Success isn't about money, it's about freedom; freedom from the rat race. It's also about control, more so, taking control; control of your own destiny and not turning it over to someone else. Success is about legacy; creating a legacy that you can pass on.
header
Success Starts Here
Wednesday, May 4, 2016
Help Local Businesses Get (Better) Online
Saturday, April 30, 2016
Get Your Client's Website Out of the Witness Protection Program
Wednesday, April 27, 2016
The First Step Is Market Research
Finding Hungry Local Advertising Buyers
Saturday, April 23, 2016
Beat the Big Guns with a Blog Post!
Test Your Niches for Total Domination
Wednesday, April 20, 2016
"Drill Down" to Big Profits
Find the Niches Where There is No Competition
Saturday, March 5, 2016
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.
Saturday, January 9, 2016
How to Identify Profitable Niche Areas
Whether you are wanting a home-based business or looking to operate a brick and mortar, you have to know your customers and the only way to do that is to find your niche market.
Focusing on a niche area is one of the key factors to personal business success in today's world because gone are the days of offering everything to everyone. That market is run by the big chain stores and they can eat you alive. A detailed niche narrows down the target market, making success more achievable compared to having to cover the whole spectrum of a particular market. How to identify profitable niche areas for your home business?
1. Start with
yourself
Ask yourself, what fires you up? What is your passion? What do you do during your free time? Which subject do you have vast knowledge about? The answer(s) to these questions are most likely your niche areas that you can work on.
2. Use keyword
search
Now you need to identify what your competitors are doing within your areas of expertise. Search the keywords on a search engine and see the list of searches that appears. Look for areas where there is no or little competitions.
3. Gauge the demand
The volume of searches on search engines is an indication of the interest or demand to the particular market you are targeting. Use Google AdWords' Key word tool or other such keyword tool to gauge the demand for the particular niche markets that you have shortlisted. The higher the search volume, the better.
4. Stand out
At this point you have identified a niche market that is something you are passionate about, have little or no competitions yet captures high level of interests among your online viewers that you want to reach – ideal for your home business! The next step is to define your new playing field, i.e. determine what you can offer differently from all the rest in the same market.
5. Package your idea
Name your niche market and though you want to use the keyword for your niche to help drive interest, you want to make sure that your name isn't too generic to avoid Google's algorithms from blacklisting you. What I mean by this is, lets say your target market is Guppy breeeding, Don't just have your business called Guppy Breeding. You want it to stand out. Package your niche market and your offers under this new ‘brand’ that you have created.
Now, you are ready to develop your new products and market them for your home business!
I will get more indepth about niche marketing in later blog posts, but for now, here is to your success
Saturday, October 31, 2015
Boo Activities
OK, A little away from business success here; Halloween is one of my favorite holidays, so I won’t apologize for creating a post that has a little Halloween fun in it. Use your knowledge of leadership (keep an eye out for my next post series that discusses this very topic) to get this started in your neighborhood, workplace, etc.
If you want to get your neighbors or co-workers in the
Halloween spirit, be sure to engage them in a little game known as
"Boo!" It's a popular game in some parts of the country, while in
others, nobody has heard of it.
You might live in a neighborhood where you think nobody
will participate in a round robin type of event as this, but you might be
surprised. Sometimes during the holidays people will step up and get involved
where before they wouldn't. It's possible, anyway and with you being the
successful leader that you are, it shouldn’t be that big of a deal for you to
get this going.
The game goes something like this, and then I will be
described in more detail later. You print up a few poems and instructions on
colorful paper (likely, orange). You get a treat bucket, or bowl or something
and fill it with candy. You can also "Boo" people with candles,
Halloween socks, and really whatever your imagination comes up with. You
"Boo" two people at a time, leaving the items anonymously on their
doorstep, desk, etc. You leave it with the instructions and the poem and hope
they "Boo" other neighbors, co-workers, etc. Once you are done, you
tape up a large "Boo!" on your door or desk so they know not to hit
you up again.
Specifically, here's how it's done. Start this game around
the very end of September or very beginning of October. If you want until
everyone is decorated for Halloween, you're probably too late. You want this to
spread around the neighborhood and that takes time, so you want to start it
right as the season starts (or a little before, perhaps) and just as people are
starting to think about Halloween. If you start too early, however, you might be
out of luck as far as being able to purchase items.
So, it's the right time of the year and you're ready to go. Find a "Boo" poem and photocopy it. There are many variations of the poem. Here is a sampling:
"Boo!
To our good friends on the street;
Our homes' locations made us meet;
You now have been Boo'd, but who would we be?
We'll never tell, it's a secret, you see.
We placed these goodies for you and yours;
Then we ran fast, after knocking the door!
Happy Halloween!"
Or it might be a bit longer, something like this:
"The air is cool, the season fall
Soon Halloween will come to all;
The neighbors are after things to do
In fact, a neighbor brought this to you;
"Boo" is a sign of friendship power
Just hang it up and watch it double by hour;
On your front door is where it works
It wards off solicitors and scary jerks;
The treat that came with friendly note
Are yours to keep; enjoy them both;
The power comes when friends like you
Copy this and make it two;
Then others here among our friends
Will give warm fuzzies that will not end;
We'll all have smiles upon our face
No one will know who "boo'ed" whose place;
Just one short day to share your Boo
You must be quick so they don't know who;
And don't forget a nifty treat
Like something cute or something sweet;
Please join the fun, let's really hear it
And spread some "Boos" and neighborhood spirit!
Be sure to include a cute graphic of a ghost or something
else that looks like it might say "Boo!" You might want to include
some details on the flyer about what should be done next, in case you think the
poem itself won't be clear enough. Then attach the poem to the goodie bag,
basket, whatever you have created, and run out one night dropping your goodies
on peoples' doorsteps. If you are just getting this started in your
neighborhood, be sure to do more than 2 houses. You might find that some people
don't participate and in that case, you want to have "Boo"ed enough
people that you will get adequate participation.
What you're striving for is a neighborhood or office full of "Boo" doors by Halloween.
Wednesday, October 28, 2015
You Can Market Your Online Business Yourself
Online business is indeed a lucrative means by which you can make a comfortable living. In fact, thousands have been able to live quite nicely off of internet marketing. Those who have decoded the nitty-gritty of the trade (social media, PPC, SEO, etc.) have either attained financial freedom or are on their way to reaching that threshold. It gives at the very least the opportunity to design your life the way you wish with hardly anyone looking over your shoulder to order you around.
One of the peculiar joys of Internet marketing is that it puts you in charge literally of your destiny. You get what you input into your business; the internet has virtually democratized the business environment to a significant extent allowing, what one of my clients deemed, “allowing little fish to swim with the big fish and not get eaten”. So while you may engage a professional marketing outfit to handle your marketing chores such as Imagery Magic Solutions (shameless plug, I know J), you have an option of doing your own thing yourself. And this may give you a better sense of personal fulfillment. Honestly, that is how I got started in this, by doing it myself and moving into helping other people.
Should you decide to personally market your online business, you would have to consider a number of factors. Would you have the knowledge, skill, time and commitment to see through your marketing campaigns? The key is to make it personal. Give your own stamp of approval (a touch of self) in order to resonate to your audience that you are not a bot or a big faceless chain is in charge of your marketing. Barb Wade said it best:
“Always be yourself and there is no competition.”
The trick is to start simple. There are a number of cost effective methods and practices through which you can go about marketing your business to steady success, like reading my blogs (another shameless plug; when will it end?). One simple way is to include email signature lines in all messages you send out to friends and associates. Email Signatures simply contain your website address which others may see, visit and become interested in. It would be more effective if you have a separate email address for your official business name, but a good gmail account works just as well. When used in personal correspondences, it works wonders and you can hardly be accused of spamming since it is only a signature line and not an overt advertisement.
That leads me into email marketing. This has been a veritable tool for effective marketing of products with very wonderful and rewarding results. I have already written a few posts on email marketing, if you haven’t already check them out. This simple method allows you to alert customers to the availability of new products, lucrative offers and changes to established businesses. In fact, I know a number of very successful Internet Marketers who use this method almost exclusively and they have several successful sites to show for it. However, knowing the SPAM laws is important.
Another method you can use to enhance the visibility of your site is the submission of your website to Search Engines and Directories.
Whatever methods you finally choose to personally promote your online business will depend on your personal preferences as well as on the results that you are able to get from any or some of them. However, there is this joy and personal fulfillment that you get from running your own business yourself from wherever you choose and at the times that you decide. I love being able to take off whenever my daughter’s school needs help or doing short-term missions with my church.
I’m dating myself here, but as the old commercial said, “Try it, you’ll like it.”
Saturday, September 5, 2015
The E-Mail Marketing Consultant
I hope that you see by now that email marketing is an effective way to get your business fresh in the mind of a customer. The content of your marketing campaign is very important.
Per the request of some of my readers, I will attempt to give more information in this post about email marketing consultants to help you make a more educated decision on whether to get help with your campaigns or not. Not everyone needs consultant help.
As with any other form of marketing, you are competing with many other businesses for the same attention of the consumer. It has to appeal to them and encourage them to go to your website and make a purchase.
The concept is simple but the process is much harder. It can be very time consuming. If you are struggling with your email marketing processes or simply don’t have the time to commit to the process, this is where you would consider hiring an email-marketing consultant.
What exactly is an email-marketing consultant? This is generally a freelancer who has skills in the area of developing effective email marketing campaigns.
There are businesses that employ several email-marketing consultants as well. They will help you create effective promotions, specials, and newsletters for your business.
The amount of time you use an email-marketing consultant will depend on how much you plan to send emails to your customers.
These consultants are very familiar with the email marketing process as well as what consumers respond well to. They know the market trends and many other aspects that are part of the formula.
Since email marketing is such an important part of the entire marketing concept today, take the time to investigate the consultant you plan to use. If they are part of a company then check them out with the Better Business Bureau. You will find out about any issues and complaints filed against the company by other consumers.
Check the internet for reviews about the company or individual as well. It is important to ask the email-marketing consultant exactly what they will be providing for you.
Ask for references and information on previous projects they have worked with. Most email-marketing consultants have a portfolio.
Putting the wrong person in charge of your email marketing can damage the relationship you currently have with your customers. Don’t be surprised if you find yourself changing email marketing consultants down the road once your business has grown and the objectives of the company have changed.
Sometimes the relationship can continue long term but if your company heads in a different direction then some changes in marketing and creativity may be in order.
An email-marketing consultant should be willing to listen to the goals of your business. They need to be aware of exactly what you want to accomplish.
Keep in mind they may need to make changes to your plan based on the best marketing practices but they should be willing to discuss the changes with you as well as why they are needed.
If the consultant isn’t willing to talk with you about the goals of your business or isn’t easily reached then don’t work with them. They may not be effective or they may have too many projects taking place to do yours justice.
Any agreement with you and an email-marketing consultant need to be clearly placed in writing for both parties to sign.
It may take a marketing campaign or two for you to start seeing the effects. You should see a small increase in traffic to your website as well as sells, but don’t expect to see a huge difference overnight regardless of the product or service you are offering.
Your email-marketing consultant should go over this information with you as well. A consultant knows the process and market trends enough to give you a realistic forecast of what to expect. They can also help you analyze data from online analytics that can be used to make your next email marketing campaign more effective.
Email marketing is a valuable concept that allows you to reach volumes of customers quickly, effectively, and inexpensively.
The process can be difficult and time consuming. An email-marketing consultant can help you meet your email marketing campaign goals while allowing you to use your time to operate other aspects of your business.


