 I moved from working in my business to working on my business!
Jim White, Founder Savor Dallas http://www.savordallas.com |
 I found a community of business leaders who make being in business a lot more fun and less lonely.
Jeannine Sandstrom, CEO CoachWorks International, Inc. http://www.coachworks.com |
 I now have a place to be open about my business success and future challenges.
Debbie Mrazek, CEO The Sales Company Author The Field Guide to Sales http://www.the-sales-company.com |
Archive for August, 2009
I often get asked by business owners about Online Marketing Strategies. Many of my customers find information about MLM or Network Marketing when searching in Google for Online Marketing Strategies, and then ask me what a “real” business needs to be doing to drive Online traffic.
I am here to tell you – the 2 business models have no difference when it comes to Online marketing.
Here is a marketing strategy that I use in my business:
- Write a Blog post
- Create an article
- Go to Hellotxt.com and make an update
- Bookmark your blog post
- Create a Squidoo and Hubpage on a similar topic
When you create your Blog post keep in mind that people generally skim blogs and remember to keep the post brief. Be sure to include lists and headings to make the post easier to read / skim. This also gives you an outline for a more in depth article for either EzineArticles, Squidoo, and Hubpages. After completing your post/articles go to HelloTxt.com and make an update referencing your post. This will send your message throughout the social sites that you participate in. Bookmarking your posts is best accomplished by participating in a Digg or Del.i.ous group so that you are not bookmarking (spamming) your own content. Bookmarking sites frown upon listing your own content and you risk the site deleting you account if you get caught bookmarking your own content.
All of these steps will help to drive traffic to your website or blog and it will also get more of your content listed in Google when people are searching for your topic. Be sure to do some deep linking to more of your content as well as relevant content produced by friends/colleagues.
Setting Up Your Online Strategy
To follow the above Marketing Strategy You need to have a Hellotxt.com account set up. Go to HelloTxt.com and register for a new account. Set up your profile with an image of yourself and a short bio. Then link all of your other Social Sites to you HelloTxt account through the registration form. Make sure that all of your usernames and passwords are correct. Once this account is set up then all you have to do is log onto your HelloTxt account and send a short (140 characters or less) update – it will be distributed throughout your Social Sites. Be sure to include a link to your new content within the HelloTxt update.
HelloTxt will cover Social Sites that allow Profile Updates like:
- MySpace
- Plaxo
- Tumblr
- Flicker
- FriendFeed
- Total of 42 Sites
What is missing from the list are sites like Ning Social Networks, Blogs, Modular Type Sites and any other Social site that you have some control over the content.
Examples of these types of sites are:
- Any Ning Site
- Blogs
- Websites
For these type of sites use the Twitter Widget to reach these sites at the same time as the Profile updates. The Twitter Widget can be found in the Settings of your Twitter account. There is a link half way down the settings page that references adding Twitter to your blog. Click the link then follow the steps for the “other” type and then just walk through the setup for the Flash Widget. At the end you will get code to copy then paste it into your various Social Sites, Blogs, and Websites. Taking this extra step will greatly expand the HelloTxt strategy to include your entire Online social network.
Dotty has spent the past 2 years building her brick and mortar web design business online as well as offline. She teaches other business owners how to get their businesses found on the Internet and gives them working strategies for building traffic, sales, and clientele on the Internet. To find out more about her business you can visit her website at Premium Websites or her blog at Attraction Internet Marketing
By Valerie Love
Facebook is an Internet marketer’s dream, if used properly. This article focuses on financial advisers who may be starting out or who want to expand their online marketing strategies.
If you’re wondering how to become a financial adviser, the info at the end of this article will help you evaluate your business options.
Note: I’ll assume that you already have a free Facebook account. If you’ve been living under a rock somewhere, and don’t have a Facebook account yet, head on over after reading this article and set up your account. It’s free and it’s a no-brainer for any business owner. I’ll also assume that you’ll begin searching for your existing client base on Facebook, and that you’re actively inviting them to be your friends.
Another note: Make sure you check with compliance about your company’s rules for online client interaction. If your compliance department is anything like mind was, they’ve got a book on it.
Let’s get started:
Strategy #1: Start a Facebook group. The advantage of starting a group is credibility. Set up a group that’s relevant to the area of being a financial adviser, that would appeal to clients. Make it a Getting Wealthy Club or an Investing for Great Returns Club.
When you set up the group, clearly state your ‘credo’, which is a statement of purpose for what this group is all about.
Once you start the group, invite your clients to join the group.
Then, visit the group daily, posting your comments, ideas and/or wealth building strategies. You’ll gain credibility and your clients will gain knowledge and a closer connection with you…which means more money. Financial planning success is built on relationships.
Strategy #2: Comment daily on your own feed with your meaningful thoughts. That means to go daily to your own Facebook page and post a meaningful thought for the day-one that will appeal to your clients.
As a financial adviser, you want to stay top of mind to your clients. This is a great way to interact with them, without selling something or seeming pushy.
Important Note: Do not post what cereal you’re having for breakfast or any of the other minutiae of life you’ll find on Facebook. That’s not effective marketing. You want to make your posts meaningful to your clients.
Strategy #3: Keep your clients on a separate list on Facebook and respond meaningfully to selected posts. Creating a list is easy, and it means that only those who are on the list will see the feeds for that list. You don’t want to mix your friends.
This is very important!
Keep your clients separate from your friends/family! Business is business and play is play. Keep this boundary in place. Then, when your clients post things that are going on in their lives, take note. Comment when you feel inclined too. Otherwise, keep the info in mind, for instance, a kid’s graduation, or a client who’s preparing for a marathon.
People share all kinds of personal info on Facebook with their friends, and you can use that info to create deeper bonds, because you care.
Strategy #4: Search for people in your niche market and invite them to be your friends. Facebook folks don’t seem to mind who invites them to be friends, it seems that most people on Facebook are open. There are some who are picky about friends, but they are by far the minority.
Facebook is one big party, so invite people who are in your target market to join your party. That way, they’re being exposed to your skill and expertise as a financial advisor on a daily basis. Sooner or later, they’ll connect with you personally.
Hint: you can find people in your niche market by the droves by searching the existing groups on Facebook.
So there you have it, 4 Facebook marketing strategies that are easy, and the best part is, you can begin today!
I wish Facebook had been an option in the days when I was getting started as a financial adviser. It wasn’t. But today, you can use this powerful medium to market yourself effectively, for free, and add to your client base, while solidifying existing relationships.
Good fortune to you!
Valerie Love is a Wealth & Prosperity Coach who teaches the art and science of wealthy living, personally and in business. If you’re looking for a unique and powerful way to add an additional four figures of revenue to your monthly income, visit: http://www.WealthCreationInternational.com or connect with Valerie via e-mail at: valerielove@liveyourdestinytoday.com.
By James Copper 
Today, every business tends to have a strong advertising campaign for its product. In simple terms, advertising is a process of promoting and endorsing a product in the local market. The various advertising techniques include newspapers, Internet, pamphlets, and hoardings.
What is a campaign?
An advertising campaign refers to applying the various promotional skills for popularizing a product. These skills work on the sole motive to make profit and display the single message for advertising the product. A strong and faultless campaign is a part of the marketing plan that helps you in achieving long-term goals and profits. Therefore it is very important for a business to have an effective promotional campaign.
An effective campaign
An advertising campaign will only boost up your business if it is designed in an effective way. An effective promotional campaign should be prepared by keeping in mind the following aspects-
Marketing plan: Advertising is an integral component of marketing. Therefore for an effective advertising campaign, it is very important to have a planned marketing plan. This plan helps in knowing about the competitors and long-term goals of the company.
Campaign theme: For a successful promotional campaign, the theme is very important. A campaign theme refers to basic message that is promoted through the various advertising techniques.
Advertising budget: The plan of action depends a lot on the advertising budget. The campaign is designed; as per the budget therefore it is advisable for a business to take wise decisions while planning it
Target audience: One of the primary components of an advertising campaign is to reach the suitable audiences. It is very important for a business to know its target audience.
Thrashing competitors: There are chances of the similar products in the market before your product is launched. Therefore an effective advertising campaign should be designed by keeping in mind the various competitors existing in the market.
Combination of content and creativity
Advertising is a combination of content and creativity. The content of the advertisement should contain all the chief features and aspects of a product. Whereas creativity refers to the different promotional skills used. These skills should be proposed in a new and unique design to the target audiences. The creative promotional skills along with suitable content will help in hitting the audiences in a more significant manner than any other regular advertisements. An advertising campaign includes the amalgamation of content and creative skills that works on the sole motive of promoting the product.
A clear message
A successful advertising campaign should have the ability to promote the clear message about the product. The various techniques and tips will only be fruitful if the audiences are able to grab the basic idea and features of the product from the advertising. An unclear message may confuse the content of the product and thus leave the audience unimpressed. A true superior advertising campaign should be designed with a compelling message so that people choose your product by overlooking the similar products of your competitors.
James Copper is a writer for the big agency
Do you ever imagine yourself lying on a beach enjoying the sun or hiking in the most beautiful forest imaginable, or spending the holidays relaxing and sharing good times with your family and friends? We all daydream and picture ourselves in places we would like to go or doing things we enjoy, but can that daydreaming bring us success in business?
What do you do next if you want to make your daydream a reality? When you want to take a vacation you start by thinking about where you want to go. You look at pictures, you surf the net and you see yourself in that place. You reserve your hotel, you buy your plane tickets, mark you calendar and dream of the day you will leave. When the date arrives you head off to enjoy all of your daydreaming and planning.
We hear all the time how athletes do this before any game or competition. They imagine themselves sinking that 3-point basket from half court or sinking a “hole in one.” As they prepare, they see themselves doing each move to perfection and then standing in front of the crowd with their trophy or a medal around their necks.
Visualization may apply to planning a great vacation and to winning athletic competitions. But can it help you succeed in business? Yes, I believe it can.
Did you hear about the Harvard Business School study where recent graduates were asked to write down their goals and then surveyed ten years later? The result of visualizing their success and writing down their goals was incredible. Graduates who had clear goals in mind were making two to ten times more money as their classmates who did not visualize or write down their goals. Well according to some this is a true story and according to others it is totally false. Either way, it does make sense that what we concentrate on most will manifest. Because as the saying goes, “be careful what you wish for, as it just might happen” can very well be the most powerful statement yet.
You probably have heard about “The Secret” and the powers of the Law of Attraction. Visualize it, feel it as if you have what you want, and before you know it, it shall be yours. True to some, hearsay to others, but isn’t it better to concentrate and “see” the positive things you want to happen in your life than the negatives.
I say “YES” absolutely…YES!
So why not put this strategy to work; do some “daydreaming.” Picture yourself there, feel yourself having it, engage yourself in the power of as if it were happening now.
Your Goals
Create a vivid image in your mind of what success means to you. Write down the answers to the following questions about your image of success:
• What will you be doing with your time?
• Who will your clients and customers be?
• How many clients and customers will you have?
• How much money will you be making?
• How much can you afford to give to your favorite cause(s)?
• What will your lifestyle be?
Your Objectives
You will need to identify a few specific marketing goals:
1. How many clients or customers do you want or will you need to be working with each month?
2. How many new clients do you want to add per month in order to bring in new clients?
3. How many prospects do you want to target each month?
4. How will you find them?
Your Marketing Strategy
You need a plan. Most small businesses owners struggle with this and don’t make a plan other than wanting their plan to be to make a lot of money. Making money is great, but how? Begin by asking yourself:
• What can I do to attract attention and prompt interest by potential customers?
• What can I do to increase the number of qualified leads I generate each month?
• How can I build the credibility of my company so customers will trust that we will deliver?
• How can I ensure they remember my company when they have a need and are ready to buy?
• What are the decisions potential customers need to make to become clients?
Your Marketing Tasks
Just having a marketing message, or an advertising campaign or a web site does not ensure you of anything. Each of these needs to achieve the specific goals and objectives that you have set. The best way to evaluate these efforts is from your prospects perspective. Ask yourself these questions:
1. What are my prospects concerns?
2. Are my marketing messages interesting to potential customers?
3. What would my response be to my own marketing calls?
4. Without mentioning the name of my business, its credentials or products, is what I provide clear to potential customers?
5. What do I want people to do when they visit my web site?
Just visualizing your success will not get you there over night, but it is an effective way to begin planning and seeing the big picture of what you can accomplish. Determine your marketing goals, your strategy, your objectives, and the tasks from this big picture and you will create a plan that will lead you to success.
Visualizing is VERY important, BUT writing down your goals is the key! By putting them down on paper, you will be giving your subconscious a clear vision of what you are wanting to accomplish and putting it out to the Universe. By visualizing it, writing it down and believing that you can accomplish your goals, the Laws of Attraction will take over, and anything is possible. Spend about 15 minutes each morning and about 15 minutes each evening “daydreaming” and seeing yourself in whatever place you want to be. Think it, believe it, live it.