Wednesday, June 3, 2009

Knowing the Difference between Success and Failure



Knowing the Difference between Success and Failure by Colleen Davis

This is the most important truth in any business – if you need to be successful, you have to realize that there is a very thin line separating success from failure. And sometimes that line becomes invisible to the naked eye. Knowing how to distinguish between the lines can mean a great deal when it comes to continuing with your business or going for bankruptcy.

Sadly, many businesses tend to misunderstand the difference because many seem to get confused with what is really important when it comes to the growth of the company. Is it the clients or the product itself that create the profits? Or is it the staff and employees of every company that works hard to get the returns of every investment made? So which is the most important? Actually, it’s none of the above. Sure, these factors contribute much to the success of any business. However, they are elements that need to be there even at the start of the operation. What really makes a difference is the marketing and the process of creating a sale.

In any business, getting the profits is the priority, whether we like it or not. We’re here because of one thing – to net profits. So let’s not waste time talking about the niceties of business. We need to focus on marketing as an important means to get profits.

The absence of an excellent and effective marketing strategy can only mean one thing – a not so impressive profit. Even worse, it can mean insolvency and even bankruptcy. Your marketing campaign, be it brochure printing or custom brochure printing, print catalogs or even postcards printing, can mean a great deal because it gets your message across. That’s right. Your marketing campaign such as your custom brochure printing can help you convey your message to your target market. Your message is the most essential thing that can convince your target clients to take you up on your offer.

So what can you do to cross the thin line from imminent failure to success? You can start by reinventing your marketing strategy such as your custom brochure printing. Include fresh ideas to effectively convey you message. Make changes, and if you really need to, do an overhaul and workout a new plan for your marketing campaign. The key is not to go at it in leaps, but make small changes until they all add up and provide you with a significant edge over your competitors.

Doing your changes to your marketing strategy with small steps can provide you with a significant margin even in the smallest of measures. What matters is that they all add up which can get you the edge you need to be ahead of the race.



For more information, you can visit this page on brochure printing and custom brochure printing


Article Source: http://www.wahm-articles.com

Tuesday, June 2, 2009

Cheap Ideas to Market during Down Times

Cheap Ideas to Market during Down Times by Colleen Davis

It’s not just you, but everyone is tightening their belts during these times. And it’s not even related to your newfound resolve to save as much as you can; but it’s a result of what’s occurring right now to our economy. Yup. We’re in recession. And this would be a very good time for you to practice prudence when advertising your business.

More than ever, now is the time that you need to make certain that you get the highest return from your investment. The economic crunch doesn’t mean that you have to stop advertising altogether to save your money. Instead, you have to market even more – but with cost-effective marketing strategies. Here’s how:

1 - Indulge in word-of-mouth advertising. This is the most effective form of marketing any business. And guess what? It’s absolutely free! You don’t need to invest precious dollars on this type of advertising. You need however, to provide a standout service – stellar customer service, that is. It takes a commitment from you to give more than the regular service to your clients. Going the extra mile for your customers can go a long way in getting you ahead of the game, especially that most of your competition is cutting back on value-added services. During these times, people will be looking out for those who can give them more value for their dollars. So you’ll definitely stand out if you do. And word will spread about your business. It’s a guarantee.

2 - Write and publish. Not just print articles on printing flyers, custom flyers or even booklet printing. You can also go online by posting keyword-rich articles on the many websites found in the Internet. Published articles can definitely improve your status as an expert in your field. So provide credibility to your business. Publish as much as you can online or off.

3 - Get creative. Use all available space when printing flyers or your business cards. The back side is often the most ignored part of your collaterals; yet it can be your space to advertise more than your regular fare. Don’t hesitate to maximize that blank space. Provide your clients with valuable information and encourage them to pass along your custom flyers and business cards to a friend or a colleague.

4 - Take advantage of cross-promotions. There are other businesses that would gladly connect with you to market their own. You can share the cost of printing flyers for example. Cross-promoting is a very practical way to market as it provides a means for businesses to cut back on expenses without having to curtail the amount of marketing. There are many businesses out there that can complement yours. So connect with other business owners and provide referrals to increase each of your client base.

Advertising need not be expensive especially that there are cost-effective ways to go about it. All you need to do is be creative and you won’t have to lose your edge over your competition.



For more information, you can visit this page on printing flyers and custom flyers


Article Source: http://www.wahm-articles.com

Friday, May 29, 2009

Build Stronger Relationships with Your Market by Writing Articles About Yourself

Build Stronger Relationships with Your Market by Writing Articles About Yourself by Denise Willms

You have probably heard the cardinal rule of writing articles for the Web: "Don't promote yourself!" Self-promotion (writing articles about you and not much else) is one of the main reasons I decline articles in my article directory.

First of all, I don't want a directory filled with advertisements instead of articles.

Secondly, I'm thinking about your and my readers... I mean, how can articles about YOU help THEM? I'm sorry to say, most people reading your articles just aren't interested in how wonderful you are, or what great things you've accomplished.

Instead, they want to know how you can help them solve their problems.

But there is a fine line between promoting yourself, and sharing enough information to build a relationship with your reader. Many article writers are so afraid to self-promote that they won't reveal anything about themselves in their articles. That can also be a grave mistake.

As an article marketer, you need to reveal yourself in your articles because:

- you need to show your reader that you're a real person
- you need to make your reader feel that you identify with their problems
- you need to convince the reader that they can trust what you have to say. What kind of experience do you have that they should listen to you?

Here's an example of the kind of writing I'm talking about.

Let's say you're writing an article to help your reader set up her home office. In your introduction, you'll probably identify a problem your reader has with her home office, or questions she has about setting one up.

Most article writers open with that kind of introduction, then launch right into their solutions. But your article can be more effective if you add one more step and reveal something about yourself.

You can begin to build a relationship with your reader by writing a short paragraph about how you had a similar problem, how you dealt with it, what your results were. So, you may have written about yourself (shame on you!) but you've also shown your reader
- that you identify with her situation, and
- convinced her that she should read the rest of your article because you know what you're talking about.

When we say, "Don't self-promote," we're not saying, "Don't ever talk about yourself." Writing articles is one of the most powerful ways there is to build relationships with your market. But being in a relationship means letting the other person see who you really are.



Denise Willms is a professional article writer who specializes in creating content for moms. Visit http://www.WAHM-Articles.com to download her free ebook, Get Started!! Making Money by Writing WAHM Articles and learn how you can tap into this lucrative market.

Article Source: http://www.wahm-articles.com

Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Writing Effective Blog Posts and Articles for Online Marketing

Writing Effective Blog Posts and Articles for Online Marketing by Roger Moody

If you're reading this, you found it online and most likely are seeking assistance in growing your online presence or an online business. Any successful online business owner should have and maintain at least one blog.

Blogging has become an integral part of any online business and updating the blog or blogs should become routine. Having a business blog can be one of the best things you can do for your successful online business as it helps attract people to you and gain more prospects for your business.

Blogging and article marketing should be done simultaneously and can significant increase your online marketing efforts.

Blogging also allows you to stay in touch and build a relationship with people already on your team that may be scattered around the country or the globe. If you desire an effective and popular blog you don't need much.

For example this author, Roger Moody has a successful online home based business from a home office in Indianapolis, Indiana. We may operate a successful online business from Indianapolis but our home based business income is spread nicely across the country. Our business blog (at rogerlmoody dot com) mentions Indianapolis but the information contained on that blog site is applicable to anyone working a online home based business.

The real trick to building an effective blog doesn't lay in the domain name, or the layout (although obviously you don't want an ugly blog) but in the content aka the posts themselves.

So how do you write more effective blog posts that will not only captivate your current readers and keep them coming back but help you gain a bigger and bigger audience and at the same time raise your blog in the search engines?

Her are a few simple tips to help you write better content for your blog.

1. Keywords

This can not be said enough. If you want to build a successful home based business, popular and effective blog you can't do it without the use of keywords. Take some time and do your keyword research because it will pay off big time if you do it right! Another good tip is to use keywords in the categories for your blog as well! Wherever you can fit in a keyword do it!

2. Be Original

Nobody is going to come back an visit a boring blog. Make sure your content is original and exciting. The most effective blogs I've found will have a mix of helpful content and personal stories. You want your readers to know and trust you as a business person as well as care about you as an individual.

3. Use Videos and Pictures when applicable

I can not stress enough how much adding videos and pictures will add to your blog. Breaking up your text with pictures will make people want to read more and more and the more personal the pics can be the better. So if you're talking about your trip to Hawaii with the family don't just use a stock photo of Hawaii use one of you and your family! Another tip is to make sure and keyword optimize the titles of your pictures before you post them as well!

Those are just a few simple tips that will help your blog become more popular. Make sure you work on your blog at least a couple times a week and follow these tips and you'll be good to go!



Blogging to grow a successful online home based business from Indiana or anywhere in a home office. Understand that it’s a total lifestyle shift.
www.ChristianFaithBusiness.com

Article Source: http://www.wahm-articles.com

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Create A Winning Article Marketing Strategy

Create A Winning Article Marketing Strategy by Bonnie Jo Davis

Make the most out of your time and efforts by creating a submission strategy for your article marketing. Both beginners and experts can and should use a submission strategy that will evolve over time. Your strategy,at a minimum, should brand you as an expert in your field, define your target audience and help you measure your results. Use your word processing program to develop your strategy and keep it front and center when writing and submitting your articles.

To begin creating your article submission strategy answer the questions below:

1. Your target audience:
Who is your most desired reader?
What size business does your reader own or work for?
What needs does your desired reader have that you can fulfill?

2. Submission goals:
Are you submitting in order to receive incoming live one-way links?
Will you be promoting a blog, forum or website?
Do you hope to become an expert and prove your capabilities?
Are you hoping to increase sales of a particular product or service?

3. Search engine benefits:
What targeted keywords will you use in your title, article and byline?
How will the one-way links from sites publishing your articles increase your
search engine rankings?
Will you agree to a reciprocal link if asked by a publisher?
Will you display a "Featured Author" graphic on your site if requested by the publisher?

4. Submission formats:
Which of these formats will you offer when submitting your articles?
PDF
HTML
Word
Text

5. Submission list:
Will you be submitting your articles in print and/or online?
Do you have an existing submission list that targets topics of interest to your
target audience.
If you do not have a submission list where will you obtain one?
How often will you search for new submission sites to add to your list?

6. Scheduling submissions:
How often will you write an article for submission?
Will you be sending out an article weekly, monthly or quarterly?

7. Stand out in a crowd:
What will you do enhance your relationships with publishers?
Will you offer customized versions of your articles for free or for fee?
Will you display the list sites that published your articles on your web site?
Did you consider allowing publishers to insert their affiliate link in your article or your byline?

8. Tracking your results:
Have you asked publishers to notify you when they use an article?
Will you spend time checking to see if sites publishing your article gave you a live link to your site as required?
During what time intervals after submission will you search Google for your article name?
How often will you check your website metrics to see traffic driven by your article submissions?

You will be ready to forge ahead with a submission strategy after answering these questions and recording your answers. There are many excellent marketing strategy checklists online that you can use to consider any other questions you should answer for your strategy. You may want to network with your colleagues who are experienced in article submission to get their suggestions for your strategy. Continue updating and using your strategy as your business changes over time and you will be miles ahead of your competition!



(c) 2009, Davis Virtual Assistance. Publication rights granted so long as article and byline are reprinted intact with all links made live.

Bonnie Jo Davis is an article marketing expert and prolific writer who teaches other businesses how to profit from this free marketing strategy. She created Article Submission Sites in order to provide others with her frequently updated list of submission sites and she offers visitors a free copy of her "Article Submission Summary Sheet" at http://www.articlesubmissionsites.com

Article Source: http://www.wahm-articles.com

Monday, May 18, 2009

How Blogging Can help you market your Business

How Blogging Can help you market your Business by Mercedes Aspland

If you have an online business you will be looking at ever increasing ways to market it online. The aim of this article is to give you some advice on how to use blogs to your advantage.

There are two ways in which you can use blogs, the first is to set up your own blog and build a community that way. The other way is to get involved with other people’s blogs. We would recommend doing both to have the maximum effect. Below are a list of our top tips for each of these ways.

Setting Up Your Own Blog

1. Categorise Your Content. Make sure you properly categorise the information that you put into your blog. If you make sure you use your keywords in the categories it will help with the SEO of your blog.

2. Submit to Blog Directories. You want to get your blog seen by other people and a good way to do this is to submit it to blog and feed directories.

3. Write Regularly. Set yourself a schedule for writing content for your blog and stick to it. If your visitors get used to seeing regular content then they will keep coming back to read what you have posted.

4. Respond to Comments. If you have contributors that write interesting comments and ask questions you should respond to them. This will give you a reputation as a useful resource and will give your blog more colour. It also helps to build a proper community on your blog and keeps people coming back.

5. Research Your Industry. Make sure what you are giving to your readers is up to date and is something they will find interesting.

This is great for your site in a number of ways. Firstly you will be adding pages to your site which will help your SEO efforts. In addition as you get more people using your blog they will likely link to you and thus increasing your page rank and your position in the search engines. Finally it will make you appear an expert to your potential customers and so will increase the chance of converting them to sales.

Contributing to Others Blogs

1. Write Valuable Comments. Make sure your comments add to the content of the blog. This will make you a valuable member of the blog and of the community as a whole.

2. Come Back Regularly. If you leave a comment come back to see if anyone has answered. If they have then you may wish to come back and continue the conversation. Again this will make you seem valuable to the other users.

3. Research Blogs. Have a look around and find the popular blogs, ones that most people are getting involved with. This is where you will probably find the content that is best to get involved with.

This will help in a number of ways. Firstly each post will give you a link to your website which will help you with improving your search engine rankings. You may also find that you get traffic to your site directly from the posts that you make. Finally you will build yourself a reputation within the industry and so may find you get referrals from people that like what you have to say.

Blogging is not the only way to get your website publicity but it is something that every website owner should consider in order to get themselves some free advertising.



If you have found this article useful then you can get more information from Dazines - search optimization, London UK.

Dazines - website design and web development company London UK


Article Source: http://www.wahm-articles.com

10 fun ideas to create your own blog content.

10 Easy Ways to Create Blog Content by Rhonda White

Creating new blog content can be quite fun and even an adventure. Here are 10 ideas to help you create fresh content for your blog without a lot of extra work:

1. Invite a Guest Blogger

Inviting someone to do a guest post on your blog is a great way to get unique content on your site. You may think that inviting someone else to post on your blog will steal your thunder and your traffic. From my own experience this simply is not true. If you select guests that will offer your visitors valuable advice from their own experiences your blog readers will appreciate your initiative on inviting someone to share some valuable information.

Inviting a guest blogger often becomes a win-win situation where you share your current website traffic which gains extra exposure for the guest, and most guest bloggers will also help you promote the blog post they made on your site. Sometimes guest bloggers may even provide a link back to your post from their site.

2. Answer Frequently Asked Questions / FAQ

Consider the questions you’ve frequently received in emails or have seen in forums. These make great opportunities to create some fresh content. Simply post the questions and give some answers. The answers need not be long and drawn out. You can offer a simplified answer and direct your visitors to some helpful resources or even some affiliate sites that you’re promoting. So there’s a nice thought…technically, you can earn some extra money online answering some frequently asked questions.

3. Use Private Label Articles (PLR)

Private labeled articles are articles that you have purchased the rights to rewrite or edit them in anyway you like. The best benefit is that you’re not required to link back to the author.

Most people start cringing when they think of using content that they didn’t write themselves or that perhaps others are already using. I find that using plr articles can be quite flexible. It doesn’t require much work to make them unique. You can simply use them to inspire ideas for new articles, copy numbered list from the plr articles for tips, compile them to make a new report, etc. There’s really no shame in using help from plr articles to create better content.

4. Use Old Content

I have found that browsing through old articles that I’ve written inspires new ideas or allows me the chance to repolish them and make them even better. Sometimes you can take a couple of paragraphs and create a whole new article from a different aspect.

5. Outsource by Using Virtual Assistants (VAs) & Freelancers

Outsourcing is a pricier option, but certainly can be a big help and time saver. You can justify the expense of having someone write content for you when you know you’ll be attending to other important tasks for your business. Realize that quality content pays off. Your investment will be worth it. Fresh, quality content keeps traffic coming in and visitors returning. You can hunt online to find many willing VAs ready to assist or freelancers who write on various topics. Ask for some samples to get a clear idea of how well they write and to see if their writing style fits your own personal style and taste.

6. Offer Some Quick Tips

Realize that blog posts do not have to be long. This is where you can fill in the gap with some quick two minute tips, etc. Visitors rarely sit and read long articles anyway. So, if you’re offering some quick-to-read tips, this can entice your visitors to sign up for your mailing list. Tips get right to the point of sharing helpful ideas and your visitors will love the fact that you’re not adding a lot of fluff to your content.

7. Share Your Own Stories & Experiences

People love stories and can often relate with similar experiences they’ve had in their life. Many lessons are learned from life experiences which make great illustrations even in business. Sharing stories is a great way to add interest to your blog and also allow your visitors the opportunity to get to know you a little more personally. Connecting with your visitors in this way will also help you build loyal readers.

8. Offer Some Freebies

Everybody likes free stuff. You can create content around your freebie by offering some additional tips or resources or even just adding your own personal review about the product you’re offering. You’ll also love the extra traffic that freebies seem to draw.

9. Do Short Reviews or Interviews

Reviews: To create some really quick content, do a short review on a product that would interest your visitors. Share an honest review with positive points as well as any negative points. Product reviews also make great opportunities to promote your affiliate links and earn some extra cash.

Interviews: If you feel that a certain topic would be of interest to your readers and you know of someone who has more knowledge in that area, ask them if they would be willing to do an interview. You need not have an actual meeting. You can simply compile a few interesting questions and send them by email for a response. This makes interesting content as well as providing useful information for your visitors.

10. Use Content from Article Directories

Article directories allow you to find some quick, fresh content on practically any subject. Since most article directories are very well organized by categories, it usually takes only a couple of minutes to find new article on any subject your heart desires. Once again, it affords you the opportunity of adding valuable content to your blog.

While using content from article directories, you may even discover that some writers have become your favorite choice when hunting for new blog content. You can take the opportunity to contact the authors and begin networking together by perhaps exchanging blog content and links.

For those who have been struggling to keep their blog supplied with fresh content, write down these ideas to help you, but realize that you don’t have to limit yourself to only these ideas. Get creative and let the blog fun begin!



Rhonda White offers Free Internet Marketing Tips for Work at Home Moms.
Grab your FREE copy of “Budget Marketing Ideas” at http://MommyRevenue.com

Article Source: http://www.wahm-articles.com