Go Local : A New Plan for Using Your Internet Marketing Skills

 Use Your IM Skills Locally

Help Local Businesses Get (Better) Online

 

Okay, so you've made some money online and know the basics of the business. Here's a thought: take your skills and help local businesses market their most profitable merchandise, products or services. You can also help them scale up any underused capacity that they want to promote. Best of all, you can plan it so they give you monthly, recurring payments!

 

Most brick-and-mortar local businesses know their business, but don't know how to market their business effectively. Sure, they do what their competition is doing, but they don't think outside of the box. You, as an experienced marketer, can help them in ways they may never even imagine.

 

First, you have to realize that what local businesses need is not an education in IM. They need someone to look at what they're doing with fresh eyes and a willingness to listen to them. The worst thing you can do is walk into a small business with a "business in a box" solution. You need to know what the problem is before you offer any solutions.

 

Avoid making the same mistake that many new Direct Response Internet Marketing hopefuls make: build a product or service, then check to see if anybody is already buying something like it. Do your market research first. Locate the hungry buyers for advertising and promotion.

 

Find out who is paying a lot of advertising money in your local area. Approach these businesses first, before you think about helping smaller, less profitable businesses. One easy way to start your market research is to look at Yellow Pages books and business directories. Concentrate on those businesses that have big display ads.

 

Full-page (or large) display ads cost a lot of money. In fact, the amount is usually so much that they are paid for on a monthly basis. All you have to do is call or write to these resources and find out the monthly fees for advertising in their publications

 

You may be in for a shock! Small and medium-sized businesses who do this kind of advertising pay thousands of dollars every month in advertising fees. All you have to do is stand in front of that flood of money.

 

Now you have an idea of which local businesses in your area are already "hungry buyers" for what you can offer them. You'll be able to approach them with confidence. Your marketing skills, applied to their business and marketing plan, can really boost their revenue.

 

Avoid using IM "jargon" when speaking to these businesses. Remember, they know their business. They don't know about autoresponders, split testing, affiliate links, analytics for Web pages, etc. You'll just make what you do seem foreign to them.

 

Instead, find out what their business and marketing plans are. Help them target their most profitable merchandise, products or services. Find ways to help them improve the marketing of any underused capacity or products they have.

 

Think of their needs first, before you offer any solution. You'll be more likely to get a new client and get more money every month for helping that client.

Should You Blog For Business

Before you jump on the bandwagon and start your own blog with an expectation that it is going to make you rich, you should understand what a blog entails.  Otherwise, you will begin writing and then lose interest; the average benchmark is around 7.  Most people who jump in without going over the pros and cons generally don’t do more than 7 before shutting it down. If you stop blogging, then everything you have done up to that point will have been of little consequence.

 

How can you determine if a blog will actually benefit your business?  You need to know why people start blogs in the first place.  You also need to know how to find the right topic for you and how to find tools that will help your become an efficient, successful blogger.

 

Your content is important for attracting and maintaining your client list.  This content can be provided in a variety of forms, and a blog is one of them.  A podcast is another, but if you want to go the route of podcast, I would suggest a blog first, less of a jump and even if you are podcasting, you want to have a transcript of your cast, so blogging will give you an added step up.

 

You can use your blog to connect your business to your readers in hopes of drawing potential customers to your site.

 

You need to decide how you want to approach your blog 

 

While it can be fun and therapeutic to talk about your life, it will not necessarily attract many readers unless you are a celebrity.  Most people these days want people to give them advice on how to become successful or they want information on a certain product or area of interest.  Most readers do not want to read an advertisement that is wrapped up in uninteresting content. Instead, they need to see how the site owner can relate the product to real life.

 

Before you start a blog you should ask yourself a few questions like: 

 

• Do you really have something to say? 
• Do you have the time to devote to updating your blog regularly? 
• Can you provide information that would be relevant and important to someone else? 
• How will you use the blog to attract new visitors to your site?

 

One of the most important of those questions is whether you will have the time to write in your blog regularly.  You should be able to add something almost every day, with a minimum of five times a week.  Most of the blogs that show up in search engines actually have multiple posts a day.  You can read other blogs on similar topics and post a response to those blogs.  It is actually a common practice among bloggers.  Cross-blog discussions give new readers a reason to check out your blog if you post about a blog they read regularly.

 

Besides that, you should consider the amount of website traffic you generally get.  If you have very little traffic, it will take more work to get your blog up and going and successful.  However, if you already have a lot of visitors to your site, then your blog will be more likely to catch on quickly.  Just realize that you may not become an overnight success, but hard work will pay off in the end.

 

Your main goal with a commercial website is to gain profit.  The way to do that is to attract as many people as possible to your website and to maintain that client list by enticing them to come back again and again. 

 

A blog is not for everyone or for every business, but it may be exactly what you need, so research your needs, the market, your time, etc. and figure out if it is something for you or not.

More on Blogging

Addendum to a previous post:

"Blogging and Your Business" posted on the 13th of June.

 I just wasn't satisfied with it and thought I would add just a little more info on blogging, so here it is.

A quick guide to getting started with blogging that you can print off and keep somewhere near when writing. Hope that I haven’t missed any, if you know of any that I have missed, let me know and I will revise my list. Thanks.

The Basics

1.      Brevity rules. Can you say it briefly? If you can say it in two sentences, don’t waste time with drawing out to five.

2.      Start at the main point, and then work the story up. (Try to make the main point in the first paragraph whenever possible.)

3.      Use small words. Don’t speak down to your audience, but you don’t have to impress people either. It’s about being clear, not impressive.

4.      Analogies help people understand things better, so do stories.

5.      You don’t have to write complete sentences, even though your teacher taught you to do that. But treat it sparingly. Like this. Like a condiment.

6.      Keep paragraphs small, if possible. Large blocks of text tend to make people skim as opposed to read the entire entry.

7.      Make your point from the reader’s side of the fence. Think about who your audience is and write it as if you were having a direct conversation with them.

8.      Depending on your writing style, go back and see if you can cut out any fluff. Reduce. Reduce. Reduce. Remember that you are having a conversation and not trying to impress anyone with over the top jargon and repetition.

9.      Use the words you’re thinking about, not a fancier, or more polite word. In a real conversation, you will speak with your voice, portray your voice in your blog and make it yours.

Concepts and the Bigger Picture

10.  Set up series of posts, even if you don’t call them a series. Make a post that brings up follow-on points from a previous post, and link back to that post to reinforce the original content.

11.  Get your inspiration from reading; not just other blogs, but from any resource on any topic that interests you, especially topics that aren’t necessarily in the space that you blog about. Ideas come from everywhere.

12.  Think strategically, if this is for business or a cause. Ask yourself what you want your reader to do next. Try to write from that point of view.

13.  Theme-wise, writing very helpful things that people can use is way better than writing thoughtful things that make people think and just walk away. You can have thoughtful but not helpful, but you’re striving for helpful and thoughtful in the same piece.

14.  Never write the me-too blog. Look to be ahead of the wave and feeding backwards, not behind the wave and eating someone’s wake.

15.  Look for ways to think forward, but that tie to your business interests. When I write about the future, I’m also inviting someone to make that future with me.

16.  Mix it up. Keep an editorial calendar and note what kinds of posts you’ve written lately. Thought posts? Lists? Interviews? Make sure you’re mixing up the type of post you’ve written lately.

17.  Consider the occasional dip into Google Trends to write a story that might draw new audience to your conversation. Don’t do this all the time, because the gimmick can wear off quick. Again, think condiments, not meals.

18.  If you don’t have anything interesting to blog, skip a day. Don’t skip many days.

19.  And never never never (raise your hand and repeat this with me) “I” (state your name) “solemnly swear never never never never ever to post another ‘I’m sorry I haven’t blogged lately’ posts ever again. Ever.”

Overdrive

20.  Consider your audience but write from your passion.

21.  Don’t mince words. If it’s a “pissing match,” it’s not a disagreement.

22.  Ask questions. Blogs are conversations starting and flowing. Ask. Questions.

23.  Link to people. If you write about Steve Garfield, link to Steve Garfield.

24.  It’s not all about your blog. Get out and comment on other people’s blogs. Often.

25.  Leave a few ideas unfinished. Ask for input. It always improves a piece. Blogs are great for that.

26.  Use tags. Lots of tags. Make sure you claim your blog with Technorati, and submit it with Alltop.

27.  Make sure your blog’s URL is everywhere: in your email signature, in Facebook, in Flickr, in Twitter, in every outpost you can think about.

28.  Don’t email, DM, and otherwise push every blog post you write to other people. Share the best ones. Let the others be found on their own merits.

29.  Always know why you’re doing what you’re doing. Question yourself often. Look for ways to improve the game.

Encore

30.  Comment back to the people who have left comments.

31.  Follow those people’s links sometimes and go explore their blog.

32.  Look for ways to empower the community you inspire.

33.  If you haven’t found your community yet, keep looking, searching, and connecting.

34.  Learn about Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and Search Engine Marketing (SEM). It’s no longer okay not to know even the most basic things.

35.  Find great Creative Commons photos and use them for your post (with attribution).

36.  Deconstruct what your favorite writers do, and try it your own way.

37.  Occasionally, try something completely different.

38.  Don’t be afraid to fail. Be afraid of not being interesting enough.

39.  Write as if someone believes in you, because someone does. (me!)

40.  When writing a series topic, write multiple at a time, when you are “in the zone” so that they are more cohesive and also, so it frees up more time.

This post is a little short, I know, but I just wanted to make sure that I got this in the right hands of those who have contacted me about giving more of a checklist on blogging strategies. Trust me, once you get started, the first one is the most difficult.

  To Your Success,

Leave a comment and let me know if this blog post has helped you and pass it on to someone else who may need this information to jumpstart their success.

Blogging and Your Business

 

Should You Blog For Business?

 

Before you jump on the bandwagon and start your own blog, you should understand what a blog entails.  Otherwise, you will begin writing and then lose interest.  If you stop blogging, then everything you have done up to that point will have been worth little.

 

How can you determine if a blog will actually benefit your business?  You need to know why people start blogs in the first place.  You also need to know how to find the right topic for you and how to find tools that will help your become an efficient, successful blogger.

 

Articles and content are important for attracting and maintaining your client list.  This content can be provided in a variety of forms, and blog is one of the most popular today. 

You can use your blog to connect your business to your readers in hopes of drawing potential customers to your site.

 

You need to decide how you want to approach your blog.  While it can be fun and therapeutic to talk about your life, it will not necessarily attract many readers unless you are a celebrity.  Most people these days want people to give them advice on how to become successful or they want information on a certain product or area of interest.  Most readers do not want to read an advertisement that is wrapped up in uninteresting content. 

 

Instead, they need to see how the site owner can relate the product to real life.

 

Before you start a blog you should ask yourself a few questions.  Do you really have something to say?  Do you have the time to devote to updating your blog regularly?  Can you provide information that would be relevant and important to someone else?  How will you use the blog to attract new visitors to your site?

 

One of the most important of those questions is whether you will have the time to write in your blog regularly.  You should be able to add something almost every day, with a minimum of five times a week.  Most of the blogs that show up in search engines actually have multiple posts a day.  You can read other blogs on similar topics and post a response to those blogs.  It is actually a common practice among bloggers.  Cross-blog discussions give new readers a reason to check out your blog if you post about a blog they read regularly.

 

Besides that, you should consider the amount of website traffic you generally get.  If you have very little traffic, it will take more work to get your blog up and going and successful.  However, if you already have a lot of visitors to your site, then your blog will be more likely to catch on quickly.  Just realize that you may not become an overnight success, but hard work will pay off in the end.

 

Your main goal with a commercial website is to gain profit.  The way to do that is to attract as many people as possible to your website and to maintain that client list by enticing them to come back again and again.  A blog is not for everyone or for every business, but it may be exactly what you need!

Increase Your Business with a Blog

 

Increase Your Business with a Blog

 

When running your own business, a blog can really help to make your website successful. It can give readers information about your product and can also actually be the thing that brings new visitors to your site.  It is a business tool that can help you update your site with informative content to keep readers coming back for more.

 

There are two main reasons that you should include content on your website.  Content can help visitors develop trust in your product and your knowledge.  Also, it will help to increase your site's appearance in internet search engine ranks.

 

First of all, having content that is relevant can help to increase the credibility of your business.  It can do so by providing important information to your clients and potential clients.  If your blog is full of interesting and relevant information, people naturally assume that your company is interesting and relevant to them.  This improves your chance of adding these readers as future customers.  Once they realize that you are providing an informative service to them, they will gain trust in your and your product, thus producing sales in the future.

 

Second, the only way to increase your site's chances of being ranked high with search engines is to include that good content.  With optimized content you are able to keep your site in the top picks.  Search engines will locate and rank your site based on the content provided there.  If they determine that the content is good, unique, and relevant to people, your ratings will improve.  Higher rankings mean potential customers can more easily search and find your company, and that, in turn, means higher profit for you!

 

So, you have decided that you are ready to try blogs.  You are confident that you can write good, relevant articles to promote your business and product.  However, you just are not sure how to get started?  You need to figure out how to publish your articles and make sure search engines are aware of the content available on your site.  To do this, you should employ the use of blogging software, blog directories, and article directories. 

 

Let's consider your choice of blogging software.

 

Blogging software can help you to manage the articles that you write.  Most will provide features such as word processing, database storage, archiving, search options, and RSS newsfeed.  Each of these, along with others offered, can help make using a blog more effective and time efficient for you.

 

In many cases, you can order customizable blog software.  This means you can choose which features to use, adding or deleting various features at any time.  For example, some

bloggers choose to turn off the comments feature to discourage spammers from leaving unrelated comments just to leave their own link.

 

You can choose between two main types of blogging software.  You can choose hosted or integrated, depending on your needs.  Both can help you manage articles, and there are even some free options available.

 

Hosted blog versions are those such as Wordpress and Blogger.  They are websites that host individuals' blogs for free.  Any articles published on a company's blog are actually held or stored on the website that is provided by the software company.  You will not use your own website as the address of your blog but instead will use the company's website with an extension that is personal to you.  This option is good for those with limited funds, but it also can be less beneficial to your website since your content is not available on your site itself.

 

An integrated version of blogging software means that articles and software used to manage them are all set up live on your own website.  Your site will increase due to the

blog being hosted there and the new visitors that are attracted by that content.  It also helps to increase your site's rankings with search engines and helps to make your business seem professional and credible.

 

When setting up a blog to use in your marketing plans, consider your options carefully. There are a number of directions you can go with a blog, but be sure to use the one that is right for you.  Consider your needs and take some time to research your options before making a final selection.

 

Why Blogs Appeal to People

 

What is a blog?  A blog is a sort of journal, published on the web.  It allows the author to share his views, thoughts, and insight with the world.  It may be used to show off writing or journalism skills or to share a passion for a particular subject. 

 

Blogs have become a part of the internet technology craze and have become exceedingly popular.  They offer writers freedom of speech with an audience that is world wide.  It gives people a chance to use the world as a sounding board for their emotions, thoughts, and areas of expertise.  They also offer readers the chance to bond with writers who think similarly to them.

 

There are also financial benefits to owning and/or writing a blog.  Blogging sites can often be set up with banner ads that provide the blogger with a percentage of profits generated from that advertisement.  Other ads can be set up that pay a blogger a certain amount for each time a reader clicks on the advertisement from the blog's page.  This is an easy way to make a little extra money by writing and doing something that you love.

 

Another advantage to starting your own personal blog is that it gives people a chance to gain confidence in themselves as writers.  When a writer gains a readership, it makes the writer feel that his work is presentable and can prove to be beneficial to others.  It is always nice to know that what you are doing is good and is being appreciated, especially when that praise comes from someone that you do not even personally know.  Writing regularly and receiving regular, positive feedback can help to increase a writer's self esteem.  An increase in self esteem can then in turn also help a writer to actually become better at the writing itself.  As they learn what readers like, the content they produce becomes more relevant and more applicable to those blog visitors.

 

A blog can also be used as a way for beginning writers to express themselves without true fear of rejection.  Plenty of people are interested but have never made the leap into the

world of writing because they are afraid of being turned down or rejected by the public. 

 

A blog allows them to write somewhat anonymously (or completely anonymously as they desire) and not feel overly pressured or limited in that endeavor.  No one really knows

who they are, so any negative comments do not necessarily affect them as personally. 

 

They are free to express themselves and their thoughts without consequence.  This can help to strengthen self esteem as well and make them more comfortable with themselves

and with sharing their talents with the world.

 

Finally, blogs can be used as an amazing avenue for free advertising.  Those who have a limited budget can use blogs to promote products.  It actually does not cost a singly

penny to write a blog posting and advertise a product.  Readers can also instantly read blog postings, making profit from the postings occur fairly quickly.  It can be an great

marketing tool. 

 

To your success