even the most mundane of information could
be spiced up to give the real air of importance
necessary to get your press release read and
printed.
The great thing about a press release is that
might permit you to get relatively inexpensive
promotion on television, radio, newspapers and
magazines; for far less than what it would cost
you to buy advertising in those same outlets.
UTILIZING A SALES TEAM
Depending on what type of business you run and
the consumers you are trying to reach, you might
find direct sales and telemarketing to be very
lucrative ways to drive sales to your business.
Both are very similar in nature. Direct sales can
be very expensive, as it requires a great
investment of time to accomodate. Telemarketing
seeks to minimize the time expenditure, but it
often leads to a smaller degree of respect and
attention.
Depending on your product or service --- and
always depending upon the people you employ to
the task --- each method will be more suited to
each business on an individual basis.
BRANDING YOUR BUSINESS
I grouped branding and billboard advertising
together in my original list for a reason. I did
this because billboard advertising serves most
businesses best by helping to support the process
of branding.
Branding is the process of establishing your
business as the supplier of a certain product or
service, or in emphasizing a certain USP (Unique
Selling Proposition) as it pertains to your
business.
If branding and USP seems to be a confusing
concept, think about Wal-Mart and their tag line:
"Always Low Prices, Always."
Think about Ford Motors, "Quality is Job One."
Think about the Visa Card, "It's Everywhere You
Want To Be."
You see, these top corporations have managed to
make their USP part of their branding.
Even if you are only competing in a local
marketplace, your USP can and should fit snugly
into your branding strategy.
NO MATTER THE MEDIA OR METHOD
Whichever method or media you should choose to
employ in your advertising and promotion, you
should become knowledgable about your market, and
the consumers reached by each media. It is
important to understand which consumers can be
reached by a certain media, and in what
quantities.
However you choose to spend your advertising
dollars, you should always track the results of
your promotional efforts. Failing to track
successes and failures will ultimately lead to
the failure of a business.
When you know whom you are trying to reach and
how you think you might be able to reach them,
you will begin to learn how to use advertising
and promotion to make your business successful.
That is a good thing --- after all, that is why
you got into the business in the first place,
isn't it?
About The Author:
--------------------------------------------------
Stone Evans Will Personally Build A Money Making
Website Just For You That's 100% Ready To Take
Orders And Pull In Massive Residual Profits Today!
Get All The Exciting Details And Signup Now At:
http://www.PlugInProfitSite.com/main-9930
--------------------------------------------------
NOTE: You have full permission to reprint this
article within your website or newsletter as long
as you leave the article fully intact and include
the "About The Author" resource box. Thanks! :-)
Understanding the Difference Between Marketing and Promotion
Understanding the Difference Between Marketing and Promotion
Copyright © Stone Evans, The Home Biz Guy
http://www.PlugInProfitSite.com/main-9930
Are you an online marketer? Or do you simply
promote affiliate programs? Marketing is truly
the most misunderstood word in use today on the
Internet. Let me see if I can clarify this issue
just a bit.
In Marketing 101 at your local university,
marketing is actually the process of Product,
Place, Price and Promotion.
PRODUCT
No business can exist without a product or
service to sell.
In a nutshell, entrepreneurs are the people who
believe in a product, service or idea, so much
that they are willing to invest their lives into
the development of their dream.
Historically, every major corporation in the
world was started by an entrepreneur with a dream
and the drive to make it a reality.
However, there comes a time in the life of every
corporation when those who fear the gambling
nature of their founder, squash the
entrepreneurial drive that made the company a
viable concern in the first place. The
entrepreneur will either submit to the careful
nature of the stockholders, or he will be forced
to leave the company he created.
The only entrepreneurs who withstand the pressure
to move more carefully are those who have
maintained majority control over their companies.
PLACE
In the offline world, place is defined by
location. On the Internet, place is defined by
domain name and the web hosting service chosen.
Both online and offline, place can make or break
a company without respect to the quality and
value of the product, service or idea.
PRICE
Selecting a price is determined first on a basis
of whether the company wants to be seen as a
discount or a value company.
Take for example Wal-Mart and Staples.
Wal-Mart is the lead discounter in the
marketplace. Staples on the other hand is the
specialist in office supplies.
Both sell a significant number of office supplies
despite the fact that the lowest price can
usually be found at Wal-Mart. As a value dealer,
Staples can afford to charge more for their
products than Wal-Mart.
So the question for you is whether you want to
position your company as a discount or value
company.
Testing has shown that products and services can
be sold at any number of prices and still reach a
significant number of people.
The challenge of selecting the best price for
your product or service will require a certain
amount of testing.
UNDERSTANDING THE PRICING EQUATION
Let's assume we are selling a product. Let us
also assume that we know that the product can be
sold for $10 or $50. Let us also assume that if
the price dips below $10 or rises above $50, then
the product sales fall off significantly.
Our challenge is to determine the best rate at
which to sell our product.
Testing has shown us that we can sell 1000 items
a week at $10. Testing has also shown that we can
sell 500 items per week at $50. And testing has
shown that we can sell 650 items per week at $45.
At $10, our projected weekly earnings are
$10,000. When we sell the product at $50, we know
that we can earn $25,000 per week. Most
importantly, we know that we can earn $29,250
when our product is priced at $45.
With the imaginary testing we have done on our
imaginary product, we can easily see that selling
our product at $45 per item will earn us more
money over the long haul.
Thus, when we make the decision for a national
rollout of our product, then we will price our
product at $45.
Of course, this is a very simplistic analysis of
the point I am trying to make. Though simple, I
believe this analogy will help you understand the
methods of developing a product's prices.
PROMOTION
Promotion, on the other hand, is the process of
notifying the consumers for your product or
service of your availability to serve them.
Methods of promotion vary distinctly and should
be arranged to meet very specific goals.
As with product, place and price, promotion
should not be left to chance. You should test
every ad, every media, and every price point to
determine the best bang for your promotional
dollars.
HEADS UP!
If you are an online promoter or marketer, please
factor in the most important element concerning
the cost of your promotions.
What element is that? Your time!
Value your time at a certain dollar amount, and
figure in your time into the cost of your
promotional accounting.
I say this because too many online promoters lose
sight of this concept and spend 20 hours to
generate one sale while using free advertising.
Even if you rate your time at the federal minimum
wage, then you will have invested $105 of your
time for one sale that might only net you a gross
sale of $45!
ARE YOU TRULY A MARKETER OR ARE YOU JUST A
PROMOTER?
Most people who run a business on the Internet
call themselves marketers. Yet, most of these
same people are really just promoters wrapped in
the label of a marketer.
True marketers do not promote without a lot of
advance work. They spend time planning, testing
and measuring their actions and results to get
the most out of every dollar spent and earned.
Entrepreneurs finesse the art of marketing as
they build their company into a major enterprise.
If you are a promoter who does not keep an eye on
the total marketing equation, then you are bound
to fail.
If you do call yourself a marketer, then do what
a professional marketer does. Make sure that
every dollar spent is spent well. Make sure that
every dollar earned is put to good use. Market
well so that when the people of the next
generation look at your life, they will see a
fine example of a successful entrepreneur that
they will strive to emulate.
About The Author:
--------------------------------------------------
Stone Evans Will Personally Build A Money Making
Website Just For You That's 100% Ready To Take
Orders And Pull In Massive Residual Profits Today!
Get All The Exciting Details And Signup Now At:
http://www.PlugInProfitSite.com/main-9930
--------------------------------------------------
NOTE: You have full permission to reprint this
article within your website or newsletter as long
as you leave the article fully intact and include
the "About The Author" resource box. Thanks! :-)
Copyright © Stone Evans, The Home Biz Guy
http://www.PlugInProfitSite.com/main-9930
Are you an online marketer? Or do you simply
promote affiliate programs? Marketing is truly
the most misunderstood word in use today on the
Internet. Let me see if I can clarify this issue
just a bit.
In Marketing 101 at your local university,
marketing is actually the process of Product,
Place, Price and Promotion.
PRODUCT
No business can exist without a product or
service to sell.
In a nutshell, entrepreneurs are the people who
believe in a product, service or idea, so much
that they are willing to invest their lives into
the development of their dream.
Historically, every major corporation in the
world was started by an entrepreneur with a dream
and the drive to make it a reality.
However, there comes a time in the life of every
corporation when those who fear the gambling
nature of their founder, squash the
entrepreneurial drive that made the company a
viable concern in the first place. The
entrepreneur will either submit to the careful
nature of the stockholders, or he will be forced
to leave the company he created.
The only entrepreneurs who withstand the pressure
to move more carefully are those who have
maintained majority control over their companies.
PLACE
In the offline world, place is defined by
location. On the Internet, place is defined by
domain name and the web hosting service chosen.
Both online and offline, place can make or break
a company without respect to the quality and
value of the product, service or idea.
PRICE
Selecting a price is determined first on a basis
of whether the company wants to be seen as a
discount or a value company.
Take for example Wal-Mart and Staples.
Wal-Mart is the lead discounter in the
marketplace. Staples on the other hand is the
specialist in office supplies.
Both sell a significant number of office supplies
despite the fact that the lowest price can
usually be found at Wal-Mart. As a value dealer,
Staples can afford to charge more for their
products than Wal-Mart.
So the question for you is whether you want to
position your company as a discount or value
company.
Testing has shown that products and services can
be sold at any number of prices and still reach a
significant number of people.
The challenge of selecting the best price for
your product or service will require a certain
amount of testing.
UNDERSTANDING THE PRICING EQUATION
Let's assume we are selling a product. Let us
also assume that we know that the product can be
sold for $10 or $50. Let us also assume that if
the price dips below $10 or rises above $50, then
the product sales fall off significantly.
Our challenge is to determine the best rate at
which to sell our product.
Testing has shown us that we can sell 1000 items
a week at $10. Testing has also shown that we can
sell 500 items per week at $50. And testing has
shown that we can sell 650 items per week at $45.
At $10, our projected weekly earnings are
$10,000. When we sell the product at $50, we know
that we can earn $25,000 per week. Most
importantly, we know that we can earn $29,250
when our product is priced at $45.
With the imaginary testing we have done on our
imaginary product, we can easily see that selling
our product at $45 per item will earn us more
money over the long haul.
Thus, when we make the decision for a national
rollout of our product, then we will price our
product at $45.
Of course, this is a very simplistic analysis of
the point I am trying to make. Though simple, I
believe this analogy will help you understand the
methods of developing a product's prices.
PROMOTION
Promotion, on the other hand, is the process of
notifying the consumers for your product or
service of your availability to serve them.
Methods of promotion vary distinctly and should
be arranged to meet very specific goals.
As with product, place and price, promotion
should not be left to chance. You should test
every ad, every media, and every price point to
determine the best bang for your promotional
dollars.
HEADS UP!
If you are an online promoter or marketer, please
factor in the most important element concerning
the cost of your promotions.
What element is that? Your time!
Value your time at a certain dollar amount, and
figure in your time into the cost of your
promotional accounting.
I say this because too many online promoters lose
sight of this concept and spend 20 hours to
generate one sale while using free advertising.
Even if you rate your time at the federal minimum
wage, then you will have invested $105 of your
time for one sale that might only net you a gross
sale of $45!
ARE YOU TRULY A MARKETER OR ARE YOU JUST A
PROMOTER?
Most people who run a business on the Internet
call themselves marketers. Yet, most of these
same people are really just promoters wrapped in
the label of a marketer.
True marketers do not promote without a lot of
advance work. They spend time planning, testing
and measuring their actions and results to get
the most out of every dollar spent and earned.
Entrepreneurs finesse the art of marketing as
they build their company into a major enterprise.
If you are a promoter who does not keep an eye on
the total marketing equation, then you are bound
to fail.
If you do call yourself a marketer, then do what
a professional marketer does. Make sure that
every dollar spent is spent well. Make sure that
every dollar earned is put to good use. Market
well so that when the people of the next
generation look at your life, they will see a
fine example of a successful entrepreneur that
they will strive to emulate.
About The Author:
--------------------------------------------------
Stone Evans Will Personally Build A Money Making
Website Just For You That's 100% Ready To Take
Orders And Pull In Massive Residual Profits Today!
Get All The Exciting Details And Signup Now At:
http://www.PlugInProfitSite.com/main-9930
--------------------------------------------------
NOTE: You have full permission to reprint this
article within your website or newsletter as long
as you leave the article fully intact and include
the "About The Author" resource box. Thanks! :-)
Tracking Offline Advertising Success by Measuring ROI
Tracking Offline Advertising Success by Measuring ROI
Copyright © Stone Evans, The Home Biz Guy
http://www.PlugInProfitSite.com/main-9930
The great promise of online advertising has
always been that advertisers will now be able to
effectively track the successes and failures of
their online advertising efforts. This promise
has been met.
Yet, for those of us who still employ offline
promotions and advertising methods, we must
consider the various ways in which we can
effectively track our results in the old-world
media.
TRACKING RESULTS BEFORE THE INTERNET AGE
How long has it been? Ten Years? Believe it or
not, it has been less than ten years since the
Internet went mainstream.
Companies still utilize the same methods to track
results as they did before we laid our hopes on
the Digital Superhighway.
TV advertisers ask you to call extension X. Radio
advertisers offer you additional savings if you
tell them you heard it on XYZ radio station. In
newspapers and magazines, advertisers suggest you
clip the attached coupons.
Why do you think advertisers employ these tactics?
Simple. They need to know what advertising is
bringing customers in the front door and to their
cash register.
By understanding what advertisers are bringing
them customers and dollars, they have a better
understanding of where to spend their next wave
of advertising dollars. Additionally, they can
do a side-by-side comparison of their Advertising
Return on Investment (ROI) to determine which
method brings them the most percentage of return
per dollar spent.
UNDERSTANDING HOW WE SHOULD MEASURE
The truth is that we really do need to know how
people are deciding to visit and buy from our
business establishment.
Some consider this idea silly or even a waste of
their valuable time. Far too many people, who
think of tracking in this fashion, end up
searching for a job at some point in their
future. Unless pure dumb luck is on the side of
the business owner, a business simply cannot
survive if it does not track the effectiveness of
its advertising.
Somehow, some way, a business owner or his
marketing staff must look at their advertising
and promotion budgets, and look at their
advertising mediums and find a way to know which
is doing the job for them and which is not.
DISCOVERING WHAT MOTIVATES OUR CUSTOMERS
Somehow, we must get our customers to tell us how
they found us and what ad motivated them to come
in and purchase our product or service.
Everyday, businesses motivate their customers to
tell them how they learned of them by having the
customer call a certain extension, offer them an
additional discount to tell them which
advertisement they had heard, or to offer them a
coupon to use.
Others motivate their customers to tell them how
they had learned of their business by offering a
very specific product in their advertising. They
know that if someone shows up at their business
to buy a certain product, then they will know how
the person had heard of their business.
This is why you should make your radio
advertising focus on a different promotion than
your newspaper advertising. Different mediums
should focus on different leader pieces so that
you can see which medium provides the best
results.
UNDERSTANDING WHY WE SHOULD MEASURE RESULTS
We measure advertising results so that we can
learn how to not waste our money and to learn how
to get the most bang for our advertising dollar.
Return On Investment or ROI is the key
measurement utilized to determine the value of
our advertising.
It is best to show in an example how ROI is
measured.
Cost of Newspaper Advertising: $150
Number of Items Sold As a Result: 60
Retail Price of Individual Item: $ 10
Profit on Individual Item: $ 3
Gross Income on Items Sold: $600
Gross Profit on Items Sold: $180
In this example, you have spent $150 to make
$180. Your ROI is 120%.
Cost of Radio Advertising: $ 300
Number of Items Sold As a Result: 50
Retail Price of Individual Item: $ 20
Profit on Individual Item: $ 6
Gross Income on Items Sold: $1000
Gross Profit on Items Sold: $ 300
In this example, you have spent $300 to make
$300. Your ROI is 100%.
Utilizing these two examples, you can quickly
discern why and how we are calculating ROI.
Now, some people would consider both to be good
investments of their advertising dollars. In
fact, many believe that so long as their
advertising generates enough sales to break even
as the radio example did, then they consider the
investment to have been in their future rather
than their present. So long as you do not lose
money on the transaction, then you should at least
be willing to continue with the advertising
medium that was used.
However, over time, you might find that the
newspaper advertising will continue to provide
the 120% ROI. If that is the case, then your
newspaper advertising should take more of a
center stage in your advertising efforts so that
you can develop more profits which can be used to
increase your dollar investment into your
advertising.
WELCOME TO THE WORLD OF TRACKING YOUR OFFLINE
PROMOTIONS
With this introduction, you should now have
available to you the knowledge necessary to
introduce tracking into your marketing efforts.
Those who take the time and effort to advertise
and track their results will benefit more than
you can imagine.
Truth be known, a single person with a dream
today started every big corporation in the world
many years ago. Each of these corporations grew
from a fledgling operation to a economic
powerhouse by tracking and tweaking their
Advertising ROI.
Every corporation and small business who will
remain in business through the long term will be
tracking their advertising and promotional
efforts today. It is an investment into their
future success. If you make the same kind of
investment of time and cash resources, you too
will be making an investment in your future
success.
About The Author:
--------------------------------------------------
Stone Evans Will Personally Build A Money Making
Website Just For You That's 100% Ready To Take
Orders And Pull In Massive Residual Profits Today!
Get All The Exciting Details And Signup Now At:
http://www.PlugInProfitSite.com/main-9930
--------------------------------------------------
NOTE: You have full permission to reprint this
article within your website or newsletter as long
as you leave the article fully intact and include
the "About The Author" resource box. Thanks! :-)
Copyright © Stone Evans, The Home Biz Guy
http://www.PlugInProfitSite.com/main-9930
The great promise of online advertising has
always been that advertisers will now be able to
effectively track the successes and failures of
their online advertising efforts. This promise
has been met.
Yet, for those of us who still employ offline
promotions and advertising methods, we must
consider the various ways in which we can
effectively track our results in the old-world
media.
TRACKING RESULTS BEFORE THE INTERNET AGE
How long has it been? Ten Years? Believe it or
not, it has been less than ten years since the
Internet went mainstream.
Companies still utilize the same methods to track
results as they did before we laid our hopes on
the Digital Superhighway.
TV advertisers ask you to call extension X. Radio
advertisers offer you additional savings if you
tell them you heard it on XYZ radio station. In
newspapers and magazines, advertisers suggest you
clip the attached coupons.
Why do you think advertisers employ these tactics?
Simple. They need to know what advertising is
bringing customers in the front door and to their
cash register.
By understanding what advertisers are bringing
them customers and dollars, they have a better
understanding of where to spend their next wave
of advertising dollars. Additionally, they can
do a side-by-side comparison of their Advertising
Return on Investment (ROI) to determine which
method brings them the most percentage of return
per dollar spent.
UNDERSTANDING HOW WE SHOULD MEASURE
The truth is that we really do need to know how
people are deciding to visit and buy from our
business establishment.
Some consider this idea silly or even a waste of
their valuable time. Far too many people, who
think of tracking in this fashion, end up
searching for a job at some point in their
future. Unless pure dumb luck is on the side of
the business owner, a business simply cannot
survive if it does not track the effectiveness of
its advertising.
Somehow, some way, a business owner or his
marketing staff must look at their advertising
and promotion budgets, and look at their
advertising mediums and find a way to know which
is doing the job for them and which is not.
DISCOVERING WHAT MOTIVATES OUR CUSTOMERS
Somehow, we must get our customers to tell us how
they found us and what ad motivated them to come
in and purchase our product or service.
Everyday, businesses motivate their customers to
tell them how they learned of them by having the
customer call a certain extension, offer them an
additional discount to tell them which
advertisement they had heard, or to offer them a
coupon to use.
Others motivate their customers to tell them how
they had learned of their business by offering a
very specific product in their advertising. They
know that if someone shows up at their business
to buy a certain product, then they will know how
the person had heard of their business.
This is why you should make your radio
advertising focus on a different promotion than
your newspaper advertising. Different mediums
should focus on different leader pieces so that
you can see which medium provides the best
results.
UNDERSTANDING WHY WE SHOULD MEASURE RESULTS
We measure advertising results so that we can
learn how to not waste our money and to learn how
to get the most bang for our advertising dollar.
Return On Investment or ROI is the key
measurement utilized to determine the value of
our advertising.
It is best to show in an example how ROI is
measured.
Cost of Newspaper Advertising: $150
Number of Items Sold As a Result: 60
Retail Price of Individual Item: $ 10
Profit on Individual Item: $ 3
Gross Income on Items Sold: $600
Gross Profit on Items Sold: $180
In this example, you have spent $150 to make
$180. Your ROI is 120%.
Cost of Radio Advertising: $ 300
Number of Items Sold As a Result: 50
Retail Price of Individual Item: $ 20
Profit on Individual Item: $ 6
Gross Income on Items Sold: $1000
Gross Profit on Items Sold: $ 300
In this example, you have spent $300 to make
$300. Your ROI is 100%.
Utilizing these two examples, you can quickly
discern why and how we are calculating ROI.
Now, some people would consider both to be good
investments of their advertising dollars. In
fact, many believe that so long as their
advertising generates enough sales to break even
as the radio example did, then they consider the
investment to have been in their future rather
than their present. So long as you do not lose
money on the transaction, then you should at least
be willing to continue with the advertising
medium that was used.
However, over time, you might find that the
newspaper advertising will continue to provide
the 120% ROI. If that is the case, then your
newspaper advertising should take more of a
center stage in your advertising efforts so that
you can develop more profits which can be used to
increase your dollar investment into your
advertising.
WELCOME TO THE WORLD OF TRACKING YOUR OFFLINE
PROMOTIONS
With this introduction, you should now have
available to you the knowledge necessary to
introduce tracking into your marketing efforts.
Those who take the time and effort to advertise
and track their results will benefit more than
you can imagine.
Truth be known, a single person with a dream
today started every big corporation in the world
many years ago. Each of these corporations grew
from a fledgling operation to a economic
powerhouse by tracking and tweaking their
Advertising ROI.
Every corporation and small business who will
remain in business through the long term will be
tracking their advertising and promotional
efforts today. It is an investment into their
future success. If you make the same kind of
investment of time and cash resources, you too
will be making an investment in your future
success.
About The Author:
--------------------------------------------------
Stone Evans Will Personally Build A Money Making
Website Just For You That's 100% Ready To Take
Orders And Pull In Massive Residual Profits Today!
Get All The Exciting Details And Signup Now At:
http://www.PlugInProfitSite.com/main-9930
--------------------------------------------------
NOTE: You have full permission to reprint this
article within your website or newsletter as long
as you leave the article fully intact and include
the "About The Author" resource box. Thanks! :-)
Starting Your Home Based Business on a Shoestring Budget
Starting Your Home Based Business on a Shoestring Budget
Copyright © Stone Evans, The Home Biz Guy
http://www.PlugInProfitSite.com/main-9930
Whether seeking a supplemental income or a
full-time income, many folks have undertaken the
task to discover a viable home based business
solution to meet their personal needs.
For most folks who contemplate a home business, a
low-cost or no-cost solution is not only nice,
but also very necessary. Many also seek to find a
home business that will permit them to maintain
their regular day job in order to protect their
base income.
Taking the cautious approach to a home based
business and keeping one's job during the
start-up period is often a very good decision. By
maintaining one's job, one can maintain the
health of their personal finances while
permitting their home business grow healthy and
strong.
Fortunately, most home based businesses can be
started with little or no cash, can be maintained
on a shoestring budget, and can be operated
successfully with only a part-time investment.
One day, the business will be strong enough to
support itself and its owner. When that time
comes, it will make good sense for the business
owner to leave his or her outside job to dedicate
more time to growing and maintaining their new
thriving home based business. You will know when
that time has finally arrived.
The nature of a home based business makes it easy
and very realistic for most folks to take the
plunge into home business ownership.
Yet, many folks put off starting their own home
based business, because they have the
misconception that they will have to risk
thousands of their own hard-earned dollars at
start-up. Then later, if their business fails,
they fear they may be forced to take out a second
mortgage on their house just to stay out of
bankruptcy.
Are you one of these folks? Do you let your fears
of failure keep you from reaching for your dreams?
If so, then allow me to introduce you to a few
home business ideas that you can start for less
than $100 and can be started and operated very
profitably as a part-time business.
THE LIFEBLOOD OF ALL SUCCESSFUL BUSINESSES
First of all, let me advise you to search out a
business model that will deliver steady and
repeat business. It is the one thing --- above
all others --- that will assure that your company
can survive the test of time.
HOME-BASED MAIL ORDER:
Home-based mail order is a good example of how
one can quickly grow a home business income. Mail
order is a low cost start-up business that can be
launched for around $100 USD.
With proper planning, your home-based mail order
business will not require up-front inventory
purchases. In the mail order business, it is not
uncommon to rely upon drop-shippers for product
fulfillment services.
By utilizing drop-shippers, we can sell the
products, collect the money and then purchase the
products from the wholesale outlet. The wholesale
outlet will then put a return address for your
company on the product packaging and deliver the
product directly to your customer.
Your primary expense in the mail-order business
is advertising. Classified advertising tends to
be a relatively inexpensive form of advertising
with thousands of outlets available to the small
business owner.
WHOLESALE BUSINESS:
Buy low --- sell high. You can acquire high
quality, top-of-the-line merchandise for a
fraction of the retail cost. Starting a wholesale
business would require a Wholesale Dealers
Directory as your source for merchandise. You can
find a Wholesale Deales Directory by using any
search engine to look up the term.
AUCTIONS:
Auctions can be an excellent source for buying
cheap and selling high. Both government auctions
and Internet auctions can lead to some excellent
profit opportunities. Auctions are an excellent
tool for both acquiring and selling merchandise.
MAKE AND SELL YOUR CRAFTS:
Crafts are a hot seller at country fairs, swap
meets or anyplace where people gather. Make your
own crafts and sell them for a tidy profit!
SELLING INFORMATION:
Selling information by mail is another good
example of an inexpensive home based business
start-up. One can gain the resale rights to
information for usually about $50 USD. Other
costs will include printer cartridges, paper and
postage. There are plenty of free classifieds
sites on the Internet, in which to successfully
advertise your information.
WRITE INFORMATIONAL BOOKLETS:
Write and publish your own informational
booklets; sell them at a high price! All you need
is a little know-how, a printer, paper and
stamps. This is a GREAT home business idea! You
can also sell the resale rights to others, for
extra profits. In this age of the Internet, you
may also take advantage of the fact that selling
information is one of the most profitable
endeavors one can pursue online.
OFFICE SERVICES:
Offer office services for hire in your local
paper. You'll be surprised at the amount of
regular office business that can be gleaned from
one little classified ad. Word processing, typing,
accounting, data entry, proofreading,
transcription, promotional letters and
newsletters. All these tasks can be accomplished
right from your own home office.
AVON REPRESENTATIVE:
Yes, Avon's been around for eternity, hasn't it?
Then it's not such a bad prospect as a home based
business, is it? I once knew a woman who did so
much business as an Avon rep. that she had people
calling her and knocking at her door wanting to
order products at all hours of the day and night!
Once you are an established Avon representative,
you, too, will turn a good profit.
CONCLUSION:
On your search for the ideal home based business,
try not to get caught up in any scams that will
run off with your money. There are thousands of
scam artists out there just waiting for the
next sucker to come along. Remember, if it sounds
too good to be true, then it probably is. Just
use your good judgement and invest wisely in
proven methods of earning extra income.
About The Author:
--------------------------------------------------
Stone Evans Will Personally Build A Money Making
Website Just For You That's 100% Ready To Take
Orders And Pull In Massive Residual Profits Today!
Get All The Exciting Details And Signup Now At:
http://www.PlugInProfitSite.com/main-9930
--------------------------------------------------
NOTE: You have full permission to reprint this
article within your website or newsletter as long
as you leave the article fully intact and include
the "About The Author" resource box. Thanks! :-)
Copyright © Stone Evans, The Home Biz Guy
http://www.PlugInProfitSite.com/main-9930
Whether seeking a supplemental income or a
full-time income, many folks have undertaken the
task to discover a viable home based business
solution to meet their personal needs.
For most folks who contemplate a home business, a
low-cost or no-cost solution is not only nice,
but also very necessary. Many also seek to find a
home business that will permit them to maintain
their regular day job in order to protect their
base income.
Taking the cautious approach to a home based
business and keeping one's job during the
start-up period is often a very good decision. By
maintaining one's job, one can maintain the
health of their personal finances while
permitting their home business grow healthy and
strong.
Fortunately, most home based businesses can be
started with little or no cash, can be maintained
on a shoestring budget, and can be operated
successfully with only a part-time investment.
One day, the business will be strong enough to
support itself and its owner. When that time
comes, it will make good sense for the business
owner to leave his or her outside job to dedicate
more time to growing and maintaining their new
thriving home based business. You will know when
that time has finally arrived.
The nature of a home based business makes it easy
and very realistic for most folks to take the
plunge into home business ownership.
Yet, many folks put off starting their own home
based business, because they have the
misconception that they will have to risk
thousands of their own hard-earned dollars at
start-up. Then later, if their business fails,
they fear they may be forced to take out a second
mortgage on their house just to stay out of
bankruptcy.
Are you one of these folks? Do you let your fears
of failure keep you from reaching for your dreams?
If so, then allow me to introduce you to a few
home business ideas that you can start for less
than $100 and can be started and operated very
profitably as a part-time business.
THE LIFEBLOOD OF ALL SUCCESSFUL BUSINESSES
First of all, let me advise you to search out a
business model that will deliver steady and
repeat business. It is the one thing --- above
all others --- that will assure that your company
can survive the test of time.
HOME-BASED MAIL ORDER:
Home-based mail order is a good example of how
one can quickly grow a home business income. Mail
order is a low cost start-up business that can be
launched for around $100 USD.
With proper planning, your home-based mail order
business will not require up-front inventory
purchases. In the mail order business, it is not
uncommon to rely upon drop-shippers for product
fulfillment services.
By utilizing drop-shippers, we can sell the
products, collect the money and then purchase the
products from the wholesale outlet. The wholesale
outlet will then put a return address for your
company on the product packaging and deliver the
product directly to your customer.
Your primary expense in the mail-order business
is advertising. Classified advertising tends to
be a relatively inexpensive form of advertising
with thousands of outlets available to the small
business owner.
WHOLESALE BUSINESS:
Buy low --- sell high. You can acquire high
quality, top-of-the-line merchandise for a
fraction of the retail cost. Starting a wholesale
business would require a Wholesale Dealers
Directory as your source for merchandise. You can
find a Wholesale Deales Directory by using any
search engine to look up the term.
AUCTIONS:
Auctions can be an excellent source for buying
cheap and selling high. Both government auctions
and Internet auctions can lead to some excellent
profit opportunities. Auctions are an excellent
tool for both acquiring and selling merchandise.
MAKE AND SELL YOUR CRAFTS:
Crafts are a hot seller at country fairs, swap
meets or anyplace where people gather. Make your
own crafts and sell them for a tidy profit!
SELLING INFORMATION:
Selling information by mail is another good
example of an inexpensive home based business
start-up. One can gain the resale rights to
information for usually about $50 USD. Other
costs will include printer cartridges, paper and
postage. There are plenty of free classifieds
sites on the Internet, in which to successfully
advertise your information.
WRITE INFORMATIONAL BOOKLETS:
Write and publish your own informational
booklets; sell them at a high price! All you need
is a little know-how, a printer, paper and
stamps. This is a GREAT home business idea! You
can also sell the resale rights to others, for
extra profits. In this age of the Internet, you
may also take advantage of the fact that selling
information is one of the most profitable
endeavors one can pursue online.
OFFICE SERVICES:
Offer office services for hire in your local
paper. You'll be surprised at the amount of
regular office business that can be gleaned from
one little classified ad. Word processing, typing,
accounting, data entry, proofreading,
transcription, promotional letters and
newsletters. All these tasks can be accomplished
right from your own home office.
AVON REPRESENTATIVE:
Yes, Avon's been around for eternity, hasn't it?
Then it's not such a bad prospect as a home based
business, is it? I once knew a woman who did so
much business as an Avon rep. that she had people
calling her and knocking at her door wanting to
order products at all hours of the day and night!
Once you are an established Avon representative,
you, too, will turn a good profit.
CONCLUSION:
On your search for the ideal home based business,
try not to get caught up in any scams that will
run off with your money. There are thousands of
scam artists out there just waiting for the
next sucker to come along. Remember, if it sounds
too good to be true, then it probably is. Just
use your good judgement and invest wisely in
proven methods of earning extra income.
About The Author:
--------------------------------------------------
Stone Evans Will Personally Build A Money Making
Website Just For You That's 100% Ready To Take
Orders And Pull In Massive Residual Profits Today!
Get All The Exciting Details And Signup Now At:
http://www.PlugInProfitSite.com/main-9930
--------------------------------------------------
NOTE: You have full permission to reprint this
article within your website or newsletter as long
as you leave the article fully intact and include
the "About The Author" resource box. Thanks! :-)
Promoting Your Business with Copper Wire? Think Again
Promoting Your Business with Copper Wire? Think Again!
Copyright © Stone Evans, The Home Biz Guy
http://www.PlugInProfitSite.com/main-9930
So many people launch their first or second
business with the misconception that they can
survive without advertising. It is their fear of
failure that almost single-handedly assures their
failure. They fear spending the money that they
need to get and keep their business running
during those early years of their operation.
Let’s face it, when you start in business, money
is usually pretty darn tight. So, you must figure
out how to get off the ground without throwing
your money down the drain. Every single red cent
is important enough to hang onto with a tight
fist.
NOW IS NOT THE TIME TO REINVENT COPPER WIRE
I am reminded of an old joke a friend used to
tell about himself.
My friend had always told me that both he and his
brother were the inventers of copper wire. He
insisted that the two of them were fighting over
a penny one day and managed to stretch it out
into the first strand of copper wire known to
mankind.
Indeed, now is not the time to try to reinvent
copper wire.
ADVERTISING IS A NECESSARY COMPONENT OF A
SUCCESSFUL BUSINESS
The point of advertising is to notify your
customers of the existence of your business. It
is necessary to tell people that you are in
business and to tell them what products and
services you are offering.
Unless people know that you are offering a
certain product or service at a certain price, no
one will knock upon your door to buy your wares.
If you fail to attract customers and dollars,
your business will die. Therefore, advertising is
a must for the success of your business. Sure,
word of mouth can take you places, but it can
only take you so far. Advertising is designed to
pick up where word of mouth leaves off.
ATTRITION IS A DEFINITE FACTOR TO CONSIDER
Attrition is a factor in all businesses. A
business is able to pick up so many customers and
dollars on every advertising or promotion
venture. Yet, a certain portion of your old and
new customers and dollars will drop off over time.
You simply cannot rest on your laurels. You must
continue to generate new business and new dollars
or your business will die.
EZINE PUBLISHING DELIVERS A GOOD EXAMPLE OF
COMMERCIAL ATTRITION
If you have ever published an online ezine, then
you will have seen attrition first hand.
You can spend all week advertising your ezine and
note that your efforts have generated for example
500 new subscribers. Yet, by the end of the week,
your subscriber base has only climbed by 250
subscribers. What went wrong?
Well, this is how it works. Keep in mind this is
only an example to make my point, but if you have
ever published an ezine, then you will know I am
right on the money with this observation.
In one week:
· 500 people sign up for the first time.
· 40 of those people unsubscribe after the very
first issue because they do not like the content.
· 30 people quit after the first issue because
their only purpose in subscribing in the first
place was to get the freebie you had offered to
new subscribers.
· 30 of those people unsubscribe because they do
not remember subscribing to the ezine in the
first place.
· 80 email addresses bounce due to ISP email
filters.
· 20 people bounce because they did not pay their
Internet bill.
· 35 people have simply changed their email
addresses without submitting a change of address
to you.
· 15 people have quit the Internet altogether.
In the final analysis, 100 of your new
subscribers, or 20% of your newcomers are gone
after one week. Another 150 subscribers were
long-time subscribers who are gone for other
reasons.
If you make the mistake of stopping your
advertising, your ezine list will eventually wind
down to one subscriber --- you. In our example,
150 long-time subscribers disappear every week,
and there is nothing you can do to stop it. You
must absolutely keep a fresh flow of new
subscribers coming into the ezine in order
to stay ahead of the attrition curve.
STAYING AHEAD OF THE ATTRITION CURVE
An ezine or a business, what is the difference?
Not much. Your business will suffer the same fate
as the ezine if you do not advertise. I don’t
know how to make it any more clear than this.
Yes, you must be careful not to throw your money
away on advertising that does not generate
results. But you cannot afford to throw the baby
out with the bath water.
Carefully, pick your advertising, study your
results, and put your money back into what is
working for you.
In conclusion, you must decide. Do you want to
advertise your business, or do you want to watch
your business die? The decision is yours and
yours alone. Well, what are you going to do?
About The Author:
--------------------------------------------------
Stone Evans Will Personally Build A Money Making
Website Just For You That's 100% Ready To Take
Orders And Pull In Massive Residual Profits Today!
Get All The Exciting Details And Signup Now At:
http://www.PlugInProfitSite.com/main-9930
--------------------------------------------------
NOTE: You have full permission to reprint this
article within your website or newsletter as long
as you leave the article fully intact and include
the "About The Author" resource box. Thanks! :-)
Copyright © Stone Evans, The Home Biz Guy
http://www.PlugInProfitSite.com/main-9930
So many people launch their first or second
business with the misconception that they can
survive without advertising. It is their fear of
failure that almost single-handedly assures their
failure. They fear spending the money that they
need to get and keep their business running
during those early years of their operation.
Let’s face it, when you start in business, money
is usually pretty darn tight. So, you must figure
out how to get off the ground without throwing
your money down the drain. Every single red cent
is important enough to hang onto with a tight
fist.
NOW IS NOT THE TIME TO REINVENT COPPER WIRE
I am reminded of an old joke a friend used to
tell about himself.
My friend had always told me that both he and his
brother were the inventers of copper wire. He
insisted that the two of them were fighting over
a penny one day and managed to stretch it out
into the first strand of copper wire known to
mankind.
Indeed, now is not the time to try to reinvent
copper wire.
ADVERTISING IS A NECESSARY COMPONENT OF A
SUCCESSFUL BUSINESS
The point of advertising is to notify your
customers of the existence of your business. It
is necessary to tell people that you are in
business and to tell them what products and
services you are offering.
Unless people know that you are offering a
certain product or service at a certain price, no
one will knock upon your door to buy your wares.
If you fail to attract customers and dollars,
your business will die. Therefore, advertising is
a must for the success of your business. Sure,
word of mouth can take you places, but it can
only take you so far. Advertising is designed to
pick up where word of mouth leaves off.
ATTRITION IS A DEFINITE FACTOR TO CONSIDER
Attrition is a factor in all businesses. A
business is able to pick up so many customers and
dollars on every advertising or promotion
venture. Yet, a certain portion of your old and
new customers and dollars will drop off over time.
You simply cannot rest on your laurels. You must
continue to generate new business and new dollars
or your business will die.
EZINE PUBLISHING DELIVERS A GOOD EXAMPLE OF
COMMERCIAL ATTRITION
If you have ever published an online ezine, then
you will have seen attrition first hand.
You can spend all week advertising your ezine and
note that your efforts have generated for example
500 new subscribers. Yet, by the end of the week,
your subscriber base has only climbed by 250
subscribers. What went wrong?
Well, this is how it works. Keep in mind this is
only an example to make my point, but if you have
ever published an ezine, then you will know I am
right on the money with this observation.
In one week:
· 500 people sign up for the first time.
· 40 of those people unsubscribe after the very
first issue because they do not like the content.
· 30 people quit after the first issue because
their only purpose in subscribing in the first
place was to get the freebie you had offered to
new subscribers.
· 30 of those people unsubscribe because they do
not remember subscribing to the ezine in the
first place.
· 80 email addresses bounce due to ISP email
filters.
· 20 people bounce because they did not pay their
Internet bill.
· 35 people have simply changed their email
addresses without submitting a change of address
to you.
· 15 people have quit the Internet altogether.
In the final analysis, 100 of your new
subscribers, or 20% of your newcomers are gone
after one week. Another 150 subscribers were
long-time subscribers who are gone for other
reasons.
If you make the mistake of stopping your
advertising, your ezine list will eventually wind
down to one subscriber --- you. In our example,
150 long-time subscribers disappear every week,
and there is nothing you can do to stop it. You
must absolutely keep a fresh flow of new
subscribers coming into the ezine in order
to stay ahead of the attrition curve.
STAYING AHEAD OF THE ATTRITION CURVE
An ezine or a business, what is the difference?
Not much. Your business will suffer the same fate
as the ezine if you do not advertise. I don’t
know how to make it any more clear than this.
Yes, you must be careful not to throw your money
away on advertising that does not generate
results. But you cannot afford to throw the baby
out with the bath water.
Carefully, pick your advertising, study your
results, and put your money back into what is
working for you.
In conclusion, you must decide. Do you want to
advertise your business, or do you want to watch
your business die? The decision is yours and
yours alone. Well, what are you going to do?
About The Author:
--------------------------------------------------
Stone Evans Will Personally Build A Money Making
Website Just For You That's 100% Ready To Take
Orders And Pull In Massive Residual Profits Today!
Get All The Exciting Details And Signup Now At:
http://www.PlugInProfitSite.com/main-9930
--------------------------------------------------
NOTE: You have full permission to reprint this
article within your website or newsletter as long
as you leave the article fully intact and include
the "About The Author" resource box. Thanks! :-)
Networking Your Home Business within Circles of Influence
Networking Your Home Business within Circles of Influence
Copyright © Stone Evans, The Home Biz Guy
http://www.PlugInProfitSite.com/main-9930
When you need an auto mechanic or an air
conditioning repairman, where do you turn for
help? Sure, some people turn to the yellow
pages. But most will turn to friends and family
and ask if they know of anyone who can do the
work.
The best place for your business to be positioned
is to be the business on the tips of the tongues
of the people asked to make the referral.
THE 300 RULE
Preachers, funeral directors and people in a few
other professions have learned "the 300 rule"
through their own personal experience.
"The 300 rule" states that the average person
knows 300 people on a friendly level. Wedding
planners tend to make reservations for 300
guests. Funeral directors tend to need to make
room for 300 mourners. You get the idea.
DOODLING WITH CIRCLES OF INFLUENCE
Imagine your circle of friends, family and
acquaintances, a.k.a. your circle of influence.
Now, draw your circle of influence as a circle on
a blank piece of paper.
Next, contemplate the people in your parents'
circle of influence. Some people who know your
parents also know you. Therefore, you will share
some influence with the people your folks know.
Now draw your parents' circle of influence on your
piece of paper.
Your circle and your parents' circle will
intersect in one area, although the larger
majority of the two circles will not intersect.
If you are like most people, the two circles on
your page at this point looks very similar to the
MasterCard logo.
Now imagine drawing a page full of intersecting
circles, each circle representing the circle of
influence of the people who are within your own
circle of influence. Imagine trying to
encapsulate an accurate rendering of where your
circle and the circle of your friends will
actually intersect.
Some circles will share a large area of space,
while others will barely cover one another.
Actually, you can only imagine at this point what
your piece of paper will look like. The actual
layout of the circles imagined in this analogy is
simply too overwhelming for the mind to
comprehend.
THE BIG PICTURE
300 multiplied by 300 equals 90,000. By using the
analogy of doodles in the previous section, the
average person can actually network with up to
90,000 people! Even factoring in the overlap,
one can still probably network with 50,000 people
through their own circle of influence!
Simply amazing, isn't it?
HERE IS THE SECRET TO YOUR SUCCESS
There are 300 people on this planet whom you have
a reasonable amount of influence. Take advantage
of this fact. Make darn sure that every person
within your own circle of influence KNOWS that
you are in business for yourself, and make sure
they understand what your business offers.
When your friend is asked to make a referral,
they will recommend you.
PASSIVE VERSUS ACTIVE REFERRAL NETWORKING
When people ask your friends for a referral and
your friend mentions your business, that is
passive referral networking.
Active referral networking is when you can get
your friends go directly to their friends and say
"Hey, I have a friend who just started a
business. If you are in need of what he offers or
you know someone who will need his services,
would you please give my friend a call or make
the referral to his business?"
If you can get even a portion of the people in
your own circle of influence to actively refer
your business, then you have built the foundation
to build an advertising campaign even more
effective than the average local television
advertising campaign.
Think about that for a moment.
Most people only dream of reaching 50,000
potential customers with their television
advertising dollars. You now have the knowledge
to reach 50,000 people without spending a single
penny.
About The Author:
--------------------------------------------------
Stone Evans Will Personally Build A Money Making
Website Just For You That's 100% Ready To Take
Orders And Pull In Massive Residual Profits Today!
Get All The Exciting Details And Signup Now At:
http://www.PlugInProfitSite.com/main-9930
--------------------------------------------------
NOTE: You have full permission to reprint this
article within your website or newsletter as long
as you leave the article fully intact and include
the "About The Author" resource box. Thanks! :-)
Copyright © Stone Evans, The Home Biz Guy
http://www.PlugInProfitSite.com/main-9930
When you need an auto mechanic or an air
conditioning repairman, where do you turn for
help? Sure, some people turn to the yellow
pages. But most will turn to friends and family
and ask if they know of anyone who can do the
work.
The best place for your business to be positioned
is to be the business on the tips of the tongues
of the people asked to make the referral.
THE 300 RULE
Preachers, funeral directors and people in a few
other professions have learned "the 300 rule"
through their own personal experience.
"The 300 rule" states that the average person
knows 300 people on a friendly level. Wedding
planners tend to make reservations for 300
guests. Funeral directors tend to need to make
room for 300 mourners. You get the idea.
DOODLING WITH CIRCLES OF INFLUENCE
Imagine your circle of friends, family and
acquaintances, a.k.a. your circle of influence.
Now, draw your circle of influence as a circle on
a blank piece of paper.
Next, contemplate the people in your parents'
circle of influence. Some people who know your
parents also know you. Therefore, you will share
some influence with the people your folks know.
Now draw your parents' circle of influence on your
piece of paper.
Your circle and your parents' circle will
intersect in one area, although the larger
majority of the two circles will not intersect.
If you are like most people, the two circles on
your page at this point looks very similar to the
MasterCard logo.
Now imagine drawing a page full of intersecting
circles, each circle representing the circle of
influence of the people who are within your own
circle of influence. Imagine trying to
encapsulate an accurate rendering of where your
circle and the circle of your friends will
actually intersect.
Some circles will share a large area of space,
while others will barely cover one another.
Actually, you can only imagine at this point what
your piece of paper will look like. The actual
layout of the circles imagined in this analogy is
simply too overwhelming for the mind to
comprehend.
THE BIG PICTURE
300 multiplied by 300 equals 90,000. By using the
analogy of doodles in the previous section, the
average person can actually network with up to
90,000 people! Even factoring in the overlap,
one can still probably network with 50,000 people
through their own circle of influence!
Simply amazing, isn't it?
HERE IS THE SECRET TO YOUR SUCCESS
There are 300 people on this planet whom you have
a reasonable amount of influence. Take advantage
of this fact. Make darn sure that every person
within your own circle of influence KNOWS that
you are in business for yourself, and make sure
they understand what your business offers.
When your friend is asked to make a referral,
they will recommend you.
PASSIVE VERSUS ACTIVE REFERRAL NETWORKING
When people ask your friends for a referral and
your friend mentions your business, that is
passive referral networking.
Active referral networking is when you can get
your friends go directly to their friends and say
"Hey, I have a friend who just started a
business. If you are in need of what he offers or
you know someone who will need his services,
would you please give my friend a call or make
the referral to his business?"
If you can get even a portion of the people in
your own circle of influence to actively refer
your business, then you have built the foundation
to build an advertising campaign even more
effective than the average local television
advertising campaign.
Think about that for a moment.
Most people only dream of reaching 50,000
potential customers with their television
advertising dollars. You now have the knowledge
to reach 50,000 people without spending a single
penny.
About The Author:
--------------------------------------------------
Stone Evans Will Personally Build A Money Making
Website Just For You That's 100% Ready To Take
Orders And Pull In Massive Residual Profits Today!
Get All The Exciting Details And Signup Now At:
http://www.PlugInProfitSite.com/main-9930
--------------------------------------------------
NOTE: You have full permission to reprint this
article within your website or newsletter as long
as you leave the article fully intact and include
the "About The Author" resource box. Thanks! :-)
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