Friday, December 10, 2010

Social Media and Small Business

Copyright © 2010 Jim Edwards

Unless you've been hunkered under a rock or in the back of a cave, you've at least heard the term "social media." Depending on your perspective, social media either represents the fall of western civilization or the perfect marriage of people and technology.

The term "social media" actually refers to 4 specific types of tools.

The first type, "social connection sites" like Facebook and Linked In, allow users to make, share, build, and interact with social contacts online.

The second type, "social stream of consciousness" sites like Twitter, allow users to share their thoughts quickly and easily (regardless if anyone actually cares).

The third type of tool, "social bookmarking" sites such as Digg.com and Delicious.com, let users share and rate individual sites and other media.

The fourth type of social media tool involves sites like Kongregate.com or games such as Farmville which contain "social features" to link users together.

In theory, users of social media link up, interact, and use the sites and tools as their creators intended. And, if your intentions are strictly about keeping up with friends or professional contacts you actually know in the real world, you can easily use social media to do just that. However, once you try to go beyond just networking with people you know (and the people they actually know), the world of social media gets murky fast. Though powerful and effective when used correctly, social media quickly becomes a never-ending rabbit hole of time, energy, and effort, especially for small business owners.

If you want to use social media to build your small business, keep the following in mind at all times.

Create Dialogue

Most businesses mistakenly use social media as a one-way communication tool. In fact, this represents the core mistake anyone makes with social media. You must use Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn to create a real dialogue - a real exchange of communication. To do that, you can't follow 20,000 people or have 50,000 friends. Bottom line, if the communication isn't authentic, you're fooling yourself that it's actually worth doing in the first place.

Gather Intelligence

Members of your target audience hold the key to your success, not the other way around. Use social media communication to get direct input from people on your products and services. Get them to tell you their hopes, fears and problems and, more importantly, how you can help them. While building your following, you can use social media search tools (like twitter.com/search) to spot trends and problems you can solve.

Watch Your Time

Most of what you need to accomplish with Facebook and Twitter can happen in less than 15-20 minutes per day. Any more time than that is a waste of precious time. Until and unless you can track business directly to your social media activities, keep a tight rein on you time.

Share Value & Fun

The number one reason anyone sends their friends or comes back to you themselves is because of value. Always remember: nobody really cares about you and your business, they only care about what your business can do for them. Share information and news others can use and you'll build a list of meaningful contacts. Put out a stream of useless drivel or "quotes of the day" and you might as well not even sign up for a Twitter account.

Bottom line: social media tools are just that, tools. You will not get rich overnight just because you signed up for a Twitter account, nor will you get inundated with business because you hang out a shingle on LinkedIn. You can, however, experience real results if you use these sites as originally intended: to create meaningful connections with real people.

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For more Small Business Marketing tips from the
Real world of Digital Marketing, log on to
"Small Business Marketing Weekly" at
=> http://www.SmallBusinessMarketingWeekly.com

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

Making Money: Giving Away Targeted Free Traffic

A new internet marketing system has been found that blends the two ideas, making money online and giving away free traffic into one new profit system.

The majority of internet marketing systems seen today have one emphasis that is very selfish. The selfish emphasis is the one-sided act of making money, which we all can understand the need for money to support our families.

However, we also quickly agree that there are many perplexing problems confronting internet marketers. These are equally serious which they wish to have solved. The greatest problem of all is the need to get increase targeted website traffic to their sites.

Therefore, it's no surprise that a new system has been created that has blended these two great marketing needs together. This is a celebrated solution that has taken a very long time to come.

The simple act of giving away free traffic has created this unique internet marketing profit system. Listed below are the profitable benefits with this newly revealed system. You make easy money giving away a free widget code that when placed on websites or blogs will bring thousands of targeted free visitors to those website and blogs:
* A unique system that could bring you hundreds of targeted visitors to your site every day on autopilot.
*Using this system is easy and fast.
*Most efficient way to get a viral flood of laser targeted visitors to your site.
*You can use this system to spread your marketing messages virally.
*Create an avalanche of free targeted traffic to your website in a very short time.

This system is powerful and there's nothing else like it! It's so easy that even a 9 year child could do it. This is an incredible system to rake in real profits over and over again. A system like this can no doubt profit all who get involved, especially since it is a free system.

Everyone getting involved with this miracle system will quickly make money giving away targeted free traffic, since the whole key to your success has to do with it being a free traffic system. Advertise to others and get them to do the same. When a referal upgrades in your network, you will make a hefty commission. Best of all, this can be an incredible call to action for you to join now while it's still free. Anyone interested in this new internet marketing system can easily get started now.


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Monday, December 6, 2010

Discover How to Get Started With Social Media Marketing

Over the past few years the main focus for many small business and home based business owners has been on social media marketing. The great thing about social media for business is that it gives you a way to be in constant contact with past, current and future customers but there is a problem with it and that is the fact that many people who want to get started just cannot decide how and where to actually get started.

Most of these business owners know that they should be using tools such as Facebook and Twitter to connect and build relationships with people but they cannot work out how to do it so that their online businesses will benefit.

Let's take a quick look at the best way to get started with social media marketing from a business point of view.

To begin with you must have a plan. This plan needs to incorporate not only how and where you intend setting up profiles but also the various methods you will use them on a daily basis.

So that you can set up a plan you must take a look at a variety of social sites and see what they have to offer. It is important to ascertain if your target market is active on any of these social sites and you can do this by checking out what your competition is using, as there is a good possibility that your competitors are already using some of these sites for their own online home based businesses, so by studying what they are doing is a good place to begin.

Once you have discovered which social sites would be best for you to be using your next step is to get your business profile on to each of these sites. Begin with the most popular ones such as Facebook and Twitter because with these it is highly unlikely that you will miss out on your target market.

After taking care of the larger and more popular sites you can then move on to some of the niche sites as well. When setting up your profile it is essential that you include a link back to your main website as well as a short introduction to what you and your online business is all about.

Remember that the main point of social websites is first and foremost the fact that they are social so it is very important that you don't come across as someone who is only interested in pushing their business and making sales.

To be effective with any of these sites you must become engaged with your target market on a more personal rather than on a strictly business and sales level.

After joining and setting up your profile you will then need to find and join groups that are being used by your target market and you can do this by searching through the various groups that are available. While not all social media websites have groups there are a large majority of them that do. Along with these groups there could also be communities and the best way to find them is by becoming "friends" or "following" people who think and are in the same business as you are.

By discovering what they are talking about and doing you will be in a better position to see how the whole community interacts and once you get the feel of the tone of the community then you need to become engaged with them.

This is the point at which you must begin to add valuable information to the general discussion. Keeping this in mind you can in a very subtle and minimal way include a bit of a sales pitch. Your main purpose there is not to sell your products directly; the goal is to become known and brand yourself and by building good relationships that can give huge benefits well into the future both with customers and other online businesses.

If you follow these easy steps you will quickly and effectively integrate yourself and your online home based business into the social sites community.

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Michelle Jayes writes articles aimed at helping people to build successful legitimate online businesses. Click here to follow her on http://twitter.com/MichelleJayes or visit her website http://www.online-income-business.com

Sunday, December 5, 2010

Give Importance to Search Engine Optimization

Making money online is becoming an increasingly popular routine thanks to the many Internet marketing experts that help ordinary people get started with their own website and online business. Compared to marketing in the real world, the learning curve is not too steep and you should be able to nail the basics after doing some online research.

However, that should not stop you from learning some of essentials in making money through marketing such as search engine optimization or SEO. Getting familiar with Seo isn't something that is very hard.

First off, search engine optimization only works if you have some content on your site. Your website must contain lots of text because search engines only crawl through text.

Because of this, your site must have different content not only for search engines but also for your own readers. Don't put random content that does not make any sense because your readers that find your website through the search engines may dismiss your site as a spam site. If your home page needs to make a strong impression with graphics, you can always put the rich content on other pages.

Once your site is properly set up with some interesting content, your task will now shift to refining the content. This part can be tricky because you need to add certain keyword phrases and scatter them throughout the article without degrading the quality of your content.

To make things easier, make a list of keyword phrases that best fit your site. Figure out what you expect your visitors to type in their favorite search engine so that they can reach your site. Type the keywords yourself to learn how compettive the results are. Choosing the keyword phrases that do not have much competition are the best way to go. If you find this process tedious, you can try a keyword tool such as the one provided by Google.

Once you picked around three to five unique phrases, start doing minimal edits by substituting phrases with the keyword phrases so the sentences still make sense. A good keyword setup is to have the keyword in the beginning paragraph and somewhere in the end. You may want to use the keyword phrase more often if you are working with a larger article.

When you read your optimized article and see that it still makes sence, you achieved to possess the basic knowledge of seo. The results will not be instant though and the best thing that you can do is to continue adding new content while using the same keyword phrases that you picked. To boost your website rank, you may think o use other online advertising methods so you get even more traffic. Keep your site updated regularly so your visitors can come back and possibly bookmark or subscribe to your site.


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For more search engine optimization content, please visit this blog: http://rekli.ra6.org

Saturday, December 4, 2010

How Does Your Attitude Impact Your Success in Business

It is an unfortunate fact that as a result of the recent recession, many business owners have been thrown into a state of panic about the future of their business. Yes, it is sensible to make ourselves aware of any financial issues which may or will affect us directly, but by adopting a negative attitude, we could in fact do more harm to the success and overall future of our business if we allow these pessimistic views to take over our business mind.

Fear can work both ways within our lives. At one end of the spectrum, fear can be the one thing which pushes us to succeed and can motivate us. At the other end, it can have disastrous effects as our fear influences our emotions within our business approaches which affect our managerial styling, shortchanging ourselves and our profits. In some cases we may simply shrug off our negative attitude as stress which comes hand in hand from owning our own business. However, if we are able to get to grips with the issues which are affecting our attitude, we can help improve the overall success of our business and reap the benefits of positive thinking.

It is likely that there may be a number of factors which have caused you to adopt a less than positive attitude but in order to effectively alter this attitude; you need to be able to identify what is going well with your business to re-focus your motivation. If you have been able to acquire new clients or leads or have witnessed a fantastic outcome as a result of a new marketing or promotional strategy, you need to focus on these positives. If you have been losing money as a result of the recession for example, look at what changes you made in order to keep yourself afloat and analyze whether these changes will be able to stay in place for a prolonged period of time in order to optimize your saved money.

During times of crisis, we often find although are not aware, that we constantly think or communicate negative thoughts whether these are thoughts about us as a person, or about our business. In order to adopt a positive attitude, you need to consider how your negative thoughts may be affecting the way in which you make business related decisions. Allowing our worries to diminish our ability to stay positive may result in us shying away from making any decisions which are considered too risky. Yes, it is understandable that problems within your business may make you more hesitant to take risks, but sometimes, taking a risk can help propel our business to where it deserves to be. These risks may be changing your marketing strategies, looking to build on your clientele or even looking to expand your business. By thinking positive thoughts about how these risks can benefit your business, you will learn to expect good things for your business, helping you to maintain a positive outlook for your business. Recognizing a great opportunity during these difficult times could be the one thing which keeps you ahead of your competitors.

Finally, the most effective way in which to help your business succeed as a result of your positive thoughts is to practice positive affirmations. Although at a first glance this may appear to be a slightly embarrassing task to tackle, filling your mind with positive thoughts can make you more equipped to rid your mind of the negative ones, helping you improve on your decision making and overall managing of your business. Draft a few empowering sentences which relate directly to what you hope to achieve with your business and any future aspirations you have for your company and repeat these as often as you feel you need to. Weak affirmations will only aid in placing doubt in your mind as an entrepreneur.

It is unfortunate fact how many business owners are allowing their negative thoughts consume their minds and ruin the foundations of the business. Although this is something which we may fear will occur to us, it is important to remember that in the event that our competitors face this feat that it can in actual fact, help us to succeed further. Now, that's something to be positive about, surely?


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Diana Samalot is mother of twin girls, writer, entrepreneur, master marketer and success coach. Using the proven system, training, coaching and world class support that the top 1% earners use will take your business to the next level whether you are seasoned or a newbie. Take action now and find out if you qualify to become part of her team of entrepreneurs and a millionaire by 2012, go to >>>
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Top Tips for Becoming a Successful Entrepreneur

Top Tips for Becoming a Successful Entrepreneur

Working online at a home business to earn a full=time living can not only relieve the stress and strain of working at a 9-5 job but it has obvious advantages such as freedom to be creative and be your own boss.

It takes a lot of courage, patience, and persistence to have a business up and running. Without the security of the corporate world where paychecks come regularly, having a business is indeed a challenging and risky endeavor.

There is really no formula for success, but there are some qualities you should be developing if you want to become successful as an entrepreneur and these are listed below:

1. Have The Right Mindset.

Dreaming big will never be considered a negative thing. In fact, a lot of success stories start with dreaming big. You have to have a clear image of how successful you want to be so that you can work towards this dream. Your success must feel very real to you when you start thinking about it. Once you have a definite idea of the success you want to achieve, see to it that you play back this image at every opportunity you get. This may sound weird at first, but a lot of personal coaches stand by this visualization exercise.

2. Have Passion for Your Business.

If you don't love what you do, you won't get anywhere with it. Therefore, it is necessary that you find what you are passionate about and work with it. Think of all the people who hate their jobs now, do you think they will climb ranks if they are not dedicated to their jobs? No.

As an entrepreneur, you will have to put in a lot of hours to make your business grow. If you love your business, then you won't mind putting in 15 hours per day to it. Overnight success is not something that can be experienced in a business setting. It takes hard work and patience to grow a successful business.

3. You should always been keenly aware of your own strengths and focus on those.

No matter how good you are, there will always be something you will be weak at. Instead of focusing on being a jack-of-all trades, you need to hone the skills you are really good at. You will be more successful if you put your efforts to the stuff that you do best and ask other people to join you and make up for the areas you are weak at.

4. Don't Think of Failing.

One quality of an entrepreneur is having the ultimate belief in his goals. If you have a great business idea, for sure, you will be able to make it a reality. With your capabilities and extreme faith in the idea you have, you'll have an easier time attaining any goal you set for your business. Just see to it though that you carefully balance your confidence and the risk your idea brings to your business.

5. Plan, plan, plan.

Having a vision is not enough. Sure, you see what you want to have in the next 5 years, but do you know how you will get to that vision? Similar to architects and engineers who want to build the tallest building in the world, you need to have a set of plans to work on. Concrete goals as stepping stones will bring success to you faster than you think. Make sure you write these goals so that it doesn't end up as wishful thinking. Without a plan in place, failure will be waiting for you.

6. Work!

Just because you don't work a 9-5 job doesn't mean you won't work if you want to be an entrepreneur. No one achieves success by sitting around all day. A lot of successful entrepreneurs will tell you that they have had to put in a lot of hours at the beginning of any business endeavor. Unlike being an employee where you can relax after a day's work, expect to think business every hour of the day when you become an entrepreneur. If you enjoy what you are working at...it will not seem so much like work.

7. Network.

Networking is utterly important in the business world more than anywhere else. Especially for small businesses, you'll need all the help you need. So don't immediately disregard the woman sitting next to you at a conference or the gentleman you've met at a trade fair, because you'll never know how these people can help you or vice versa. Having a good network is

necessary in business because a lot of opportunities will come knocking from your contacts.

8. Keep an Open Mind.

Sure, an MBA from Harvard is ideal, but you won't need it to succeed in your own business. Think of all the successful entrepreneurs who weren't able to complete their education. How did they manage to be successful in their chosen businesses? Simple. They kept an open mind and were willing to learn every aspect that can bring good to their business.

Don't stop asking questions and be open to new knowledge as they come. With the fast changing world of today, you'll get very far if you keep an open-mind.

9. Have Faith and Perseverance.

Nothing in this world comes easy. This is most especially true for those who want to chase success. Success will not always come easy...despite all your hard work and dedication. For an entrepreneur, this means setbacks, problems, or worse bankruptcy. But successful entrepreneurs don't treat this as a major thing. In fact, they are the very first ones to get back on their feet and start anew.

Persistence is an equally vital quality for any budding entrepreneur today. All disappointments are temporary so you must learn to bounce back from it as soon as you can. Perseverance will bring you success.

10. Be Disciplined.

One of the most important traits in order to be successful this way is self-discipline. Yes, there are times when you don't want to do work, but you must get up and get to it whether you like it or not, because everything that will bring good to your business is important. Remember, the price of success is expensive and it's in doing what others don't like to do and going an extra mile to fight a winning battle on your own.

Admittedly, being a successful entrepreneur isn't easy. It takes all of hard work, patience, and persistence to be one. With these ten tips, you'll have a clearer idea on how to be a successful entrepreneur.

Now, there is no reason for you not to apply these tips and start your journey to success.


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Kathy Dobson is a free spirited entrepreneur and business owner committed to helping individuals discover personal and financial freedom through learning the art of outsourcing.
Grab your free outsourcing ebook and guide:
http://www.empoweredoutsourcing.com/EmpoweredOutsourcing.html

Thursday, December 2, 2010

Facebook For Marketing: It's The Next Big Thing

Why You Should Use Facebook For Marketing

Facebook is ruling.

That is absolutely right. With Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg's declaration that the social networking giant is aiming to reach a billion users in 2010, you now have an idea where you need to be if you're an online marketer: placing yourself right in front of Facebook's global users. Facebook for marketing is definitely in!

Having reached the 500 million user mark, the young founder had this to say about hitting 1 billion users: "it is almost a guarantee that it will happen". Needless to say, with Facebook's global dominance almost complete, you know you need to be riding in its great wave of success.

To date, Facebook is down to just four countries where they are not the leading social network -- Russia, Japan, China and Japan. Considering Facebook's huge web traffic and increasing number of users, Facebook definitely stands out as one hell of a marketing opportunity!

Facebook for marketing

CEOs, marketers, salespersons and bloggers alike talk about "tightening their belts" as a way to signify cutting back on essentials. But one area you surely do not want to miss and cut back on is marketing.

It is the very same thing that supports your sales efforts, so when marketing budgets are cut down, you can almost immediately see a very extreme decrease of leads and sales count.

But with a free online tool such as Facebook that's seen to be the next internet superpower in the next few months, your marketing efforts and budget don't need to suffer or even go to waste! When you are in front of millions of users, you are bound to reach a huge portion of your target market! This is why it is very important to tap Facebook for marketing.

Why? Because that is where they hang out.

Earlier I wrote about Facebook vs. Google and how marketers should pay a lot of attention to the former. If you happen to miss this one out, you can read it here.

Facebook is very huge, and it's just getting even better. It's ready for global domination, and we have to be there when it happens. If you are already marketing on Facebook today, well that's great for you!

As for the rest of you who are just starting out on this, take advantage of the great power and dominance of this social networking giant.

It is bound to give you a very HUGE and positive results.


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Have You Ever Thought About Utilizing Facebook For Marketing? Elmar Sandyck Is An Expert Internet Marketer And You Can Get More Online Tips And Techniques By Visiting http://www.InternetMastermindSecrets.com

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Using Keywords for Search Engine Optimization

A site has to be found to get traffic. This is a simple truth on the internet. Search Engine Optimization is the method of accomplishing this. Without it, getting your site noticed is very difficult. You want two things to happen: getting to the top of the first pages of search engine results and high page rank.

Most people equate keywords with search engine optimization and that is very important. Using the right keywords in the best placement is crucial. Keywords must be relevant or you could be penalized by the search engines. All your work in getting your site up will be for nothing if you use irrelevant keywords simply because they get a lot of searches.

Choose keywords relevant to your niche that are used when people search for information on your topic. Keyword research and being intuitive about how people use search engines will yield the keywords that will bring traffic to your site and put your site on the first page of search engine results.

A few years ago, everyone was saturating their sites with keywords without regard for quality and readability of the content. That just doesn't work anymore. Using a keyword too much is known as keyword spamming and is death to a site. Search engine optimization requires that content be relevant, informative and readable. It doesn't help if visitors to your site don't have any reason to stay and read your content.

One thing many don't know yet and others are beginning to learn is to use variations on keywords. This helps with readability and search engines now look for these variations. Instead of using an exact keyword 15 times in a 500 word article, use it about 6 times and use variations several more times. Use keywords and variants in a natural way so the content is not awkward to read.

The use of keywords for search engine optimization has many theories regarding placement. There isn't just one hard fast rule and it is really a matter of which you prefer. Some people prefer the primary keyword used in the first and last sentences and 3 more times in between. Others want the primary keyword twice in the first paragraph and twice in the last paragraph and once in each paragraph in between. There are other placements that can be used but these are two of the most common.

If you are using a secondary keyword, it should be used less often than the primary keyword. Two or three times is usually enough for search engine optimization purposes. More keywords can be used but, again, you don't want to overload with keywords. That can prove to be more harmful than helpful. The result of using more than 3 or 4 keywords per article can be content that appears written for search engines and not people. Changes in the way search engines look at sites now favors content that is meant to be read by humans, not software.

Learning about how to find the best keywords and how to use them are important. It can mean the difference between getting a lot of traffic to your site or never being found by people searching information in your niche. Getting your site up high in search engine results where it is seen quickly is the whole point of search engine optimization.

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For more search engine optimization articles, please visit http://onewaylinks.ra5.us .

Monday, November 29, 2010

What Is The Differences Between Affiliate Marketing And Network Marketing

When you search for ways to make money online you will come across opportunities in affiliate marketing and network marketing. If you are not sure how these two business models work you will enjoy this article on understanding the differences between both of them.

The main difference between network marketing and affiliate marketing lies in building a downline of distributors. As an affiliate marketer you will primarily make your money selling products or performing a specific action for an affiliate merchant. This could include getting paid by a click or by the lead.

Some affiliate marketing programs have a 2 tier feature. This means that you can also make money on the sales of anybody you personally recruit. However you will not make any money on people that they recruit.

You cannot build a downline of affiliate marketers that you make money on. If building a large organization is something that appeals to you then you want to look at the network marketing business model.

In network marketing you get paid to sell products. You also make money as products move through your downline.

This not only includes people that you personally sponsor, but it includes your downline distributors which can go several levels deep. Exactly how many people you earn money on will vary from one MLM company to the next.

Each one has its own compensation plan. However many network marketing companies also pay you a bonus on the overall volume of the entire company.

This is a great feature becomes as the company grows you get to share in the profits. This does not happen with an affiliate marketing company.

With an affiliate marketing company you can make very high commissions on products you sell. This is especially true if you are selling digital information products.

Some of theses products will pay you as high as 75% in commissions. You can find thousands of them to sell at affiliate networks such as ClickBank.

Affiliate programs are free to join. Therefore they tend to draw thousands of people into them who never do anything with their business.

Network marketing programs require a fee to get started. Therefore you will not have as many people join them.

However, the amount of money it takes to join an MLM company is generally pretty low, so you still have a large number of people who will join and then again not do anything with their business.

One final point to bring up is with network marketing you can generate a residual income. This means you continue to get paid long after you stop working. That is virtually impossible to do with the affiliate marketing business model.

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Jeff Schuman invites you to visit his make money online website for his top pick on the #1 network marketing business, JV With Jeff free internet marketing training, and 4 ways to make $10 a day taking paid surveys. http://www.Team-Schuman.com

Sunday, November 28, 2010

Why You Are Not Getting Traffic From Your Articles

Not getting traffic from an article comes down to several things. Believe it or not the problem is not always from the article itself, but that is a good place to start looking at.

1. A poorly written article title. If you do not get read you are dead. The title is what draws your reader to your article.

How do you write a good title? Start by looking at articles online that have titles that catch your eye.

Go to EzineArticles.com and scan articles in the category you are writing about. Keep a swipe file of good titles you can go back and look at to write better titles for your articles.

2. Your article is not very good. Writing is a skill that you can improve on by doing more of it. Make sure you do not have grammar and spelling errors.

Then work at improving your content. If you write articles on interesting topics people will read them.

3. A well written resource box. Think of this as a short classified ad on yourself or your product. Give specific directions on what you want your read to do. Again go to EzineArticles.com and look at the Expert Authors to get ideas on how to write a good resource box.

4. Submitting to the wrong places. At the very least submit to the top 3-5 article directories. Here is a good list of the Top 50. If you get your articles in as many of these as possible your traffic will increase. http://www.vretoolbar.com/articles/directories.php

5. Not enough articles online. If you write one article and do not get traffic that is called a clue! If you write 10 and get a few visitors that is another clue.

Think big and start writing and submitting like crazy. Go for 10-20 a day if you have time. If not consider outsourcing some of your writing. As your articles are archived online they can continue to bring you traffic for many years to come.

6. Use a submission service. I am a big fan of Submit Your Article. They make submitting very easy and you can create unique version of your articles so the search engines like them.

I recently saw a post in a discussion forum where the person was complaining about not getting any traffic from the 10 articles they had written and submitted. Do you know that EzineArticles.com has had over 1 million articles submitted to it? And this is only 1 online article directory.

You need to wrap your head around the idea that the World Wide Web is BIG! 10 articles online is like having a restaurant open at 6:00 A.M and closing at 6:01 A.M. and then wondering why you do not have any customers.

You are going to need a lot more articles online than 10. Hopefully this article will help you understand why you are not getting enough traffic from your articles.


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If you enjoyed this article by Jeff Schuman please visit his take paid surveys website today. Join JV With Jeff for free and recieve tips on how to make money online without any experience or website of your own. http://www.Team-Schuman.com

Potts/Samalot Synchronzed Christmas Lights 2010

Our first Synchronized Christmas Light Show! It took months to get everything together but it was worth it.

I hope you enjoy!

Saturday, November 27, 2010

Network Marketing: How To Advertise Outside The Box

When it comes to network marketing, we have one aim and one aim only-to get leads. A limited amount of leads simply means a limited amount of prospects for our business which in return, can affect our business’ ability overall to accumulate money. The main misconception many business owners make is that they believe that money can only come from one place, and so opt to advertise in a specific, tried and tested manner. However, by advertising outside the box and utilizing the many factors within network marketing, you too could witness an optimized level of leads-and sales.

Network marketing is a lucrative business and it is due to this that there are a number of different advertising methods that have been introduced in an attempt to effectively advertise a business. The most effective platform when it comes to advertising for your business is to realize the potential which comes from using the internet. Network marketing can be extremely effective if you opt to use the vast majority of resources that can advertise your business for free. However, the most important factor to take into consideration is to strategically use the free resources that will provide the highest amount of advertisement exposure for an increased level of financial gain.

Many businesses have realized the huge sale potential that stems from using the internet to their full advantage. The internet is the most effective method in which to advertise products and services but the main reason why so many network marketers fail to get their business off the ground is that they simply do not know how to effectively advertise what they can offer. Your product is the focus of you entire business so it is essential that you have a product that is in demand or is able to accumulate money. In the initial stages of generating leads and sales, many novice network marketers also make the mistake of turning to their friends and family to join their program or purchase goods from them. Although this is a good way in which to get the ball rolling so to speak, if they are not knowledgeable in business, this could simply be a waste of your time. You need to focus your advertising and promotion on those who are business savvy and are aware of the potential of network marketing.

Once you are aware of your targeted market, it is time to launch your online marketing campaign. The internet is one of the most powerful advertising tools around and what’s more, many online advertising methods are absolutely free! Some business owners make the mistake of assuming that free methods of advertising may be effective over time, but that in order to make money, they need to spend money. This is true in some sense as many network marketers have witnessed a huge amount of interest from launching their own website. Your website should be full of content, keyword optimized for a high page rank and most importantly-clearly display what the purpose of your business is. Your website should act as a non-physical salesman and so its design, layout and presentation are crucial. Once you have your website in place, you can then link it with other areas of advertising on the internet in order to increase your link building and traffic.

Article marketing is a great way in which to advertise your business for free. By drafting information, promotional articles which relate to your business and adding backlinks to your site, this will act as a form of sales pitch without being too aggressive or overwhelming for the consumer. By adding backlinks to direct the consumer to your site, this can help with your traffic and sales. As your content can be linked to various other sites and posted onto blogs, your own website and so forth, is an effective yet free way in which to advertise your business.

When it comes to advertising outside the box, this can be dependent on the product or service in which you are trying to promote. However, no matter what you may be trying to advertise, this can be effectively done via the web. The internet is the most innovative and effective method of advertising today so by taking a chance and investing in this free form of advertising for your business today, you could soon see the results you have been aiming towards for your business.

Friday, November 26, 2010

How To Pick A Blog Topic

Starting up a blog is a great way in which to display our knowledge on a specific niche or topic and ultimately, increase our site's overall traffic. However, when it comes to getting started with blogging, it can be increasingly difficult to pinpoint what our blog should be about. The topic we choose is extremely important as if it is a topic we have simply plucked from the air which we have little knowledge about; this will become apparent to the reader as they begin to read your post. Choosing a topic we are knowledgeable on will not only make our blog useful to the reader, but will also help you relate to your targeted readers.

When it comes to picking your blog topic, it is beneficial to opt for a topic that you are passionate about. If your blog is for pleasure, then you should think about what you are passionate about and what drives you. If your blog is for promotional purposes, you need to identify what your niche is, the knowledge you have regarding your niche and what you feel you can teach others about your industry or expertise. In short, a powerful blog will revolve around a topic which you could talk endlessly about with another individual. An effective blog will be one which has a focus, a drive and appeals to the mainstream. A blog which is used for business purposes may require gaining a higher level of traffic compared to personal blogs, and so your blog must relate to your niche and service in order to receive a high level of traffic.

However, before you put your thoughts and words onto paper so to speak, it is important that you are aware of the reasons as to why people read blogs in the first place. The internet, for many, is a primary source of information and a blog is your outlet to present your thoughts, knowledge and opinions on a specific subject. What will determine how many readers your blog gains will be deciphered by how much they like you, the way in which you express yourself and what you can offer them as the reader. This can only be presented effectively if you allow yourself to be carried away by your chosen topic. If a reader is able to sense your passion and excitement for your chosen topic, they will become more allured by your words and what you are about. In fact, it can often be easier to gain an optimized amount of traffic and sales if you stop focusing on how to increase these factors and instead, focus on the words in which you are writing.

So, when it comes to starting your blog and making it a success, it really all stems down to your blog topic. Think about the purpose behind your blog and what it will relate to. It is only by thinking about the reasons as to why you are starting your blog and what you wish to present through it that you will be able to write a money making blog. Blogging provides a number of opportunities if utilized effectively. So, stop thinking about money and starting thinking about what you're passionate about. As soon as your passion is noticed by others it is only then that you will realize the true potential of blogging for your business.

Monday, November 22, 2010

Online Business

Copyright (c) 2010 Andrew Holtom

Before starting a home business there are three things you should know so that you can run a successful business. These three things are often over looked by entrepreneurs as they think that their product will sell regardless. Please keep these three things in mind before starting a home business. Remember: research and preparation are key for running a successful business.

1. Sell something people want to buy

You might think that chilly flavored soft drinks are a big hit but other people might disagree. The most important process of starting a home business is doing great research. Make sure that you do market research before even thinking about starting your business. If you don't have a market that you can target - your product won't sell.

2. Work on a business plan

Even if your home business is an online business make sure to write up a proper business plan for it. If you have a business plan you will know what goals you need to reach and when. You can also use the business plan to pull in prospective investors who see a future in the business. A business plan helps you assess your vision and can help you improve upon your business at a later stage.

3. Understand what you need to do

Starting your own home business can be an extremely daunting task. You have to work for yourself and support yourself. Make sure that you schedule your time accordingly and don't fall into the trap of wasting your time on useless activities. If you have a project that needs to be finished by next week, don't delay on starting it. Make sure that you are extremely organized, as having a home business can get confusing. If you are able to, separate a small part of your house as your home office, this can help you improve on your productivity.

Most owners of home businesses start their journey with a dream. It is important not to lose sight of that dream as you travel along your route. There are bumps and turns in the road that may distract you, such as trying to get the right work-life balance and learning how to do online marketing. However, you must never doubt the skills and talents that you have available to you. You will be able to apply these to your home business to make it a successful venture.Having your own business is hard work, but as with anything - the more you educate yourself, the easier it will be. You can learn about how to operate your business, so that you can have the best lifestyle with profits that you can currently only dream about. You just need to learn as you go.

Starting a home business can be extremely prosperous if you start out on the right foot.


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Grab a free copy of The Simple Guide to Starting Your Own Online Business
http://www.webmarketinformation.com

Sunday, November 21, 2010

Revealed! A Simple Strategy To Double Your MLM Traffic With Article Marketing

Are you currently looking for a means of boosting your MLM success? If so, you are making a wise move because you always want your MLM system to expand in popularity and deliver more revenue to your entrepreneurial ventures. Of course, this does raise questions regarding how to boost your venture. Without a doubt, one of the best ways to do this is through article marketing. Such a strategy will definitely lead to expanding the success rate of the business.

What is article marketing and how can it boost your ability to expand your MLM business? Probably the simplest way to describe article marketing would be to call it a form of promotional marketing designed to inform and entertain people. Basically, when you craft articles for marketing purposes, you would be doing them in support of the subject matter your MLM system is based upon. So, let's look at how this works in greater depth...

If your MLM venture revolved around supplements that promote weight loss, articles dealing with the subject of weight loss would be employed to drive traffic to your website. (Your website, of course, will be primarily serving the purpose of promoting the benefits of your MLM venture) The articles can cover the subject of weight loss from a number of different perspectives. The core point to these articles is that they must have enough value to the reader that they wish to learn more about what you offer. It is this desire that will open the floodgates for expanding traffic to your website. That means your website can become extremely lucrative since the expanded visitor base can become customers in higher volumes.

This aspect of article marketing is known as a conversion rate. As the name infers, visitors that become customers are known as conversions. This is because convert from a mere casual visitor to someone that is an actual buyer. And what MLM business could survive if it did not have a high number of customers. Again, you need conversions and article marketing is the right way to achieve such goals.

Where are the articles intended to support your MLM venture intended to be displayed? There are various article directories that are specifically designed to aid in article marketing. And, of course, they are a great resource for reading enjoyment. As such, exploring what these sites have to offer is definitely worthwhile.

Then, there is another method that can be employed to support your MLM article marketing strategy. Working with Traffic Geyser can certainly prove helpful as well. Traffic Geyser is mainly a system utilized for boosting your video marketing ventures but such videos can also be integrated with your article marketing. This, in turn, can boost the success potential of your overall MLM success strategy. This will yield great success with the proper effort.

Yes, article marketing and Traffic Geyser are both strategies that can significantly boost MLM profits. So, why not give such strategies a try? You will be pleased with the results.


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Linda Credit is an avid article marketing strategist who helps people promote and build their MLM business. To learn more about how to monopolize the search engines and build your MLM business using the steps and resources mentioned in this article, visit Linda Recommends on her blog. http://www.lindacredit.com

Saturday, November 20, 2010

Ready to Create Your Own Successful Home Business Story?

It seems like everywhere you turn nowadays, you hear another successful home business story. Some of these stories are absolutely amazing. Not too long ago I heard about a janitor who started a home business in his spare time, and now he makes 7 figures every year and spends most of his time traveling around the world in luxury. What's weird is that as fantastic as a story about a janitor making more than a million dollars per year may sound to you, It's not hard for me to believe at all. I hear these stories all the time, and I know that they are true because I have met so many people in person who started their own successful home business and who are now living a life of luxury with absolutely no financial worries whatsoever.

The main question that you should ask yourself is why there are so many new successful home business stories all of a sudden? I remember a decade or two ago it wasn't like this. Back then, pretty much the only way to get rich was to spend forever in school to get a MD or JD degree and then to slowly save up your money to become moderately wealthy. Your other option was to get your MBA and then to try to compete against other MBAs to climb the corporate ladder. Now, however, it seems like everywhere you look, people are getting rich by starting a successful home business.

What's the difference between then and now? The main difference is the existence of the Internet. The Internet has opened up huge opportunities for nearly anyone and everyone who wants to create a successful home business. Unfortunately, although you will hear many successful home business stories all the time, the fact is that very few people are taking full advantage of this opportunity. They don't believe that they too can grow wealthy in a short period of time by creating their own successful home business. If you don't believe in yourself, then no one will. Most people believe that the best that they deserve out of life is to get up every morning and to trudge off to work. They never get to try out any ideas of their own; they spend their entire day and their entire career implementing the ideas that have come out of a huge corporate bureaucracy.

If you are ready to break out of this cycle and to begin to create a successful home business story of your own, then there is no time to waste. The best method for obtaining success is to seek out someone who has already achieved success. He will know all the pitfalls to avoid and the business plans that actually work.


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Steve Duval is a Successful Internet Marketer Helping Others Learn the Skills required to Be Able To make Money Online http://steves6figureincome.com . To Find Out More About Steve and how he can help you http://steve-duval.com

Friday, November 19, 2010

Think BIG When Setting Business Goals

If you are considering starting up a new business venture in the near future, or currently own an established business, it is likely that you may be unsure as to what the next steps are in order to take your business further. When it comes to owning your own business, it is vital that you make goals in order to see your business flourish and grow to its full potential. However, the main issue which stops many business owners from thinking big in terms of their business goals is that they tend to focus on the negative aspects of goal setting. What if my attempts fail? What if I damage the current status of my business? On the other hand, what if you succeed in achieving your goals and realizing your business’ true potential?

If you are unable to envision your business going further than it currently is, chances are it is unlikely that you will be able to achieve any big goals. It is understandable that any business owners will fear failure, and so will simply opt to not set large goals in order to dodge any great failure. However, as you see the years pass and your business cease to grow, it is then that you will realize that thinking big when drafting your business goals is one of the most effective ways in which to push yourself and your business to its full potential.

It is unlikely that we can immediately achieve any business goal we set out mind to instantaneously. However, by taking the risk to make our business dreams a reality and be realistic with our goals, we will have a higher chance of seeing this reality. One of the most effective ways in which to make your goals is to share these with someone else. This may be something you have already done, but for others, communicating their business goals out loud-no matter how small they may be, can be incredibly empowering and can motivate them more to try to achieve them. Many business owners make the mistake of staying small when drafting their business goals as they believe that smaller goals are easier to achieve. In some respect this is true, but with the correct determination and planning, you can achieve anything. This is not to say that your big goals will be realized in quick succession, but by continuing with the running and growth of your business, building on your marketing, advertising and so forth in order to achieve your smaller goals, then with time, your big goals will be realized. However, be realistic. Making large goals which you know you will never achieve can dishearten you but stay too small, and you may be de-motivated.

So, how can you make your big goals a reality? Break down your big business goals into section which are realistic and will be achievable. For example, if you aspire to gain 200 new clients, break this down so that you will aim to gain 10 new clients a month, and build on this number as you start to achieve this goal. Changing your big goal into smaller, more manageable goals will make it easier for you to achieve, thus filling you with a sense of accomplishment and motivation as it is realized.

Setting big business goals can be a daunting task, especially in the event that your business is starting from the basics. However, many businesses fail as they refuse to take the chance to dream big, showing how being safe can be just as dangerous as dreaming big. So, if you want your business to grow to the establishment which you dream and know it can be, don’t be afraid to be ambitious, realistic and above all, don’t be afraid to dream big.

Thursday, November 18, 2010

Power linking from niche-focused sites

Article marketing has been around for a long time in Internet marketing circles as a really effective means of drawing traffic to your website, building inbound links, and generally boosting your online visibility.

However, the game is now changing ... this is something you definitely want to know about ...

Despite all its benefits, there are two main problems at present with article marketing in its traditional form:

1. With the surge in the popularity of article marketing over the past two or three years, thousands of articles are now published each and every day ... and your articles are in competition with all those other articles to get noticed and to get published in the really valuable places like popular ezines and niche-focused websites.

2. Because Google recognizes when an article on Site A is the same as an article on Site B and an article on Site C, the value of the link from your article to your website is really only going to count in just one of those places, regardless of how many times the article has been published.

I've come across a powerful system - in fact, I've been using it for months, but they're just about to launch some powerful new functionality - that resolves both these problems in one foul swoop:

1. It gets your articles immediately published on niche-focused websites ... powerful in itself, but they've added a unique twist to really ramp it up

2. You can ensure each and every site publishing your article, publishes a completely unique version - so every link counts

And it does this on top of all the benefits of more traditional article marketing ... so your articles are also published on hundreds of article directories, sent to email publishers, and so on ...

Trust me ... this is VERY powerful and the creme-de-la-creme of article marketing systems, allowing you to build massive publicity for your website.

They're going to launch this in under a week's time, but the best bit is for the few days leading up to the launch they're allowing you to 'lock in' on their existing rates ... as soon as it launches, the price for this system will go up, and you'll effectively be 'locked in' on a big discount for as long as you continue using it.

That means you need to act now to take advantage of this ... even if you don't, your competition will.

I highly recommend you take a look at this ... you'll thank me when you do:

http://goo.gl/7R4oj


To Your Success,

Diana Samalot


PS. The guy behind this really believes in going over and above the norm to deliver value ... that's why he's upgrading all his customers to this new level of functionality when they launch, at no extra cost to them. In fact, it's a pattern he's followed for years, which is why I don't hesitate in recommending this to you. And there's yet more functionality planned soon that you'll get thrown in too ... but you do need to lock in right now in order to take advantage:

http://goo.gl/7R4oj

Monday, November 15, 2010

Video SEO is Growing in Social Media Acceptance

Video SEO in social media is growing in acceptance and importance to the consumer. Many companies are turning to different forms of social media marketing to promote online brands. Company websites are becoming more than static brochures. They are changing and growing, featuring more interaction with their audiences. Websites now contain a variety of forums like blogs, discussion forums, blog and page comments, and video. Companies are providing more information and they are letting their customers talk back to them.

Video is now becoming the new way to communicate information. Because we live in a wired — or actually a wireless — world, marketers are turning to both the web and mobile marketing, and video, to tell their stories. Not only is this a good way to share information and promote your brand, video marketing leads to higher search engine rankings, which means more website visitors and increased sales. Video SEO is following closely on the heels of the video revolution.

Some companies are slow to accept video, let alone video SEO, since it is still relatively new. However, online video and video SEO make perfect sense. Americans spend many hours in front of their televisions. Reality TV has taken television into a whole new direction. People want to see actual reality (or what they believe is reality). They want to experience and learn from what is actually happening, not what is acted out. We have become a visual learning society. So it is only natural that people want to "watch TV" on their computers, including finding new information and communicating. This new evolution of media brings new opportunities to marketing and makes video SEO an important tool in the marketing toolbox.

Video SEO will give you a strong edge in marketing strategy. Not only are you reaching people with the videos you produce, but by hosting your videos on sites like YouTube and Vimeo, and then embedding them on your blog or website, you are giving your site a video SEO boost.

You can give your video SEO efforts a bigger boost if you tag these videos with your chosen keywords, and include links back to the site where the video can be seen (i.e. your site). You can also share links to the video on your Twitter and LinkedIn accounts, and post it on your Facebook "Like" page. This will not only expose your video to more people, but will tell search engines like Google, Bing, and Yahoo that both the video and your website are important. The more links you get back to your main website, the higher it will appear in the search engine rankings. And because Google owns YouTube, you have the added bonus of your videos being indexed quickly and easily, which can only help your video SEO efforts even more.

Video SEO ends up helping you do a few things at once: promote your products or services, boost your search engine rankings, and help you reach more people by being some of the first in your industry to use these techniques.

The Internet is always changing, which is why you have to stay on top of the technology and tools behind it. Even things like search engine optimization techniques and tactics, including video SEO, are changing all the time — things that were accepted and expected are now not only old news, they can even get you banned from the search engines.

If you find you do not have the time and energy to devote to SEO, then consider an SEO professional. Not only are they well-versed in the latest developments in the search engine world, like video SEO techniques, they know other professionals, like video production companies, that can help you create entertaining and informative videos that keep your visitors' interest once they arrive at your site.


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With 20 years in marketing, advertising and 10 years in internet marketing, Rostin Ventures has refined video seo practices for distribution in social media.

http://www.rostinventures.com offers video seo, social media marketing and online reputation management services that are affordable and drive search engine ranking through Social Media Optimization, Online Reputation Management, Social Marketing and web 2.0 communities and resources.

Sunday, November 14, 2010

Finding Good Content For Your Blog The Best In Blog Content

Attempting a blog that's all things to all people can be good or bad. However, it's good content that's a drawing card to steady readership.

Staying on top of ideas and information to achieve good content for your blog isn't really difficult. It takes practice in the art of research. Finding good content means staying current with reader interests. It would be easy to repeat scores of other blog contents, Unless your blog has a unique basis to offer visitors, it's repetitious and redundant. This is where good research skills pull a blog ahead of myriad competitors on the internet.

The Five Most Important Research Details Choose from among five most important research details:

Who, What, When, Where or Why.

This is the principle journalists follow for media publication. It stands the test of time for good content for blogs too.

Each blog entry should have a basis incorporating one of these five principles. This makes it easier to find interesting content for your blog.

1: Starting Good Content With "Who"

If you begin with the "Who" principle, you can develop good content on a specific public figure. Use contrasts from other historical or previous public figures where possible. Choose a contemporary actor such as Tom Hanks, for example, for good content, try to contrast this actor's achievements or acting style with an actor from the past like Montgomery Clift. This principle works with theatrical, political or figures of royal heritage. Or, the focus can be interaction between blogger and readers.

2: "What"

Is the Main Topic? If "What" is the choice for good content, develop it based on current, past or unusual events. With "What" as the main venue, it should link to overall content. Topics for "What" might be products or services for business blogs. It can also include article marketing for great follow through from sales campaigns.

3: "When"

A Time Piece Can Be Good Content If a blogger seeks good content based on events, this can also be current or historical happenings. "When" also serves as an announcement of upcoming sales or marketing campaigns or blog content can focus on planned topics for upcoming blogs.

4: "Where"

Are Best Locations To Find Blog Content Some of the best features of the principle "Where" in blog content is found locally or globally as suits blogger preferences.

5: "Why"

Is Blog Content A Great Opportunity? Blog content featuring the principle "Why" can be a stimulating interactive forum between blogger and readers like a B12 shot for blog content.


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Steve Duval is a Successful Internet Marketer Helping Others Learn the Skills required to Be Able To make Money Online http://steves6figureincome.com . To Find Out More About Steve and how he can help you http://steve-duval.com

Thursday, November 11, 2010

Is Affiliate Marketing The Best Way To Generate An Income Online?

Turning into an affiliate has become the most popular occupation moves of this decade. Men and women are teaching themselves to utilize the online world as his or her resource through making revenue from Internet websites, a position that doesn't even call for leaving the house.

Now what exactly is an affiliate marketer? Generally speaking, an affiliate marketer owns a site and also refers guests to some other sites, referred to as "merchants". Any time these types of website visitors buy things, the other sites pay the online affiliate marketer a fee, which is dependent upon web tracking systems which keep track of web consumers purchases.

When people choose to be an affiliate marketer, you need to make cautious decisions with regards to which sites to refer your visitors to. Most important, they need to be websites that you are certain will be available for quite a long time. Check out data to ensure they have been constantly prosperous - quite simply, be sure these people will not go broke once you put your time and effort directly into searching for buyers for that merchandise.

Second of all, choose the websites depending on what they provide, and also think about the merchandise in the long term. As an illustration, an online single time payment membership site is a product which you could sell to a person just once, but men and women return to exactly the same places to order outfits that they really like time and time again. This does not imply that you should not link to a one time membership site, you simply have to understand its variations from the particular garments website. Take into account the idea that regular membership Internet sites may be more popular when compared with one clothing site among thousands. If you can, investigate the actual business data to see what kind of money they have produced.

You also want to select websites according to just what your website is pertaining to. Think about what sort of individuals arrive at your site, after which envision what type of sites they would want hyper links to. If your website is pertaining to American heritage, it would be better to advertise an Internet site which offers history novels as well as American paraphernalia than a Internet site providing disposable lenses.

Something many affiliate marketers do not consider initially are buyer monitoring methods. Some companies utilize the cookie method - putting a cookie within the customer's computer. This isn't as reliable when the particular website putting your own affiliate data within the database together with the client's information. The actual cookie method is well known and might possibly be altogether secure, nonetheless it doesn't have the actual successful reputation of the alternative system, therefore decide only after you are well informed.

To be able to market the product on the other website, create a recommendation. Do your homework on the merchandise and even test it out. If it's worth purchasing, create a few lines which explains why. Think of what people would likely be most interested in the merchandise and try to target these people. For example, if you're promoting a new face soap and you think ladies might be most likely to buy it, talk about just how clean and fresh it leaves the skin feeling and also smelling, and how your spouse will love just how soft this product leaves your face.

Becoming an affiliate is definitely a great way to earn cash on the Internet, but it does require work. However, when you put in the effort and time, you can make money from the convenience of your house.


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If you are interested in marketing your website by way of article marketing then visit http://www.articlecontentengine.com they put article marketing on autopilot.

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Facebook Groups - Start Your Own Group to Connect With Your List and Build Relationships

Creating your own group on the social networking site Facebook will help you to increase your profits. Start a group on your niche topic, using your best keywords in the title for the group.

Add a tagline that states a benefit to those who join, such as some specific information they will receive as a member. When starting and maintaining your group on Facebook, you will want to keep a few things in mind. Take a look at some of the other groups on your niche topic to see what they have to offer the group members.

When people are searching for information, they are not setting out to purchase anything. They just want to know more about a particular topic at that point in time. The idea with creating your group is to have a central place where people can exchange ideas, ask questions, and find resources.

You are the administrator and facilitator of the group, so they are coming to you for all of this. You may want to invite your Facebook friends to join your new group, but only do this once every six months. Everyone is already inundated from a variety of requests to join groups, attend calls, and other types of invitations.

Instead of pushing your information on them, allow those who are interested to pull the information for themselves. This is a web 2.0 concept that works extremely well. Be sure to let your list know that you have started this new group. Offer them an incentive for joining, such as a short report or a teleseminar.

This will help you to build the excitement and buzz that works well on the Internet. On a regular basis, at least once a month, message the group members with new information, updates, and other pertinent details on your niche topic. This is yet another strategy for building your credibility and visibility on the Internet. You want your list to know that you have lots going on, and that you are an expert in your niche.

Spend some time setting up your group, starting several discussion threads, adding appropriate links and resources, and interacting with your group members. This is excellent for connecting with people one on one, and for building a relationship with those people.

As far as social networking sites go, Facebook is one of the most effective. Take some time to learn your way around, and then you will be ready to jump right in.


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And now I invite you to download a video on how to get started with your own Facebook Fan Page by visiting http://FacebookFanPageSuccess.com and start driving massive traffic and building a list to promote your business on the Internet with this marketing phenomenon.

Monday, November 8, 2010

Creating An Online Marketing Plan Checklist

Whether you are working with a web designer or creating your own website, there are certain things important that you need to make sure are included. It can be overwhelming having to deal with a range of issues with a site to make it fully efficient. This is why it is sensible to create an online marketing plan checklist.

The main part of a website is who you are aiming it at. If they are an older audience, they are less likely to be keen on purchasing products online and it may be more appropriate to create a brochure website. As the name suggests, it is the online equivalent of a brochure that gives people more information about the company.

On the other hand, you may already have a website. Take a closer look at every aspect on your website, from the menu to the content. Is it easy to navigate? This is something you should make sure is right, as an awkward viewing experience will lose you traffic. While word of mouth can help promote a website, it can equally be used to persuade people not to look at it. If you are not sure, ask someone neutral to look at the site and get some honest feedback.

Ideally, the person looking at your website will be your target audience. As an example, you may be doing a website for an art gallery. Ask them what kind of words they associate with an art gallery or come up with some of your own and make a note of them on your online marketing plan checklist. Make sure they are included in the website content, as well as tags. If you use images on your site, make sure the keywords are tagged on them as well.

Once your website is finished, it is worth considering online promotion. More people are looking for local products on the internet so it is worth directing to your local area. Social networking sites and blogs can help inform you about events such as community fairs and business network groups.

You can also submit articles to article directories, giving you more results on search engine websites and more links to your website. Check the submission policy carefully as you may have to post the link separately from the body of the text. Most of them will usually have a limit on keywords as well.

An online marketing plan checklist will allow you to efficiently plan your website and its advertising. You should update it regularly and always be open to feedback. With the right long term strategy, you will get the best from your website.


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Do you need help in promoting your business online? Let an online marketing professional help you: http://internetmarketingclix.com/
Cedric is an article marketing expert, expert link builder, SEO specialist, and freelance article writer: http://internetmarketingclix.com/freelance-article-writer

Sunday, November 7, 2010

Internet Marketing: Why Things Are Better Today Than They Were 10 Years Ago

It does kind of wear you down to listen to the gloom and doom the media espouses every day. Having several friends and relatives who have now been unemployed for almost 2 years, I do have empathy for the tough economy we live in.

However as you look at Internet marketing as we close out the year 2010 I think there are several things that are better today than they were one decade ago. If you want to make money online, in many ways the time has never been better.

1. More opportunities. Many of the same business models continue to perform well. You can make money doing email marketing, affiliate marketing, network marketing, work at home jobs such as get paid to programs, and so on.

What has changed a lot over the last 10 years is the number of opportunities within these business models. You certainly can still build a mailing list and make money in any niche you want to get in.

There are some great opportunities to make money in affiliate marketing. These include getting paid by the click, by the lead, and by the sale.

Network marketing is booming all around the world. The MLM business model has really mastered how to generate leads and build a worldwide business that you can generate residual income from.

2. Proven strategies. These continue to evolve.

For example right now auto-blogging is very hot. Automating blogging efforts, and combining affiliate marketing and outsourcing, is a great way to build a Internet business today.

One thing that hasn't changed is the importance of search engine optimization and getting back links. Article marketing continues to be one of the best strategies for doing this.

Having a personal blog is also a proven strategy that is better today than it was 10 years ago. This is an excellent way to do everything from branding and list building, to social networking and product sales.

3. Better resources. A good example of this is how easy it is to building a website using a WordPress blog. Now you can do this with the click of a button using the Fantastico program most hosting companies offer.

Autoresponders offer fantastic ways to develop your brand image and keep in touch with customers. Automated article submission companies make it very easy to get your name out using article marketing. These are just a few examples of how resources have improved over time.

4. Faster Internet. Today you can sit down and breeze from one page to the next. 10 years ago the Internet was slow, and if were trying to make money on a part-time basis it could be very time consuming. Today that is not the case.

These are just a few examples of why I think things are better today than they were 10 years ago. If you are not making money you really have to look in the mirror and analyze why that is. The opportunities, strategies, and resources have never been better.


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If you enjoyed this article by Jeff Schuman please visit his take paid surveys website today. Join JV With Jeff for free and recieve tips on how to make money online without any experience or website of your own. http://www.Team-Schuman.com

Celebrating my mom's birthday with the mariachis



Yesterday my family and I celebrated my Mom's 80th birthday. What a blast we had. My family tends to get all emotional during such occasions and this time was no different.

But my Mom has a great attitude. As she is wiping her tears of joy, she goes on singing and dancing to the beat of the mariachis music. She takes the negative events in life with the same attitude, wiping her tears and moving on singing and dancing as much as possible.

During our celebration I was thinking just how much longer she will be with us in this Earth. She is in very good health for her age and I am grateful for that. But I know that one day she will be gone and I will sure miss her for the rest of my life until we meet again as I'm sure we will.

I try not to take her for granted but I must admit that I do sometimes, and yesterday I realized that every day she is with us is a blessing. I will do my best not to take her for granted anymore.

God bless my Mom and all the other mothers out there that would give all they have, including their lives for their children.

I hope that you enjoy this video of Celebration of Life!

Saturday, November 6, 2010

The Secret Ingredients Every Network Marketer Must Know To Get Unstuck

This article wants to highlight two fundamental areas of your business that you may not have thought of before for limiting the success of your business.If these ingredients are not addressed, you could end up as another business that failed.

Creating business and personal goals is one of the key ingredients. Creating a business without goals is like being expected to go for a drive in someone's car without knowing the destination of your trip. (You wouldn't step into the car in the first place).  Goals require you to be concise, factual and specific with what results you want to achieve in the short and the long term. Once the goals are decided, it's important to remind yourself of your goals either by reading or listening to them daily. Goals are important because they help give you a purpose and result to aim for.Writing your goals once and never referring to them again does not serve you well because your subconscious mind needs to hear a message more than once. If you repeatedly tell your subconscious about your goals you will start to automatically take more specific action naturally to help you achieve them. This is the reason why creating specific and concise goals helps you steer your actions in the right direction and the power of understanding how the mind works helps you to tap into your goals so you are more likely to achieve them.

The discipline of Time Management helps you ensure you have the right focus on the activities that are going to create the most return for your business. Please note, no one can 'manage' time. Its impossible, no one can create more time or less time. We all have to accomplish the most we can do in the 24 hours we are give. It's our attitude and emotions around certain activities that we have to be mindful of.

People say it all the time, 'Oh, I am so busy'. Its easy to be busy and spend hours in front of the computer. A high level example would group all business related activities into two types of activities; sales generating activities and non-sales generating activities. Spending one hour on Facebook would be a non-sales generating activity. Creating an Ad Campaign or creating a Press Release.

You have to keep yourself accountable for the length of time you spend on each activity and how you prioritize them. This may sound like a drag but it's the way you deal with your time that makes or breaks your business. Allocating time for work and play is great because there should be no guilt if you need to have time off from your business because you are sure that you are being extremely productive when you are working.

A Network Marketer needs to have the same intensity, passion and drive to their business as an athlete has in preparing for the Olympics or a high paying CEO of a large company has on the success of their organization. A Network Marketer has to know what they are aiming for, understand what they have to do to achieve their goals and keep themselves accountable for all actions they take to help them deal with challenges and achieve their goals.


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Live Beyond Nine to Five mentors serious home based business owners who are struggling to generate sales by providing practical online marketing and leadership skills to create a continual flow of sales online to ensure they never have to go back to a '9 to 5' job ever again.
Register your details for a free ebook Ann Sieg's acclaimed "Attraction Marketing Manifesto" http://snipurl.com/1bzqnu

Saturday, October 30, 2010

The Advantages and Disadvantages of Social Media

Social media is a phenomenon that seemed to overtake us overnight. Many hard-core, died in the wool marketers simply sat and scratched their heads as the wave approached. Some of them are still scratching away. Yet social media is just exploiting the core element of the Internet -- connectivity. As technology has advanced, communities have grown and as personal computers have become so small that they fit in your pocket, we have found every reason and every opportunity to connect with each other online.

For the marketer, these are exciting times. Every company should have a social media strategy and engage the opportunity for everything that it is worth. Some organizations have done particularly well here, while others have been less fortunate. It's important to do the appropriate amount of research before crafting a social media marketing strategy and to understand that not all social media outlets are the same.

What are the advantages? Simplicity, primarily. It is relatively easy to get your message to your customers and also fairly easy to actually target your customers in the first place. You can use social media to gather a lot of information about your clients and prospects and you can also use it to look after customer relations. If you know what you are doing and have a little bit of luck on your side, your messages can go viral and be picked up by thousands or millions of people, who may have been outside of your marketing arena. Before you know it, you could have more interest and more hits to your website than you know what to do with.

What are the disadvantages? Well, so long as you are thoughtful, careful, above board and respect the priorities of the various social media sites, there really shouldn't be too many disadvantages. However, if you break any of these golden rules, you could find that your social media engagement backfires in a big way.

Remember that social media sites are essentially "social," and few of these communities take kindly to overt or "in-your-face" advertising. It's possible to interact without being commercial and to pitch your brand as being interesting. Don't release a publicity campaign without thinking twice about this, as if you're not careful you could end up garnering a considerable amount of negative publicity. Above all else, always be honest and never try and milk the system. If you are dishonest or shady in the hope of trying to make a greater impression, the social media world has a way of finding out.

Those who are the most successful with their social media marketing strategies are those who take time to create something unusual, with a great angle. You have to be able to get the right amount of attention in a short space of time, so something out-of-the-box, audacious or even a little controversial is likely to win out. Look at your customers and understand them and then give them something juicy to talk about, in as subtle a fashion as possible.

Saturday, October 23, 2010

Ideal Keyword Density For SEO Purposes

Anyone with an Internet presence really wants to achieve maximum visibility within the search engine result pages, or SERPS. As the Internet has rapidly expanded over the past few years, so the major search engines have attracted the brightest brainpower to their labs, in order to come up with algorithms that work. Today, these complex pieces of computer code are indeed sophisticated. Anyone who searches for the most obscure phrase can see a mountain of results appear before them in the blink of an eye. We would all like to know exactly what goes into the programming of those algorithms and indeed, much of it is a closely guarded secret.

An industry has grown up to support the concept of search engine optimization. We have a pretty shrewd idea now what we need to do to elevate our pages within those SERPS. Optimization falls into two separate categories: online and off-line. It appears that the off-line element is of more importance, specifically the building of appropriate backlinks, votes of confidence if you will, from other sites to yours. However, you must pay attention to on-site optimization as well.

Years ago, on page optimization for SEO purposes meant "stuffing" your appropriate keywords into the body of the content on your webpage. At that time, it may have been possible to influence your position within search results by overwhelming use of your chosen keyword. At that time, quantity may have been better than quality, but not anymore.

Today, as the search engine robots are so sophisticated, we need to compose our webpages thoughtfully and carefully. Above all else, we must do keyword research to ensure that we are targeting the right words for our chosen niche. It's important to come up with supporting keywords, sometimes known as secondary keywords, to back up our credibility. The engines look for the presence of these other keywords, as a means of validating your principal contents.

There is a wide body of opinion, much of which is very conflicting, about the ideal keyword density for SEO purposes. Some experts reckon that you can get away with a density of as much as 8%, meaning that your keyword or keyword phrase appears eight times out of every hundred words on your page. You have to remember that your content needs to be readable and if it is obvious to you, when reading it, that the keyword is overly present, then you're likely to have scoring points deducted. 1 to 2% seems a far more reasonable and likely goal.

There are many different tools that you can use to come up with search engine keywords to help your cause. Perhaps the most well known is Google’s own, free tool. When you are starting a process of discovery and optimization, one of the main keyword research tips to bear in mind is that you should almost always aim for a "long tail" word, or a more descriptive version, specifically highlighting your niche. You might find it very difficult to rank for the word "dog," for example and might be much better off optimizing for something like "golden retriever training," instead!

Sunday, October 17, 2010

Are You Living A Lifestyle Of Passion?

Although I have not taken a poll, I think it would safe to say that the majority of people do not live a lifestyle of passion. In my experience as a coach, friend, daughter, mother, and human being in general most people simply tolerate life.

Most people get up, go to a job that at best they tolerate, working with people they don't like, get home too tired to engage in exercise or physical activity, cook/eat dinner, clean up, watch TV, until bedtime. Repeat. This way of life leads to boredom, fatigue, lack of enthusiasm, apathy, burnout and ultimately illness. It's no wonder that so many people oversleep, over eat, use alcohol and/or drugs and watch hours of mindless TV to escape their reality.

Most people feel stuck in this reality and not knowing how to get out they resign to live a lifeless, passionless life. Is this the life that you deserve?

I think not! No one deserves to live like this. No one! We can have our cake AND eat it too! We can have it all! We deserve to  have it all! Not only that, but I believe it is our birthright. We are all born with gifts and it is our duty to give these gifts back by developing them and sharing them with those that are willing and want to receive them.

Take a good look at your life. Be honest, this is for you and you only. Are you living with passion? Are you excited every morning to start a new day? Or are you living counting the days until Friday? Be ok with it. It is temporary. Feeling bad about it for long period of time doesn't serve you.

Decide what you want. Start over, just do it right this time. Learn from your mistakes, don't repeat them. What is it that when you spend your time doing it you feel happy? Commit to living your life loving it, doing things that you love.

I can hear you saying, "Yeah right. Easier said than done. I don't have the time/money to live like this". If this is your belief system, this is what you're creating. It is your beliefs that create your reality. Once you change your belief system, your reality changes as well. 

You owe it to yourself, your family, your friends and humanity to step up and make these changes happen. Don't let lame excuses get in the way of letting your greatness out.

My passion is help people like you live the life that you deserve. I would love to hear your comments. If you have any questions that you'd like me to address in person, you can email me thebestmillionairecreator@gmail.com.

Thursday, October 14, 2010

Can We Be Successful If We Come From A Dysfunctional Family?

Last night I listened to a call by co-founder of CarbonCopyPro Aaron Parkinson and Justin Woolf and he talked about his fear of becoming like his father who was an alcoholic and I immediately related because I went through the same thing with my Dad. My Dad was also an alcoholic and  my family, particularly my mother went through a lot of despair as a result of his alcoholism. 

The interesting thing is that most families are dysfunctional in one way or another. There is no "normal". What is "normal" anyway? In many families it might be alcohol, in others drugs, physical, verbal and/or emotional abuse, mental disorders and many others that maybe even I can imagine. 

We all have our stories and many people use these stories as excuses to under achieve.  My father or mother abandoned me, or hit me or didn't show affection, whatever. As children, of course we need lots of love, attention, good discipline. As adults, we need to grow up and let go, forgive those that hurt us. Because if we don't, we are perpetuating that pain in our lives and that person or situation isn't present anymore except n your mind. That person still holds power in your life. Let it go! These things are in the past, they no longer exist, only in your memories. Let go of the stories full of self pity.

One of my favorite quotes is by Wilson Mitchell "It's not what happens to you it's what you do about it that makes the difference." It is your choice. What do you choose? Do you choose to continue living in the pain from the past? Or do you choose to let it go and be happy? In my case, I grew up with an unloving father that barely spoke to me. Instead of looking for a father figure or feel unloved by men or by anyone for that matter, I chose to believe that men are capable of love and demonstrate affection. Instead of perpetuating his lack of affection and chose to be affectionate with my daughters and to tell them often that I love them. 

I learned from my experience and I choose to believe that I am a better mother because of him. When I was a little girl I resented him, even hated him for not being the father that I wanted him to be. I was jealous of my friends that had fathers that were fun and loving. I forgave him a long time ago. I realized that he didn't know any better, he did the best that he could with what he knew. I live at peace with him and with my self. 

So, stop making excuses. If you have any fears, don't blame it on your parents. Don't let the ghosts from the past control your present. Own your fears, acknowledge that it is your choice and no one else. Take a chance, take the first step and then another one. If you make a mistake, so what. Learn from it and move on. Failure is not fatal. Live the life you were meant to live! Use these experiences to your advantage and you will succeed.

How did you grow up? Was your family "normal" or dysfunctional? What did you learn from your upbringing? I'd love to hear your comments.