Internet-Based Business Information Resource

THE MOST LUCRATIVE HOME BASED BIZ IS HERE!

2007-04-04T04:54:00.000-05:00

HELLO Guys. Welcome to a whole new season. I'll like to inform you about the latest gig in e-biz, the most reliable and most lucrative internet-based business. It is called FOREIGN EXCHANGE TRADE or FOREX or FX trade. It is 100% legal. However, it also involves constant education and practice
But not to worry, i'll keep u updated with the basics and gigs of fx. Don't think it's hard, it just involves simple common sense.

Stay updated with my subsequent post. Meet soonest

SUCCESS!

P.S Always do what is legal!

3 Key Tips for Starting a Business Blog

2006-10-26T13:34:00.000-05:00

Excited yet? You should be--blogging's not just a winning strategy, it's also a lot of fun! The beauty of blogging is that you can easily incorporate it into your daily schedule of tasks. You can even blog when you're on the road.
But what does it take to become a really successful blogger?
Great content: If your content isn't interesting and relevant to your target market, your blog won't work. It's as simple as that. You'll be surprised, however, how easy it is to find things to write about if you really put your mind to it. It could be news articles about your industry, product updates, interviews, personal insights into topics of importance to your target audience, and much more.
Regular updating: I won't lie to you: there are some days when I really find it hard to find the time to post a new article. But if I don't post, no one will come back. It's like subscribing to a daily newspaper but only getting a copy delivered now and then! So post often and your audience will keep coming back. And regularly adding fresh content to your blog also gives you a boost in the search engine rankings.
Your own distinct voice: It's important that you write in your own voice. A blog is no place for formality and corporate speak. It's more of a forum, a place where ideas can flourish and topics of current interest can be debated. You don't even need to be a brilliant writer; you just need to be able to relate to your audience and give them good content.

How You Can Use a Blog to Accelerate Online Success

2006-10-26T13:32:00.000-05:00

The fact is, blogs are no longer just online diaries of people's personal lives. Both online and offline businesses can use blogs to take their products and services to a wider audience, increasing their traffic, leads and sales.
Let's look more closely at a few of the extremely powerful ways your business can benefit from a blog. With an effective business blog, you can:
Humanize your business. Because a blog is much more informal than other websites, you can write posts in your own voice and give your business more of a human face. This helps reassure prospective customers that there's a "real person" behind the website who'll take care of their needs. It also allows you to inject much more of your own personality into your online business than your main sales site could do.
Improve your customer service. Your blog can act as a kind of interactive FAQ, allowing your customers to submit questions and you to answer them. You can also provide product updates, how-to articles, and other information of relevance to your customers. Prospective customers who see your blog will be encouraged by your commitment to good customer service.
Give your target market the information they're looking for. With its automatic archiving feature--by date and category--a blog is a fantastic content-management system. It's easy for you to post new information on a regular basis, and it's easy for your visitors to find the information they want. With a well-written, regularly updated blog, you can become a reliable resource in your industry and build a following of loyal readers who depend on your content. These people will be your best potential customers.
Drive traffic to your sales website. If you already have a website, a blog can give your traffic levels a real boost. For starters, your blog will attract new visitors that you can then redirect to your main sales website through links and special offers. But an even more effective technique is to use strategic keywords and links to specific sales pages to dramatically improve the search engine rankings of both your blog and your main website.
Build your credibility and establish yourself as an industry expert. You can give your credibility a real boost by regularly posting valuable and relevant information on your blog. It's a great way to establish yourself as an expert in your subject area, and allow your visitors to feel much more comfortable buying from you.
Promote your products or services. You can actually sell products directly from a blog, or you can use your blog to mention new products and direct visitors to your sales website.
Generate extra income. There are now several advertising programs available, such as Google AdSense, that allow you to monetize your blog and generate an extra revenue stream.

How to Harness the Marketing Power of Blogs

2006-10-26T13:30:00.000-05:00

I'm sure you've heard about one of the biggest things to hit the web in the last few years: blogging.
A "blog" (derived from the term "web log") is basically just a website with two key differences: First, it's extremely easy to add information to it. A blog is like an online journal, so you just log in, type what happened today, post it, and you're done! Second, you can add a simple little feature that automatically tells a whole bunch of other websites that you've made an update to your blog--every time you make a change.
However, what you may not know is that a blog can also be a very powerful marketing tool for your business, and some people actually earn an income just from blogging alone.
The fact is, blogging is fast becoming an extremely important strategy for any online marketer. An effective blog can:
drive swarms of traffic to your main website,
generate more product sales,
create an additional stream of advertising income,
be a great customer service tool,
and much more!
Blogs have an informal, conversational style, and readers can join in by commenting on each post. Blogs can be chatty, informative, opinionated and often humorous, and it's this "human" aspect of blogs that draws many people to them.
But the best part about blogs is how accessible they are to everyone. Blogs are free (or very inexpensive) to set up using services like Bloggeror TypePad. They're also easy to use (you can literally create your own blog in less than five minutes) and easy to promote with all the new tools and resources that have been created specifically for blogs.

Harnessing the Power of Email Marketing

2006-09-28T08:54:00.000-05:00

Given the inherent problems with traditional marketing
techniques, it`s important to master the BASIC STRATEGIES
FOR INTEGRATING EMAIL into your overall campaign.

As I`ve just shown you, sending out an EMAIL CAN BE MUCH
CHEAPER than other marketing methods. Proceed with caution,
however. Email can also cost you a fortune -- in lost
opportunities AND cold hard cash -- IF you don`t know the
basics.

So that`s where we`re going to start.

First, always keep in mind that your "primary objective".
the master key that unlocks your "Success Vault" in Internet
Marketing is to build your mailing list - your EMAIL MAILING
LIST. (Often referred to as your "In-house list.")

The addresses you collect are going to mean the difference
between the middle-of-the-road results that Average Joe and
Jane are achieving and the through-the-roof, over-the-top,
to-the-moon-and-back MEGA-success that top online sellers
achieve. (The difference really is that dramatic.) So
don`t miss the boat: The time is NOW to start building your
list of email addresses (prospects).

REVIEW
You can begin to grow your list simply by capturing emails
from people who visit your website, as we have already
discussed in a previous lesson.

=> Pop Quiz: What`s the easiest way to convince people to
give you their email address? (Answer: Offer an
irresistible freebie with a sign-up form on your site or in
a pop-up box, drive traffic to your site, and watch as
people start entering their email address. Don`t have a
freebie? Get a good one from the Empowerism treasure
chest!)

Okay, so now you`re "in the groove". you`re capturing
people`s emails like crazy. But if you`re just sitting
there - well, you know the old saying, "Even if you`re on
the right track, you`ll get run over if you just sit there."

So what next?

-- Let me take a moment from telling how to build your email
list to remind you why. It`s been said that - YOU CAN GET
RICH WITH AN EMAIL LIST OF JUST 1000 PEOPLE!
Think about that. Then stop thinking and get going on
new ways to capture and keep email addresses.

(By the way, if you haven`t already "gotten with the
program" yet, I wanted to remind you that EMPOWERISM RSVP
presents an unparalleled opportunity for you to build a
mountain of wealth with a leads-buying program that rewards
you quickly and generously).

GIVE `TIL IT HURTS!
If you want to keep getting addresses, start giving stuff
away! Give, give, and keep finding more things to give! And
since you can`t send a TOASTER through email, why not give
the far more valuable -- and far more affordable for you --
INFORMATION PRODUCTS, business tools, and expert
advice - maybe even a no-cost/obligation email marketing
course like this one!

DRIP, DRIP, DRIP.
You`ll want to have a series of letters already set up so
that they can be "dripped" on your prospects on a regular
basis. Send a message daily, every other day, or on
whatever schedule suits you best, but make contact AT LEAST
EVERY 7 DAYS.

If you`re not confident in your writing skills, you have two
choices: you can hire a professional to write the letters
for you or you can use a system already set up with letters
to help you build your email list. (I suppose the third
choice is to just give up and bury your heard in the sand,
but that`s no way to make a million!)

5 Choices Warren Buffett Made To Change The Marketplace And The World

2006-09-24T02:43:00.000-05:00

Warren Buffett made headlines when he gave most of his fortune away to The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. His gift sparked conversations and became the number one story around the world.

Here are 5 choices Warren Buffett made to change the marketplace and the world.

1. Warren Buffett chose to build lives, not family dynasties.
Warren Buffett called inherited wealth, "food stamps for the rich." He also said not to give your children too little that they can't do anything. Don't give them too much that they do nothing.
Warren Buffett did give his children a substantial amount, but nothing near the 30 billion that The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation received. His focus was on the potential impact his gift could make to transform lives.

You, too, are responsible for leaving an inheritance to your children and "your children's children." However, you should also focus on ways to impact others beyond your intimate circle. How are you using your skills or tools in the marketplace to transform lives with the time and resources you have been given?

2. Warren Buffett chose to lift up others and remain in the background.
After giving away 30 billion dollars, Buffett did not ask the Gates to have a foundation named after him. Instead, he chose to have his investment speak through the lives of those who would benefit from his gift.

Let others speak well of you in the marketplace. A good name is to be chosen above riches. What are others 'testifying' about you in the marketplace?

3. Warren Buffett chose to give more to someone who had much.
Bill Gates did not 'need' the money.
In the late 1990's, Bill Gates stated that he expected to retire around 2007 to focus on how to give his money away.

Warren Buffett remarked at that time, "He (Bill Gates) will spend time at some point thinking about the impact his philanthropy can have. He is too imaginative to just do conventional gifts."
In the parable of the talents, one additional talent was given to the servant who had five talents because he knew how to increase what he had been given to benefit others.
When you reach the place of acquiring the goals you set for yourself, will you forget your responsibility to others? Will you sow into the lives of others as an ambassador of goodwill? Will your possessions possess you or will you possess them to transform your world?

Do you have to wait until someday? What can you do today with what you have been given? Your contribution is based on your ability, not the quantity.

4. Warren Buffett chose to leave a living legacy.
Warren Buffett has the pleasure of seeing how his wealth can benefit more lives than he ever thought possible by partnering with someone with vision, the commitment and track record to carry it out.

Who are your partners in the marketplace? How can you work together so that others see what is possible for their lives by looking at you?

5. Warren Buffett chose to believe that when he gave abundantly, he still had more than enough to live out his days wealthy and joyfully.

Warren Buffett counted the cost and gave joyfully. It is reported that his goal is to give away 85% of his estimated 44 billion dollar wealth. Those who give generously will always have more to give in the future.

The Creator continuously gives seed to the sower. What you produce provides for the needs of the receiver, a continuous supply to you, the giver and gives honor to the Source of all blessings.
Warren Buffett got the world's attention by doing an unconventional thing in the marketplace-giving the bulk of his wealth away joyfully.

What unconventional thing are you doing to get 'your world's' attention? The marketplace is ready to receive the gift that only you can give.

Robin Kegler, the Wearing The Right C.A.P. Coach, is a Speaker, Author and Trainer. She helps you have more personal fulfillment and success at work by putting the right people, in the right place, doing the right assignment. Robin is Creator of the Wearing The Right C.A.P. System and PAGS Assessment. For more information about her coaching programs, how to articles, tips and FREE CD, "How To Know Where You Fit, Will Prosper and Have More Fulfillment in the Marketplace In Days...Not Weeks", visit http://www.wearingtherightcapatwork.com

2006-09-24T02:41:00.000-05:00

7 Wise Ways to Collect Email Addresses and Build Your
Mailing List
==========================================
=> Wise Way #1 - OFFER A FREEBIE
You have to give in order to get. If you want people to
offer up their email address, you`re going to have to offer
up an incentive. Nothing works better than something that`s
complimentary (you spell that F-R-E-E). You can give away
no-cost reports, books, software, or even sample pages of a
book.
-Word to the Wise: Our Empowerism subscribers use
complimentary subscriptions to our "Excellence Magazine" and
ebook giveaways to grow their lists. Works like a charm.
=> Wise Way #2 - USE POP-UPS
Pop-ups are one of the most common methods you can use to
capture email addresses and build your email list
quickly and with ease. Simply construct a web page
containing code for a form and set the page to open (pop up)
when visitors ENTER OR EXIT your site.
Make sure the pop-up offer is something that`s valuable
enough to motivate visitors to take time to give you their
contact information. Your offer can be a complimentary
report, download, or ebook that arrives instantly through
your autoresponder to their email inbox when they give you
their email.
-Word to the Wise: If you need a pop-up, you can pick one
up F-R-E-E (there`s that word again) from Empowerism
-Son of Word to the Wise: "Instant" is a very powerful
pop-up offer.
=> Wise Way #3 - USE POSTCARDS
If you have a mailing list that contains snail mail (street)
addresses, convert it into an email list by sending out a
postcard and inviting people to VISIT YOUR WEBSITE to
receive a gift of some kind -- a report, a discount coupon,
etc. Visitors don`t have to pay in order to receive their
gifts, they simply need to enter an email address.
-A Word to the Wise from the U.S. Post Office: Postage is
much less expensive for a postcard than a standard-size
letter. (Not only are they economical, postcards are more
likely to get your message across since the consumer doesn`t
have to open an envelope.)
=> Wise Way #4 - SUBSCRIBER BOX ON EVERY PAGE
This is a clever trick that so many people overlook. Put a
RESPONSE FORM ON EVERY PAGE of your website offering a
newsletter or other freebie. This will increase the number
of email addresses you capture exponentially.
Why? When search engines index the pages of your website, a
visitor may come directly to a page other than your home
page. If you only have a subscriber box on your home page,
you`re missing the boat, not to mention the thousands of
visitors who bypass your homepage.
-A Word to the Wise: If you don`t know how to create an
opt-in form, no worries. Empowerism has a foolproof `build
your own` tool made just for you!
=> Wise Way #5 - CONTESTS
Contests very often prove to be a good way to generate
traffic and buzz for your business. Create a contest and put
a form on your site or in a pop-up box. The entry "fee" is
their email address.
-Word to the Wise: Not all the people who sign up for your
contest are good prospects. Many are just contest
"junkies" -- people who are only looking for freebies and
have no intention of buying a product or service.
-Warning to the Wise: If your prizes are cash or
large-ticket items, you should be sure to check with local
agencies to make sure you`re not violating any contest laws.
=> Wise Way #6 - DISPLAY YOUR AUTORESPONDER ADDRESS
Most people give their website link when they place solo
ads, ezine ads, or other marketing messages. To be one step
ahead of the game in collecting email addresses, LIST YOUR
AUTORESPONDER ADDRESS instead of your URL. This way you can
capture email address and funnel them into your follow-up
sales letters.
-Word to the Wise: Don`t have an autoresponder? Empowerism
will give you one, provide you with signposts to others, and
make sure you know exactly what to look for to find the
"pick of the litter."
-Word from our "Sponsor": Autoresponders you can use are
just one sample of the incredible resources you can depend
on when you`re a member of the Empowerism family. Our
tools, information, and especially the Empowerism RSVP --
Revenue Sharing Value Program -- are all designed to
generate BIG bucks with LITTLE effort.
=> Wise Way #7 - JUST ASK
If you`re chatting with a prospect on the phone or a
potential customer stops by your place of business, don`t be
shy: ask for an email address or business card (which
usually includes their email address).
Okay, you know what you want...you know what you need. It`s
time for you to set your traps and CAPTURE THOSE EMAILS!

2006-09-24T02:33:00.000-05:00

How To Make Money OnlineWithout Selling Anything!by Jeff Cohen

You don't have to sell anything to make money from a niche website. You read that correctly, no e-book, software program, online service or physical product required... Just a website!
The search engine giant Google has developed a pay per click advertising system of their own which allows you to place their advertisements on your web pages. If a visitor to your web page clicks on one of these advertisements, you get paid a percentage of the pay per click value.
This system known as Google Adsense is a quick and easy way for webmasters to monetize their website's content pages and earn money from visitors to their website. What makes this system so powerful is that Google uses a special algorithm to determine the theme of each page and then only displays advertisements matching that theme.
The other side of the Google pay per click system is known as Google AdWords. Products owners who wish to promote their wares, open memberships in Google AdWords and create advertising campaigns based on keywords which are regularly searched for by people using the search engines. These advertisements appear in two different locations:
1) They appear on the Google search results page as "Sponsored Links" when the keywords searched for by the web surfer match those that the Adsense member included with their advertisement.
2) On any web page which has incorporated the Google Adsense code they appear as "Ads by Goooogle" when the theme of the web page matches the keywords the Adsense member used for their advertisement.
When one of these advertisements is clicked by a web surfer, the advertiser (Adwords member) is charged the amount they bid on the keyword and the webmaster (Adsense member) is credited with a percentage of the bid amount.
Due to the size of the internet and the shear number of people advertising with Google Adsense, there is a wide range of topics available for webmasters to capitalize on by creating websites based on those topics, but structured specifically to earn money through Google Adsense.
The golden rule for an "Adsense Site" is to limit the options any visitor has when they arrive at a web page to the following:
1) Click a Google Adsense Advertisement for more information.
2) Leave the website by clicking the back button or closing the browser.
3) Clicking to another page on the website which displays more Google Adsense ads. This last option must be made as difficult as possible by not displaying the website menu in any normal or anticipated position.
The key to getting people to click on an AdWords advertisement for more information and not clicking the back button is a bit of a tightrope act... Basically you have to provide just enough information to wet the visitor's appetite so they are eager to carry on searching, but not too little that they get annoyed because of a lack of information and the resulting feeling they've wasted their time.
From your point of view you don't want to spend all that time and effort building a website and getting a reasonable flow of visitors through it, and only earning a couple of cents when people click on your Google Advertisements.
Clearly you need to do a little research before hand and discover which topics and related keywords or phrases cost the most for an Adwords member to bid on. For example, anybody who wants to promote an internet marketing related product using Google Adwords had better be prepared to pay dearly for the more popular keywords.
The downside of building an "Adsense Site" on an expensive theme is there is so much competition for the popular keywords, that you will have to be a search engine optimization wizard to get the search engine rankings required to generate enough traffic to your website.
The key is to find keywords or phrases that people regularly search for but which do not have much competition from other websites on similar themes. You will not get much website traffic from these little known keywords, so you will need to uncover a lot more of them to make up the difference.
Once you have built your website and got the right balance between keyword value, popularity and competition, your website will earn a nice steady passive income from Google Adsense with very little additional effort on your part.

2006-09-24T02:31:00.000-05:00

Creating an Effective Business Plan
This workshop will help you create a business plan to guide your business through the start-up or growth phase, a search for capital, or any other endeavor your small business undertakes.

We've distilled the typical business plan into seven key elements listed below. For each and every element you will find a description, instructions for creation, for many, tips for avoiding common pitfalls. But reading about something isn't always enough, so we have also provided "Toolboxes" full of samples, worksheets, and glossaries that will clarify and walk you through the process.

To make sure you are ready to create the best possible plan for your business you can experiment on someone else's business! In the Try It Yourself section you have an opportunity to test your skills on a fictional business plan and be rated on how prepared you are to create your own.

If at any time along the way you have questions, check the FAQs.

Introductory Elements

Business Description

The Market

Development & Production

Sales & Marketing

Management

Financials

2006-09-24T02:29:00.000-05:00

Effective Competitive Analysis
For your small business to succeed, you need to know almost as much about your competitors as you do about your own company and customers. Unfortunately, many small business owners make the mistake of waiting until a competitor has opened up shop across the street and is cutting into profits to find out who and what they're up against.

A competitive analysis allows you to identify your competitors and evaluate their respective strengths and weaknesses. By knowing the actions of your competitors, you will have a better understanding of what products or services you should offer; how you can market them effectively; and how you can position your business.

Competitive analysis is an ongoing process. You should always be gathering information about your competitors. Look at their Web sites. Read their product literature and brochures. Get your hands on their products. See how they present themselves at trade shows. Read about them in your industry's trade publications. Talk to your customers to see how they feel about competitive products or services.
How to analyze your competitors:
Step 1: Identify your competition
Step 2: Analyze strengths and weaknesses
Step 3: Look at opportunities and threats
Step 4: Determine your position.

Step 1: Identify your competition
Every business has competitors, and you need to take the time to discern who your customers can approach to get a product or service that fills the same need as yours does. Even if your product or service is truly innovative, you need to look at what else your customers would purchase to accomplish this task. For example, you may be opening a Website that offers online Bingo. Your competition would be other Bingo sites, other Web gaming sites, the Bingo hall down the street, and any other businesses that are competing for the same leisure-time dollars.
Begin by looking at your primary competitors. These are the market leaders, the companies who currently dominate your market. They are probably the ones who you find yourself bumping up against in your search for new customers. If you're a florist, it would be other florists in your neighborhood. If you're a computer consultant, it would be other consultants with the same specialty.
Next, look for your secondary and indirect competitors. These are the businesses who may not go head-to-head with you, but who are targeting the same general market. Sticking with the florist example, it might be a small local roses-only store, a national floral delivery service, or the flower/plant department of your local supermarket or discount store..
Finally, look at potential competitors. These are companies who might be moving into your market and who you need to prepare to compete against. For example, you might have an independent frozen yogurt stand; you will need to prepare to compete against national frozen yogurt franchises, even if they are not yet in your market.
Step 2: Analyze strengths and weaknesses
After you've figured out who your competitors are, determine their strengths and find out what their vulnerabilities are. Why do customers buy from them. Is it price? value? service? convenience? reputation? Focus as much on "perceived" strengths and weaknesses as you do on actual ones. This is because customer perception may actually be more important than reality.
It's a good idea to do this strengths/weaknesses analysis in table form. Write down the names of each of your competitors. Then set up columns listing every important category for your line of business (price, value, service, location, reputation, expertise, convenience, personnel, advertising/marketing, or whatever else is appropriate to your type of company). Once you have this table set, rate your competitors, and be sure to put in comments as to why you've given them that rating. You might even want to put strengths in red and weaknesses in blue, so you can tell at a glance where each competitor stands.
Step 3: Look at opportunities and threats
Strengths and weaknesses are often factors that are under a company's control. But when you're looking at your competition, you also need to examine how well prepared they are to deal with factors outside their control. These are called opportunities and threats.
Opportunities and threats fall into a wide range of categories. It might be technological developments, regulatory or legal action, economic factors, or even a possible new competitor. For example, a photo developing store needs to know how well its competitors are prepared to deal with the advent of digital photography. Or a company that sells over the Web should analyze how its competitors are prepared to deal with online security issues.
Again, an effective way to do this is to create a table listing your competitors and the outside factors that will impact your industry. You will then be able to tell how they can deal with opportunities and threats.
Step 4. Determine your position
Once you figure out what your competitors' strengths and weaknesses are, you need to determine where to position your company vis a vis the competition. Some of this may be obvious from the results of your analysis, but it also pays to take a hard look at how your business operates.
One of the most effective ways to do this is to create a strengths/weaknesses opportunities/threats analysis of your business. Rank your company in the same categories that you ranked your competitors. This will give you an even clearer picture of where your business fits in the competitive environment. It will also help you determine what areas you need to improve, and what characteristics of your business you should take advantage of to gain more customers.
The bottom line: look for ways to leverage your strengths and take advantage of your competitors' weaknesses.

2006-09-24T02:24:00.000-05:00

Common Startup Mistakes
For most people, starting a business is an exciting time during which they are invigorated by the possibility of success and the fun of tackling new challenges. It is also a time to make lots of mistakes!
Many of the mistakes entrepreneurs make during the start-up phase can be avoided. One of the best ways to steer clear of foibles is to talk to established business owners about what they learned during the process. Ask your attorney or accountant for referrals to business owners who have relevant experience and attend trade association meetings and talk to people in the industry you are entering.
No matter how much research and preparation you do, you will make mistakes when you start a business, but the common errors listed here may help you avoid a few.
Common mistakes include:
Incorporating too quickly
The first step for many people when they launch a business is to file with the state office of incorporation. While incorporating is an appropriate step for many businesses, it pays to wait until your business idea is well formed before taking the plunge. The reason: the concept of your business and therefore the name is likely to change during the first few months of operation.

Not researching the market
A frequently overlooked component of business start up is determining whether the target market for your product or service will buy from you. The best way to derive the answer to this question is to ask them. Arrange to speak to as many of your potential customers as possible. Questions to ask include: Would you buy my product or service? Where do you currently obtain this product or service? How much would you be willing to pay for it? What do you like/dislike about your current provider? Where would you look for this product or service when you need it?

Wanting to over-use an attorney

Attorneys' hourly fees add up extremely quickly and newly-minted business owners are often shocked by their first few legal bills. The temptation when you start is to involve your attorney in all aspects of your business for counsel and drafting of documents. Many business owners quickly learn that it pays to do your own research, draft your own documents, and call on the expertise of your attorney to refine your work.

Spending too much money on office space and decorations

A nice office and great computer equipment make many entrepreneurs feel as though their dream of entrepreneurism is coming true. While one of the pleasures of launching a business is setting up an office that you are proud of, expensive trappings have put many businesses out of business before they got off the ground.

2006-09-24T02:19:00.000-05:00

How Do I Come Up With a Winning Business Idea?
Adapted from content excerpted from the American Express® OPEN Small Business Network
Developing a business idea is a matter of creating a vision, leveraging your strengths and determining what the market needs. These three steps should get you started.
· Create a vision
· Determine what you're good at and what you like to do
· Figure out what the market needs
Create a vision
Close your eyes for a few minutes and conjure up a detailed image of what you want your life to look like in 5 years. Be as specific as possible.
· Where do you live?
· How do you spend your days?
· What kind of work do you do?
· Do you work alone or with other people?
· Who are you surrounded by?
· What do you do when you aren't working?
Don't limit yourself to these questions; create a vivid vision of yourself, touching on things that are important to you. These are all personal issues that will impact the type of business you pursue - being a city or country person; wanting to travel or sit at your computer; liking to meet people or work on the phone. This activity will help you create a foundation for choosing a business, making business decisions, and setting clear goals.
It is best to do this exercise with someone else and share your vision. If you can't, write it down to make your vision more concrete.
[Back to top]
Determine what you're good at and what you like to do
It's often useful to look inside yourself to figure out what you like and dislike, and where your talents lie. It's one thing to come up with a winning business idea. It's another to come up with one that fits your skill set and interests you. Your business has to keep you excited so you can thrive over the long haul.
One of the best ways to do this is to make three separate lists:
List 1: What you're good at Everyone is good at something and many skills can be the foundation for a business. You might be naturally organized or have a knack for fixing things. You may be so used to your skills that they don't immediately come to mind, so assemble this list by observing yourself for a few weeks with an eye out for your aptitudes and by asking people who know you well for their impressions of what you excel at.
List 2: Skills you've acquired over the years Whether or not you've worked in a conventional environment, you no doubt have accumulated many. Write down all the work responsibilities you've had; think about the varied tasks you know how to complete. Make sure this list is complete -- there should be at least 10 distinct items.
List 3: Things you like to do List the things you enjoy doing. This may not be as easy as it sounds. This list should be at least 10 items long. Stretch beyond your hobbies and interests that spring to mind immediately. If you're stymied, ask people who have known you for a long time -- particularly people who knew you as a kid -- what they have seen you doing when you're happiest.
Keep these three lists in an accessible place (for instance on your desk) for several weeks, and every time an idea comes to you, jot it down in the proper category. Ask people who know you well for their input or to help you jog your memory.
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Figure out what the market needs
So far, you've been looking inward to come up with your business idea. Now its time to look outward to discover an unfilled need that you can meet with your product or service.
There are plenty of "Top 10" or "Hot New" business lists out there. These may stimulate some ideas, but the best business ideas will come from you and will be based on who you are and what the market is looking for. So while you're doing your soul searching and list making, put up your antenna and look out for business opportunities.
The attached worksheet is designed to help you come up with ideas. Don't be afraid to be outlandish and don't be discouraged if your first few ideas are flawed. Put them aside and keep working.

So, you are thinking of building your own online business? The idea of running your own business on the Net is a right decision. It will bring you a sense of independence and accomplishment and you will be the boss. Now, you can experience that pride of ownership you have always craved. But you need to understand what it takes to be an online entrepreneur (a netpreneur, that is) and how different it is from doing business offline, even though there are fundamental similarities between the two.
*What Makes Online Business tick? *
Consumers often buy on the Internet for four reasons, which have come to be known as the 4Cs:
Convenience: You can visit a website and order from among thousands of displayed products without going through the hassles of traffic or standing in store checkout lines.
Choice: Consumers can avail themselves of numerous websites for almost any product or service, compare prices and quality levels and pick the right choice.
Customization: Do you remember that e-mail from a book club (to which you subscribed only a few days ago) began with "Hi, your first name"? Online marketers often target and customize their messages, such that customization of marketing replaces anonymous transactions. Such customization has the potential of growing into more interactive relationships with consumers, which are built over time. Beyond this, consumers also sometimes have the opportunity to customize products, services and experiences for themselves, when they buy on the Net.
Control: Online transactions have been known to give consumers control over the purchase decision process. For instance, you may decide to either click on the "yes, sign me on" tab on a pop up window, or the "No, thanks" option and continue with your shopping on the Net. Consumers, like never before, can make purchase decisions on their own terms and conditions.
Add these to the fact that the Internet is all about millions of computers wired to one another across the world with people hunched up in front of monitors, trying to find information or buy something they need most at that time and you have one of the biggest markets ever imagined, at your feet. Again, when you consider the opportunity of receiving instant payment for your products or services on the Net, you may need to ask why you never considered setting up your own online business, all this while. But wait a minute…
*You need a Roadmap*
Yes. After all, you wouldn’t travel to a city the first time, without preparing yourself with a map to guide you through. Putting a business plan together for your new online venture is not only important, but also necessary.
Not necessarily an expansive hundred page treatise that looks like the "7 Immutable Laws of Evolution", your business plan should be brief, easy to understand and flexible enough to adapt on a day-to-day basis, to the changing culture of the internet.
Remember Intel’s first business plan was on one page and Sun MicroSystems’ was just three pages. Your business plan should basically answer the following questions:
Where Am I now? This will include some background on your saleable talent, product or service (e.g. if you know a lot about public speaking, your best bet may be to establish an online business that teaches people, including business executives, how to make effective public speeches). Apart from a checklist of your strengths, you should also consider your weaknesses. If you cannot build your own website, for instance, you may need to hire a Webmaster. Other factors you need to consider here include competition. How many online businesses are selling the kind of product you want to sell, how have they been going about it, how large is the market and how can you differentiate your own offering? Again, what opportunities and threats are there in the market right now? If you find out that a particular segment of consumers are not presently being well serviced by your competitors, this is an opportunity within the market and it means you should target that segment. On the other hand, the increasing prices of courier services could be a threat (which may eventually affect your pricing and profitability), especially if your online business has to deliver physical products (such as Audio CD ROMs, e.t.c.) to customers by courier. This may inform changing your initial distribution strategy by making such product downloadable to a customer’s PC.
Where do I want to go? In other words, what are the goals of your online business? This should be a clear, concise statement of where you are headed. It should state where your online business would be in 3-5 years time. Your objectives should always be measurable and quantifiable. They should state what you are trying to achieve, such as to achieve a minimum sales target of ABC and a profit of XYZ, every year.
How do I get there? You need to consider which customers you will target and how. How much do you need to set up a website, what kind of website is most suitable for your kind of business and which Webmaster will you hire? How do you process orders, payment and delivery to customers?
In all, your business plan should contain a description of the business, a marketing plan, a financial management plan and an operational plan. If you need help writing a business plan, help yourself with some tips at www.bcentral.com/articles/businessplan .
*You can Sell Anything*
You’d better believe it. The Internet offers tremendous opportunities and advantages to anyone who has a quality product, service or business idea, as long as he is willing to invest some time, effort and, maybe, money.
You can sell anything on the Net that can be of value to other people. This includes your knowledge, life experience, specialized interest or hobby, which can be packaged into an information product such as an e-book, for other people to buy. Don’t forget people are constantly looking for information to improve their lives and businesses, or just to reassure them that they are not alone in their downside moments.
Again, apart from selling your own products or services, you can sell other people’s information products or software, by becoming an affiliate marketer.
As an affiliate, you earn commissions by sending (or referring) prospects to a merchant’s website, that you are representing. If they make any purchases, the merchant pays you a commission. Affiliate Marketing has been described as the easiest way to make an entry into online business. You can build your business in no time and at minimal risk, by becoming the middleman between prospects and a merchant. This is done by marketing the merchant’s product and driving customer traffic to his website. The merchant does the rest. He supplies every other thing like excellent products, order and credit card processing, delivery, e.t.c.
Even when you sell your own products, you can always expand the scope of your business and increase earnings by making use of affiliates who will help do the marketing bit and drive constant traffic to your website. Unfortunately, a lot of netpreneurs do not exploit this fantastic opportunity.

2006-09-24T02:18:00.000-05:00

8 Opt-In Offers Your Visitors Can’t Refuse
Look beyond newsletters in your online marketing efforts to find customers for your e-mail list.
By Derek Gehl
These days, consumers know that their personal information is gold, and they won't give it to you unless you give them a really compelling reason to opt in to your list. And it’s definitely worth your while to give them the incentive because a good opt-in e-mail list will start generating profits for you immediately--and continue to do so well into the future.
Your opt-in incentive should:
Offer specific benefits
Relate to the reason people are visiting your site in the first place
Give visitors a reason to look forward to your e-mails or keep returning to your site
There are tons of different incentives you can use to encourage people to give you their personal information, but not every offer will suit every website or business.
Most people think of newsletters right off the bat, for instance. But for some businesses, a free newsletter just won’t work. Suppose, for example, that your site sells washers and dryers. You're going to be hard pressed to come up with interesting, relevant information about laundry for your free newsletter every month.
Before you start a newsletter, think about how much relevant information you can deliver to your audience and how much time you have to put it together so it can be delivered regularly. If it turns out that a newsletter isn't a good fit for your business, here are eight other ways to collect your prospects' e-mail addresses:
1. Offer a free course.If you have a lot of know-how in your field, you can turn your "expert" status into a free multipart course. Ask yourself what kind of information visitors are seeking when they come to your site and what you can teach them.
Your course can contain text, audio, graphics--even video--whatever suits the material you're delivering. Just send your subscribers a link to the web page where your course can be found. Unlike e-mail, your website doesn't put any restrictions on how much rich media you can feature.
Once you’ve developed the course, you can use delayed autoresponders to e-mail it to your subscribers at specified intervals, exposing them to your business and your offer repeatedly. And the best part is, you’re contacting them with information they’ve specifically requested.2. Offer a free e-book.An e-book doesn't need to be hundreds of pages long to be useful. An information-packed e-book can be as short as eight to 10 pages and still provide major value for your opt-in subscribers.
You can also make your e-book viral by encouraging your customers to send your e-book to others. Your message can spread like wildfire--and help you attract tons of highly targeted, potential customers.3. Offer downloadable articles.If your site contains a lot of useful, original, content-rich articles, one of the best ways to collect e-mail addresses is to require that visitors to your site opt in to your list if they want to download those articles in full.
As long as you offer useful information and as long as the downloadable articles contain something that people can't get for free in the version you've posted on your site, you can expect to get a ton of sign-ups using this strategy.
Now maybe you're not comfortable writing, or your business isn't suited to a written opt-in incentive. The following opt-in offers don't require much writing at all:4. Offer other "downloadables."Articles aren't the only items you can offer for download on your website. Why not offer e-cards, screen savers, desktop wallpapers or templates that your visitors can use in exchange for their opt-in information?
For instance, if you sell books about pet care, you can offer e-cards or printable greeting cards with photos of cute animals. Or if you sell beach home rentals, you could easily create a screen saver with pictures of some of your most beautiful destinations.
You can even offer a free monthly subscription or members-only area for these special items.
5. Offer a regular contest, puzzle or game.Depending on the kind of business you run, there’s a multitude of different options for this type of opt-in incentive. Some examples include:
A contest to win one of your products. But remember, don't offer to give away the primary product you sell. People will enter the contest hoping to win--and leave your site without considering an actual purchase.
A contest to win an item (or a coupon for a percentage off an item) related to your product. Say you sell party favors--hats, toys and streamers. You could hold a contest to win a free birthday cake from a bakery in your area or a coupon for a party rental place.
A weekly puzzle, game or quiz. The type of puzzle is up to you. You can set it up as a contest and draw a name from the winning entries to award a prize, or you can require that people give you their opt-in information to get the answer.
6. Take a survey.Surveys give you a good excuse to appear in relevant newsgroups, forums or related newsletters and provide a link to the survey page on your website. Let participants know you’ll send them the results if they give you their name and e-mail address. Because participants have to come to your site to fill out the survey, you should be able to take advantage of all that new traffic and generate a significant number of new opt-ins. 7. Offer a members-only forum or discussion board.Members-only forums and discussion boards can be a major draw for people in niche markets. You can step in and provide a place where like-minded people meet and discuss their hobbies or their concerns.
Besides attracting opt-ins, this will also give you a great opportunity to learn more about your customers and what kinds of products or services you can develop to further meet their needs--and grow your business. You'll need to establish some community rules and moderate the forum, but in the meantime, your subscribers will be creating valuable content for you.
8. Offer members-only specials.One of the easiest ways to encourage visitors to opt in with their personal information is to offer them a chance to save money. It can be as simple as something like this: "Do you want to receive our special MEMBERS-ONLY offers? Every month we bring exclusive deals to our subscribers that you can't get anywhere else! To start saving now, just sign up below." This is a great way to drive opt-ins and sales and to make your potential customers feel appreciated before they even buy your products.
There are many different opt-in incentives available--you just need to apply a little creativity to choose the one that's right for you and your target market. The first step in creating a solid opt-in strategy is to consider the people you want to opt in to your list. Just as the best businesses are created in response to the needs of a specific niche market, so are the best opt-in offers. With some customizing, any one of these ideas could build you a highly targeted opt-in list.

Derek Gehl is Entrepreneur.com's "E-Business" columnist and the CEO of the Internet Marketing Center, an internet marketing firm that has helped thousands of people learn to start and run their own

2006-09-24T02:14:00.000-05:00

8 Opt-In Offers Your Visitors Can’t Refuse

Look beyond newsletters in your online marketing efforts to find customers for your e-mail list.
By Derek Gehl

These days, consumers know that their personal information is gold, and they won't give it to you unless you give them a really compelling reason to opt in to your list. And it’s definitely worth your while to give them the incentive because a good opt-in e-mail list will start generating profits for you immediately--and continue to do so well into the future.
Your opt-in incentive should:
Offer specific benefits
Relate to the reason people are visiting your site in the first place
Give visitors a reason to look forward to your e-mails or keep returning to your site
There are tons of different incentives you can use to encourage people to give you their personal information, but not every offer will suit every website or business.
Most people think of newsletters right off the bat, for instance. But for some businesses, a free newsletter just won’t work. Suppose, for example, that your site sells washers and dryers. You're going to be hard pressed to come up with interesting, relevant information about laundry for your free newsletter every month.
Before you start a newsletter, think about how much relevant information you can deliver to your audience and how much time you have to put it together so it can be delivered regularly. If it turns out that a newsletter isn't a good fit for your business, here are eight other ways to collect your prospects' e-mail addresses:
1. Offer a free course.If you have a lot of know-how in your field, you can turn your "expert" status into a free multipart course. Ask yourself what kind of information visitors are seeking when they come to your site and what you can teach them.
Your course can contain text, audio, graphics--even video--whatever suits the material you're delivering. Just send your subscribers a link to the web page where your course can be found. Unlike e-mail, your website doesn't put any restrictions on how much rich media you can feature.
Once you’ve developed the course, you can use delayed autoresponders to e-mail it to your subscribers at specified intervals, exposing them to your business and your offer repeatedly. And the best part is, you’re contacting them with information they’ve specifically requested.2. Offer a free e-book.An e-book doesn't need to be hundreds of pages long to be useful. An information-packed e-book can be as short as eight to 10 pages and still provide major value for your opt-in subscribers.
You can also make your e-book viral by encouraging your customers to send your e-book to others. Your message can spread like wildfire--and help you attract tons of highly targeted, potential customers.3. Offer downloadable articles.If your site contains a lot of useful, original, content-rich articles, one of the best ways to collect e-mail addresses is to require that visitors to your site opt in to your list if they want to download those articles in full.
As long as you offer useful information and as long as the downloadable articles contain something that people can't get for free in the version you've posted on your site, you can expect to get a ton of sign-ups using this strategy.
Now maybe you're not comfortable writing, or your business isn't suited to a written opt-in incentive. The following opt-in offers don't require much writing at all:4. Offer other "downloadables."Articles aren't the only items you can offer for download on your website. Why not offer e-cards, screen savers, desktop wallpapers or templates that your visitors can use in exchange for their opt-in information?
For instance, if you sell books about pet care, you can offer e-cards or printable greeting cards with photos of cute animals. Or if you sell beach home rentals, you could easily create a screen saver with pictures of some of your most beautiful destinations.
You can even offer a free monthly subscription or members-only area for these special items.
5. Offer a regular contest, puzzle or game.Depending on the kind of business you run, there’s a multitude of different options for this type of opt-in incentive. Some examples include:
A contest to win one of your products. But remember, don't offer to give away the primary product you sell. People will enter the contest hoping to win--and leave your site without considering an actual purchase.
A contest to win an item (or a coupon for a percentage off an item) related to your product. Say you sell party favors--hats, toys and streamers. You could hold a contest to win a free birthday cake from a bakery in your area or a coupon for a party rental place.
A weekly puzzle, game or quiz. The type of puzzle is up to you. You can set it up as a contest and draw a name from the winning entries to award a prize, or you can require that people give you their opt-in information to get the answer.
6. Take a survey.Surveys give you a good excuse to appear in relevant newsgroups, forums or related newsletters and provide a link to the survey page on your website. Let participants know you’ll send them the results if they give you their name and e-mail address. Because participants have to come to your site to fill out the survey, you should be able to take advantage of all that new traffic and generate a significant number of new opt-ins. 7. Offer a members-only forum or discussion board.Members-only forums and discussion boards can be a major draw for people in niche markets. You can step in and provide a place where like-minded people meet and discuss their hobbies or their concerns.
Besides attracting opt-ins, this will also give you a great opportunity to learn more about your customers and what kinds of products or services you can develop to further meet their needs--and grow your business. You'll need to establish some community rules and moderate the forum, but in the meantime, your subscribers will be creating valuable content for you.
8. Offer members-only specials.One of the easiest ways to encourage visitors to opt in with their personal information is to offer them a chance to save money. It can be as simple as something like this: "Do you want to receive our special MEMBERS-ONLY offers? Every month we bring exclusive deals to our subscribers that you can't get anywhere else! To start saving now, just sign up below." This is a great way to drive opt-ins and sales and to make your potential customers feel appreciated before they even buy your products.
There are many different opt-in incentives available--you just need to apply a little creativity to choose the one that's right for you and your target market. The first step in creating a solid opt-in strategy is to consider the people you want to opt in to your list. Just as the best businesses are created in response to the needs of a specific niche market, so are the best opt-in offers. With some customizing, any one of these ideas could build you a highly targeted opt-in list.
Derek Gehl is Entrepreneur.com's "E-Business" columnist and the CEO of the Internet Marketing Center, an internet marketing firm that has helped thousands of people learn to start and run their own

2006-09-24T02:11:00.000-05:00

2006-09-24T02:04:00.000-05:00

Top 5 Tips for Getting Your E-Mails Opened

Keep customers from deleting your e-mails with these simple tips.
By Derek Gehl
In the beginning, e-mail marketing was seen as the perfect marketing tool: cheap, fast and measurable. Click-through rates were the only numbers that mattered, and people were still excited to receive--and open--just about every e-mail in their inbox. Boy, how things have changed! The explosion of spam and the sheer volume of e-mail people receive has ruined the effectiveness of e-mail as a marketing tool. Even perfectly legitimate e-mails are being trapped by spam filters or deleted--unopened--by wary recipients.
Yet, according to the Pew Internet and American Life Project, e-mail remains the number-one online activity of Americans, and now that more and more people are able to receive e-mail on their cell phones and PDAs, the opportunities for creative e-mail marketing are only continuing to expand.
E-mail marketing can still deliver a higher return on investment (ROI) than methods such as direct mail and newspaper and radio advertising. So if anyone tries to tell you that e-mail marketing is dead, don't believe them!
The truth is, spam and volume didn't kill e-mail marketing, but they did manage to create a few hoops you now have to jump through to get your e-mails delivered and opened.
Here are my top five techniques for getting today's e-mails delivered, opened and acted on. Do these things right and you'll be able to profit from all of the new opportunities e-mail marketing provides.
Tip #1: Manage Your "Subscribe" and "Unsubscribe" RequestsOne of the most important things you can do to minimize your headaches--and maximize your profits--is to stay on top of your "subscribe" and "unsubscribe" requests. This is especially important if you don't have an automated system for managing subscriptions to your opt-in list.
Always treat requests to unsubscribe from your list seriously. People who aren't promptly removed from your list after making an unsubscribe request can accuse you of spamming them, and you can quickly find yourself in trouble with your ISP.
Of course, it's just as important that people who ask to be added to your list are subscribed right away, since you never know which one of those subscription requests is going to end up being your best customer.
If your subscribe and unsubscribe requests aren't handled automatically, you should take care of them right before you send out a mailing. This ensures that your list is as current as possible, and it also means that you don't have to deal with this chore on a daily basis.
Tip #2: Remove Duplicate AddressesBefore you send any mailings, you'll want to make sure that you don't have any duplicate e-mail addresses in your list. There will always be some people (more than you might think) who'll opt in to your list and come back later and sign up again, forgetting that they've already joined.
Now, people are happy to get one copy of your e-mail, but start sending them multiple copies and just watch how fast they unsubscribe from your list--or worse yet, report you as a spammer!
This kind of spam complaint is relatively easy to clear up, but it's still a hassle, and instead of having a potential customer who was so excited about what you had to offer that they signed up twice, you now have nothing.
Tip #3: Clean Your ListCleaning your list also means sifting through the messages that "bounce back" to you after a mailing, and deciding which ones should be removed from your list completely, and which ones you might want to try mailing again.
"Bounced" messages, for whatever reason, weren't successfully delivered to the intended recipient. Most can be categorized as either "soft" bounces or "hard" bounces.
Soft bounces: These are messages that couldn't be delivered at the time they were sent, but may be deliverable at some time in the future. These types of bounces are usually caused by the recipients' ISPs being busy or their inboxes being full.
Hard bounces: These are messages that can never be delivered. Hard bounces are usually caused by the user typing in an incorrect e-mail address when opting in to your list, or the subscriber no longer using the e-mail address they originally opted in with.
Delete hard bounces immediately. If you leave these addresses in your list, you'll just have to wade through unnecessary bounce messages every time you send a mailing, and that's a waste of your valuable time.
Plus, if you continue to send e-mail to an address that's invalid, you can get into real trouble. Dead addresses are used as spam traps, and if you're found to be repeatedly sending messages to one of these addresses, you could have a problem with the ISP receiving them.
E-mails that are returned as soft bounces, on the other hand, are the result of a temporary problem, so you'll want to re-send your promotions to all the soft bounce addresses a couple of days later. You'll be surprised how many messages get delivered on the second try. And since you've already written the e-mail, there's almost no extra work on your part.
Tip #4: Divide Your List to Conquer More SubscribersGiven the mountains of e-mail people receive these days, most only want to see what's relevant. And, unfair as it may seem, anything irrelevant could be considered spam, and reported as such.
If the people on your list know the message you're sending is something they want, they'll open it!
Using e-mail to target different segments of your audience is one of the single most effective ways to market products or services on the internet. A 2006 report by MarketingSherpa found that e-mail marketers using segmentation saw click-through rates that are 72% higher than e-mail marketers who aren't segmenting their opt-in lists.
You can segment them by whether or not they've bought from you, where they live, the brands they've bought, their age group, etc. There's no end of ways to segment your audience depending on the information you've collected--and e-mail automation makes it not only possible, but simple!
Try it and you can just about guarantee that the results of your e-mail marketing efforts will dramatically improve.
Tip #5: Snag Your Recipients' Attention by Using Their NamesIf there's a "secret" to getting e-mail recipients' attention, it's this: Personalize the subject line. No other single technique will boost the response rate of your e-mails as much as personalization.
Have you ever noticed that a great salesperson will find out your name and then use it every so often while they talk to you? It's a way of establishing trust and building rapport. And the truth of the matter is that nothing gets a person's attention faster than hearing or seeing their own name!
By personalizing your subject lines, you also make your e-mail appear more authentic and safer to open, because recipients will be more likely to view your e-mail as coming from a trusted source.
Unfortunately, typing each individual recipient's name into the subject line of every e-mail you send is just not practical! Once you grow your list to more than 50 or 100 people, it becomes unmanageable. It's way too time consuming.
The good news is that there's great e-mail marketing software available these days that'll help you completely personalize your campaigns automatically, and save you tons of time and effort.
Final ThoughtsE-mail marketing remains a highly effective tool for any business, and the success of your campaigns rests largely on the percentage of your messages that get delivered and opened.
It's a little more of a challenge to make sure your e-mails get delivered and opened these days, but by keeping your list squeaky clean and sending highly relevant and personalized messages, you'll not only improve the likelihood of people opening your e-mails, you'll avoid being labeled a spammer.
Derek Gehl is Entrepreneur.com's "E-Business" columnist and the CEO of the Internet Marketing Center, an internet marketing firm that has helped thousands of people learn to start and run their own online businesses.

2006-09-24T01:57:00.000-05:00

2006-09-24T01:54:00.000-05:00

3 Key Tips for Starting a Business Blog

Excited yet? You should be--blogging's not just a winning strategy, it's also a lot of fun! The beauty of blogging is that you can easily incorporate it into your daily schedule of tasks. You can even blog when you're on the road.
But what does it take to become a really successful blogger?
Great content: If your content isn't interesting and relevant to your target market, your blog won't work. It's as simple as that. You'll be surprised, however, how easy it is to find things to write about if you really put your mind to it. It could be news articles about your industry, product updates, interviews, personal insights into topics of importance to your target audience, and much more.
Regular updating: I won't lie to you: there are some days when I really find it hard to find the time to post a new article. But if I don't post, no one will come back. It's like subscribing to a daily newspaper but only getting a copy delivered now and then! So post often and your audience will keep coming back. And regularly adding fresh content to your blog also gives you a boost in the search engine rankings.
Your own distinct voice: It's important that you write in your own voice. A blog is no place for formality and corporate speak. It's more of a forum, a place where ideas can flourish and topics of current interest can be debated. You don't even need to be a brilliant writer; you just need to be able to relate to your audience and give them good content.
Final ThoughtsStarting a blog can take as little as five minutes. Of course, starting a blog is the easy part; turning your blog into a strategic tool that drives traffic and sales to your online business is a completely different matter.
Building a truly effective blog that keeps people coming back again and again takes a lot more than five minutes; it takes time and dedication to develop a blog that keeps your audience coming back for more.

2006-09-24T01:52:00.000-05:00

How to Harness the Marketing Power of Blogs
This newest web phenomenon can rank your site #1 in search engines, boost traffic and sales, and establish you as an expert in your industry.
By Derek Gehl
I'm sure you've heard about one of the biggest things to hit the web in the last few years: blogging.
A "blog" (derived from the term "web log") is basically just a website with two key differences: First, it's extremely easy to add information to it. A blog is like an online journal, so you just log in, type what happened today, post it, and you're done! Second, you can add a simple little feature that automatically tells a whole bunch of other websites that you've made an update to your blog--every time you make a change.
However, what you may not know is that a blog can also be a very powerful marketing tool for your business, and some people actually earn an income just from blogging alone.
The fact is, blogging is fast becoming an extremely important strategy for any online marketer. An effective blog can:
drive swarms of traffic to your main website,
generate more product sales,
create an additional stream of advertising income,
be a great customer service tool,
and much more!
Blogs have an informal, conversational style, and readers can join in by commenting on each post. Blogs can be chatty, informative, opinionated and often humorous, and it's this "human" aspect of blogs that draws many people to them.
But the best part about blogs is how accessible they are to everyone. Blogs are free (or very inexpensive) to set up using services like Bloggeror TypePad. They're also easy to use (you can literally create your own blog in less than five minutes) and easy to promote with all the new tools and resources that have been created specifically for blogs.
How You Can Use a Blog to Accelerate Online SuccessThe fact is, blogs are no longer just online diaries of people's personal lives. Both online and offline businesses can use blogs to take their products and services to a wider audience, increasing their traffic, leads and sales.
Let's look more closely at a few of the extremely powerful ways your business can benefit from a blog. With an effective business blog, you can:
Humanize your business. Because a blog is much more informal than other websites, you can write posts in your own voice and give your business more of a human face. This helps reassure prospective customers that there's a "real person" behind the website who'll take care of their needs. It also allows you to inject much more of your own personality into your online business than your main sales site could do.
Improve your customer service. Your blog can act as a kind of interactive FAQ, allowing your customers to submit questions and you to answer them. You can also provide product updates, how-to articles, and other information of relevance to your customers. Prospective customers who see your blog will be encouraged by your commitment to good customer service.
Give your target market the information they're looking for. With its automatic archiving feature--by date and category--a blog is a fantastic content-management system. It's easy for you to post new information on a regular basis, and it's easy for your visitors to find the information they want. With a well-written, regularly updated blog, you can become a reliable resource in your industry and build a following of loyal readers who depend on your content. These people will be your best potential customers.
Drive traffic to your sales website. If you already have a website, a blog can give your traffic levels a real boost. For starters, your blog will attract new visitors that you can then redirect to your main sales website through links and special offers. But an even more effective technique is to use strategic keywords and links to specific sales pages to dramatically improve the search engine rankings of both your blog and your main website.
Build your credibility and establish yourself as an industry expert. You can give your credibility a real boost by regularly posting valuable and relevant information on your blog. It's a great way to establish yourself as an expert in your subject area, and allow your visitors to feel much more comfortable buying from you.
Promote your products or services. You can actually sell products directly from a blog, or you can use your blog to mention new products and direct visitors to your sales website.
Generate extra income. There are now several advertising programs available, such as Google AdSense, that allow you to monetize your blog and generate an extra revenue stream.

2006-09-24T01:48:00.000-05:00

Hot New Ways to Market Online

Make 2006 your most profitable year ever with these top three up-to-the-minute marketing strategies.
By Derek Gehl
2005 was a busy year for the internet. Last year more than a billion people went online, more than 250 billion searches were done, and total online sales accounted for over $170 billion (Forrester). More people than ever are turning to the internet to find--and buy--the products they need.
This year, resolve to get your business off to a great start and make more money in 2006. To do that, here are the top three sure-fire strategies you need to boost your profits this year!
Strategy #1: Know How to Beat the Search Engines and Drive Free Traffic to Your SiteThe key to getting your business name to pop up in search engines is to use sound online marketing principles, rather than trying to manipulate the search engines with tons of keywords and inflated link popularity. That means you should:
Provide useful information, valuable content and links that are related to your business.
Make your domain names and page titles relevant to your business and keywords.
Solicit links from (and link to) sites with good reputations, traffic and Google PageRanks.
Keep your content current and image tags appropriate--don't make them long, repetitive or off-topic. (Image tags are the small bits of text that describe your image files. You can't see them on your web page, but the search engines read them in your source code.)
As long as your links are designed to enhance the value of your site's content or to increase your credibility and authority, then your site will continue to see good rankings on Google.
Strategy #2: Take Advantage of Brand-New Profit-Making Opportunities with Pay-per-Click AdvertisingThere have been some big changes in pay-per-click (PPC) search engines recently, and more and more people are starting to realize exactly how profitable they can be.
Bidding on your best keywords and securing top results in the search engines is probably the easiest and fastest way to drive potential customers to your site. To get a number-one ranking in pay-per-click advertising, all you have to do is bid more on your keywords than the #2 bidder.
In 2005, there were a ton of changes across the industry, with each of the "big players" offering new and exciting ways for you to succeed. Let's look at each in detail.
to be continued......

2006-09-24T01:41:00.000-05:00

Start an E-Business Without a Website
How to make money online--for free--on someone else's site.
By Derek GehlBack in the early days of internet marketing, there wasn't much you could do to get started with marketing your business online until you actually launched your own website.
Before you could make money, you had to:
Choose a domain
Set up your hosting
Design your website
Put it all online
Optimize and test your website
But maybe you want the chance to "get your feet wet" before you commit to building a website and getting really serious about marketing your business online.
Or maybe you're trying to discover your online business niche: the problem you want to solve, the people you want to sell to, and the best possible way to create a viable business. Maybe you don't want to commit to a website until you've had a better chance to experiment with different ideas.
Well, fortunately for web newbies, there are more options for getting started with e-commerce than ever before. Now you can actually market and sell products without ever creating your own website. Here's just a few.
Start Selling on eBayeBay.com is the hottest e-commerce site on the web today, and for good reason:
More than 2 million people visit eBay.com every single day, spending an average of two hours navigating through eBay's pages and listings.
More than $1,000 in sales happen on eBay every single second.
72% of eBay users have incomes in excess of $50,000 per year--so they come ready to spend!
And--most important to you--95% of eBay users are individuals or small businesses. eBay is clearly a place where newbies can go to find instant profit and success--and you can get started selling in less than an hour. And while those listings will cost you only pennies to place on eBay's pages, you gain immediate access to millions of buyers who are looking for items just like yours.
To get started selling on eBay today, go to: http://cgi5.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?SellHub2.
But what items are you going to sell?
This is the real beauty of eBay: There's a market for practically everything on the giant online auction site. If you're not sure what you want to sell, try checking out what products are popular at http://pulse.ebay.com/, or by reading these strategies for finding items that'll sell like hotcakes.
Start a BlogYou can create your own website in less than five minutes (and for free!) by starting a blog. (Read "Harness the Marketing Power of Blogs.")
Business blogs have become one of the hottest tools for marketing on the web today. And while some companies use them to promote their products in addition to their main websites, you don't need to have a website--or even have a business yet--to start a blog.
Anyone can create a blog for free and have an active, functioning presence online in just minutes. Even complete internet newbies find the set-up process simple and easy to understand. You don't have to know anything about web design or pay a single cent for a domain name or web hosting.
And once you've got your blog online, you can start making money instantly. Here are some tips to get you started:
Start a Google AdSense campaign to generate advertising revenue from your blog. It's easy to set up an AdSense account, and have targeted ads displayed to your online readers. This can be a great source of revenue, though of course the amount of income you can expect from your AdSense ads will depend on the amount of traffic to your blog. The more traffic you receive, the more people are likely to click through the ads displayed on your site--and the more revenue for you!
Join an affiliate program, or a few affiliate programs, and start promoting their products on your blog. You don't even need your own product to get started. You can place ads for your affiliate products on your blog, or write articles or product reviews that contain your affiliate link. You receive a percentage of each sale made when readers click through your links and make a purchase.
Sell products directly from your blog. If you do have a product that you're ready to sell, you can write articles on your blog telling readers about the benefits of your widget. Once they get excited about what you have to offer and decide to take action, you can direct them with a sidebar button to your PayPal account (which is free and easy to set up).
With PayPal, they can order your product and pay for it in seconds, and it only takes you a few moments to get set up to take payments.
You can create a blog in five minutes, absolutely free, with a free blog hosting service. These are considered the top options for blogging beginners:
Blogger
Yahoo! 360
MSN Spaces
LiveJournal
Use Google Page Creator to Get Free ExposureGoogle Page Creator is a brand-new program that enables anyone with a Google ID to set up their very own website. The most obvious benefit of the program is that your pages are rapidly indexed by the Google search engine spiders.
Some new website owners spend a ton of time and effort trying to show up in search engine results for their keywords, but with a Google Page, you jumpstart that process. Within minutes, you have a fully functioning website that you can use to make money online right away.
You can generate profits with Google Page Creator in much the same way as with a blog:
You can promote your own product on your Google Page with a salesletter or ad, and then direct your visitors to your PayPal checkout system to purchase your product right away.
You can also promote other people's products on your Google Page through content, links or ads, and make quick cash from affiliate commissions.
And naturally, Google Pages are the perfect place to set up a Google AdSense campaign.
When your account is approved, Google offers a simple page setup process with an easy-to-use WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) HTML editor. You can add your own text by typing it straight into the editor, or by cutting and pasting from any kind of text file. You can also upload pictures, create links, and even edit the raw HTML code if you wish.
In order to get started with Google Page Creator, you'll need a Google ID, which you can sign up for at: https://www.google.com/accounts/NewAccount.
Once you've got an account, you can head to the Page Creator homepage (http://pages.google.com/) to add your name to the waiting list (demand is so huge that they're currently not accepting real-time submissions).
Final ThoughtsOf course, if you're getting serious about starting a business online, we always recommend that you create a website of your own. It's never been easier to build an e-commerce presence online than it is now, with the rise in popularity of blogging, auction websites like eBay.com, and quick web hosting solutions like Google Page Creator.
Each of these options offers you the opportunity to determine the viability of your business model, test your strategies and salescopy, establish a ranking in the search engines, and gain credibility and a reputation in your industry. Best of all, you can get started making money online today.
Derek Gehl is Entrepreneur.com's "E-Business" columnist and the CEO of the internet Marketing Center, an internet marketing firm that has helped thousands of people learn to start and run their own online businesses.

2006-09-24T01:33:00.000-05:00

Taking Your Business Online
Smart tips for designing and launching a successful website for your offline business
By Karen TorbettIn this day and age, your business card is a website. When people hear of your company or wish to seek further information on it, they want to do so on their own time, online. From there they can e-mail you with questions, or place an order if you offer products online as well. In fact, with the amount of trade that can be achieved through a website, it's no wonder that so many brick-&-mortar small businesses have made the jump to e-commerce.
The decision to launch a website for a business owner has gone from "if" to "when," in just a decade. However, the expectations of your average site visitor have also changed in that time. Cheap, homemade websites are no longer acceptable. The site you create for your business is a stamp on its credibility; therefore, the process of designing and launching one must be taken seriously and considered to be an earnest business investment.
If you were to invest in new equipment, new vehicles or even new employees for your business, you would take the time necessary to seek out the best, most cost-effective, most-qualified selection. You certainly wouldn't buy the first truck you saw at the dealership, or hire the first person who walked into your office. The same time and care must be taken when choosing a web designer. Here are some tips to finding the right designer, asking the right questions, and what to expect when launching a website for your business.
Don't race to find a web designer. What's the rush? Finding the right web designer is like finding the right architect to build a new business office. The time you spend looking at websites, asking friends and colleagues, and viewing portfolios is well worth it if you consider what it would cost to rebuild your site with someone else when the designer you hastily hired fails to meet your needs.
When you see a website you like, check out who designed it. This information is usually available in the bottom of the page. Or, contact the business and ask. If they're happy with the job done by the designer, they'll be more than willing to refer you!
When you do narrow your decision down to a few designers, check out their websites for look and feel, and thoroughly examine their portfolios.
Bring samples. Surf the web and determine the kinds of things you like and don't like before ever walking into the office of a web-design firm. If you have an idea of what you want your site to look like, express it--even if it means providing an embarrassingly rough drawing on your own. Web designers are very creative people, but if you don't give them some direction, they'll create without your input.
You have to be specific. Don't tell your designer you want a "cool" site. While it's true that you may want a cool site, you should bring to the table the types of things you imagine to be cool. Your designer is there to help you determine the best style for your site, so don't be afraid to provide specific examples of how you'd like your site to look. To view some "cool" and award-winning sites for ideas, check out www.designfirms.org/awards/.
Get it in writing. As with any other business partnership, you must get everything in writing. This means going beyond the initial contract you and your designer sign. Keep notes during meetings and save every e-mail and written communication. There may be times when things are decided during "casual" meetings, such as when certain site elements will be completed, or something as simple as adding a graphic or two. By tracking these conversations, you'll have a record to return to if things go off track or off schedule.
Should I use a web-design firm or independent programmer? Web-design firms aren't your only option when it comes to launching a website. There are many independent programmers out there who can provide the same service as a design firm, and for less money. Most of these programmers worked for design firms before striking out on their own.
There are advantages and disadvantages, of course. Independent programmers may be less expensive, but you're limited to receiving only the service that particular programmer is skilled in. If you decide to add a component to your site that your programmer can't develop for you, you'll have to pay someone else to do it. Most design firms employ programmers of all capabilities in order to meet customer requests, and their services are part of the deal when you hire the firm.
Independent programmers are harder to locate than design firms. Part of what makes an independent programmer less expensive is the fact that he or she doesn't have the same overhead as a design firm. Advertising is expensive.
If you think you would rather use an independent programmer than a design firm, return to your friends and colleagues and ask around. If you resort to an online directory or your local telephone book, use the same process of selection as you would a design firm: ask to see samples and a portfolio. However, getting a programmer recommendation from someone you trust is best. Not all programmers are created equal, and an impressive portfolio doesn't convey an individual's customer service skills.
Making edits and changes: The waiting game. When you hire a web-design firm to create and launch your business's website, you're at the mercy of their busy schedule. You must request that edits and changes be made for you, and they may not be made as quickly as you'd like them to be.
Some web-design firms provide customers with site administration tools that allow you to make simple changes and updates as needed. This type of technology can be more expensive, but worth it if it gives you more control of your site.
Understand what you're paying for. Determining the look and feel of your website (the design) and actually building the site are two different processes of launching a site. Be sure to understand what's included in your contract and what'll cost extra. If you wish to add an e-newsletter sign-up, will it cost more? Will you be charged for every e-commerce transaction? What will it cost to accept credit-card payments on your site? These are the questions you need to ask when negotiating prices and deliverables because you may be responsible for handling some of this on your own.
You will likely be responsible for setting up your own business's merchant account, and will have to work with your programmer to incorporate it into your site. "E-commerce" means that a website takes credit-card payments, which means it must have a merchant account. A merchant account connects your bank to your site to the credit-card company, and finally to your customers.
There are many, many merchant account providers, so do your homework. Expect to pay monthly fees to maintain the account, as well as a fee for every credit-card transaction on your site. Every provider is different. You'll also need to go through a reasonably lengthy registration process with your bank and the merchant account provider. Don't assume that this is being handled by your web programmer! The last thing you need to deal with before you open your site doors is discovering you can't accept payments online!
Find out if your site is being built from scratch or from templates. Many designers use pre-made templates, which can bring down the cost of building the website. Designers who create your site from scratch may actually own the source code, which limits your ability to move the site later on, if you wish to. Be sure to ask your designer up front how he or she intends to build your site, and get written or legal documentation of the ownership source codes so you don't run into disputes down the road.
Be patient, but attentive. Designing a professional website isn't an overnight project. It takes time to create and construct the site you want. However, every day you and the designer spend tweaking the site is another day you're unable to advertise the site, attract visitors to the site, or sell products online. Be patient with your designer, but keep track of the agreed-upon schedule.
I also recommend hiring an attorney who's versed in e-commerce businesses. You'll need one to write the "Terms and Policies" for the website, as well as proofing the site for any legal complications that may come up.
Imagine your website as a storefront. If you were building a brick-&-mortar business on main street, you would: 1) find the right contractor; 2) have an idea of how you want your business to look and what you want it to contain; 3) expect the project to take time; and 4) be prepared for set-backs in scheduling. These are the same responsibilities and obstacles you'll encounter while designing your business's website.
Creating a website for your business is an exciting and worthy undertaking. Take the time to do it right the first time, because there is no fun or enjoyment in having to do it all over again if you don't.
Karen Torbett is founder of Venture Point, LLC. She spent almost a decade running someone else's company before she achieved her goal of owning her own business. Now, Karen helps entrepreneurs like herself who are seeking to buy or sell a business on their own.