| 15 Rules for Success In Your Home-Based Business |
| 06.24.04 (6:48 pm) |
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[b]15 Rules for Success In Your Home-Based Business [/b] [i]By, Elena Fawkner[/i] Someone sent me an email the other day. Supposedly General Colin Powell's Rules for Success. Now, I don't know whether they really are or not, but as I read them, I thought they really should be called "15 Rules For Success In Your Home Business". So, here they are: [b]Rule 1 - It ain't as bad as you think, it will look better in the morning [/b] If there's one experience universal to ALL home-business owners, particularly those running a business on the internet, it's the occasional feeling that you're just spinning your wheels, and not getting anywhere. The number of people who give up on their businesses just as they approach the brink of success is staggering. So hang in there and remind yourself, when things look bleak, that tomorrow is another day, things really aren't as bad as they seem and things really WILL look better in the morning. [b] Rule 2 - Get mad, then get over it [/b] OK, I concede this is more general advice than home-business advice but it applies in your home business just as it does anywhere else. Resentment and unexpressed anger really don't hurt anyone but the person feeling resentful and angry. Have you ever noticed how completely unproductive you are when burdened by resentment and anger? So feel it, express it (constructively) and then move on. As the man said, "get over it". [b]Rule 3 - Avoid having your ego so close to your position that when your position falls your ego goes with it [/b] Over the course of my career I have, from time to time, met people whose identity and sense of self-worth is so enmeshed in what they do for a living that they literally don't have an identity outside of their work. Because they rely on an external source for their self-esteem and confidence, they find it necessary to continually and relentlessly bolster their personal positions, often at the expense of others, often resorting to political maneuvring in the workplace to maintain and improve their supposed 'status'. These people are the 'empire builders' you sometimes find in organizations. They jealously guard their power base all the while gathering unto themselves more and more responsibility, beyond the point of being able to do everything they take on. Because their identity and sense of self-worth depends upon their position within their organization, what happens when their position disappears, such as in a corporate downsizing? It freefalls. Don't let this happen to you. Remember that you are something separate and distinct from your business. Sure, you can be proud and pleased with your accomplishments but don't define yourself through them. Your self-worth is something that comes from inside your human self, not your business. Ironically, keeping a professional detachment is more likely to secure the ultimate success of your business. Detachment brings perspective, objectivity and clarity, which helps you make better quality decisions. [b]Rule 4 - It can be done [/b] Don't allow self-imposed limitations to restrict what you can and will do. You can do anything if you set your mind to it. Well, of course, it must be something that is within your power - you can't just set your mind on growing a third arm, for example. But for anything that is within human power and capability, the saying "where there's a will is a way" is so true. Get into the discipline of planning your life and where you want it to go. By setting goals and planning the steps that will help you reach them, you can achieve literally anything your heart desires. [b]Rule 5 - Be careful what you choose, you may get it [/b] Following on from this, it should go without saying that what you set for your goals is something you truly want because if you do practice the discipline of goal setting you will surely get it. [b]Rule 6 - Don't let adverse facts stand in the way of a good decision [/b] Keep your eye on the prize and don't be distracted by what's happening on the sidelines. Sure, you may not have entered the marathon had you known there were going to be 1,000 other runners but does that mean entering the marathon was a bad idea? No. Make your decisions based on quality information and what's in the best interests of your business. If someone else comes along who represents competition for your business, don't be put off your game. Just run your own race. There's ALWAYS a way to distinguish yourself from your competition. [b]Rule 7 - You can't make someone else's choices. You shouldn't let someone else make yours [/b] IGNORE your mother when she tells you you're crazy for chucking in your nice SAFE secure little job to start your own business. Follow your dream, no-one else's. [b]Rule 8 - Check small things [/b] Like the fine print in contracts. Like the URL in that sales letter you've just put the finishing touches on. Like your spelling and punctuation. In other words, pay attention to detail. [b]Rule 9 - Share credit [/b] You've heard the saying, "no man is an island". No woman is either. Remember and acknowledge the people who have helped and continue to help you get where you want to go. Acknowledge the achievements of others. [b] Rule 10 - Remain calm, be careful [/b] Frenzy and recklessness are hardly the prescription for long-term success in your business. In the face of unexpected challenges, unexplained downturns in business or failure to achieve the results expected, recognize that these are just part of the thrust and parry of business life and use a calm, methodical approach to the problem. Don't just react blindly or chuck away all your hard work and try something completely different unless a thorough, calm and careful investigation convinces you that you are completely off-beam. Calmly analyze your situation and use your intelligence to correct the situation. Sometimes a one degree turn of the wheel is all that is required to get back on course, not a completely new rudder. [b]Rule 11 - Have a vision, be demanding [/b] This rule goes hand in hand with rules 4 and 5. In order to set goals and plan ways to achieve them you must first set your vision. Think big, be brave. There is nothing you can't achieve so make sure your efforts are going to be for something truly worthwhile. [b]Rule 12 - Don't take counsel of your fears or naysayers [/b] All of us have moments of self-doubt or even fear when embarking on a journey to an unknown destination. If what you have planned for yourself brings with it feelings of anxiety, nervousness, even fear, pay attention to them but don't take their counsel. They are symptoms of grand thinking, of stretching beyond the boundaries of your comfort zone. As the book says, feel the fear and do it anyway. [b]Rule 13 - Perpetual optimism is a force multiplier [/b] This rule is closely related to rule 1. Believe that things will work out, that they will look better in the morning, that everything's going to be OK. Repeat the words to yourself as a mantra if you must but instill a spirit of indomitable optimism in your outlook and you will attract success into your life. [b]Rule 14 - Sometimes being responsible means pissing people off [/b] You can't please all of the people all of the time so don't waste your time or energy even trying. You have a responsibility to the ultimate success of your business and to your own personal success. If that means you occasionally have to say no to people to stay true to your objectives, do it. If it means you have to alienate some people because they don't personally agree with what you are doing, that's their problem. In other words, stay focused on your plan. If others don't like it or agree with it, too bad. [b]Rule 15 - You never know what you can get away with unless you try [/b] If you don't ask you don't get. And if you don't take you don't get. Leave nothing on the table. If an opportunity comes along, take it. It may not come again. And remember, in chaos there is opportunity. While everyone else is running around like chooks with their heads cut off, you just bring up the rear and clean up on all the opportunities that are just lying there for the taking among the chicken scratch. Hindsight truly is 20/20, no doubt about it. Perhaps, like me, you're thinking that if you'd known then what you know now, you would have gone a lot further a lot faster. But as with any form of progress, it's the journey, not the destination, that provides the education and creates the experience and, through it, wisdom. And that's something no book can teach you and money can't buy. ------------------------- ------------------------- ---------------- Elena Fawkner is editor of [url=http://www.ahbbo.com]A Home-Based Business Online[/url] ... practical ideas, resources and strategies for your home-based or online business. |
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| Virtual Assistant article -- work from home! |
| 06.16.04 (2:00 pm) |
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[b]Joining VA Organizations Has Many Benefits[/b] [i]Janice Byer, MVA [/i] Recently, while providing an up-and-coming Virtual Assistant (VA) with some startup information, she asked me a very interesting question, "Why do you and other VA’s join organizations?" I guess I take for granted the reasons why I belong to several VA organizations. But, to those that are new to any industry, joining an organization made up of your competitors is a valid concern. Some organizations have members that are from a variety of walks of life (i.e. small business organizations, etc.) while others are more specified and include only members from a specific industry (i.e. VA organizations). I cannot speak for those in other industries but, for myself and some others I know and associate with in the VA industry, there are several reasons why we join organizations specific to our knowledge. Actually, most of these reasons are probably similar for other organizations and their participants and why they join. So, why do I join industry specific organizations? Several reasons: Networking . This is one of the main reasons for joining any organization and is actually part in parcel with all the other reasons I will list here. Networking with anyone and everyone is essential to the growth of any business, including a Virtual Assistance Business. This industry is still fairly young and by networking with your peers, we can all work together to increase the exposure of this industry, thus increasing the visibility of each individual’s business. The opportunity to work with fellow VAs . With the increased exposure and acceptance of the VA industry, many veteran VA’s are finding their workloads are getting to a point where they are having to outsource some of their work themselves. If they don’t know about you they won’t even have the chance to consider sending you some of their overflow. Not to mention, most VAs specialize in certain procedures and, should a task come up for a client that is not one of their specialties, they may need to subcontract the project. Learning from your fellow members . No matter if you are an experienced VA or new to the industry, there is always something to learn from others. Veteran VAs have been there and done that so they have the voice of experience to offer. Those new to the industry can sometimes be an excellent source of new & fresh ideas. You have the chance to get involved in new ventures . Many veteran VAs collaborate to initiate new ventures and projects to help enhance the industry. Usually, during the start up phase of these new ventures, it is common to work with those that you know and respect and have them involved in the process. By being a member of an organization and staying involved, you become visible to your fellow VAs and thus may be requested to become involved in the newest industry-boosting project. And finally, one of the perks of joining an organization is the joy of making new friends. When working from home, which is where most VAs operate their businesses, isolation can become an issue. Being a member of a VA organization results in making friends with fellow VAs, reducing the isolation aspect. These friendships can also result in a mentor type relationship where the two (or more) of you share ideas that will help to boost each other’s businesses and even you personal lives. (Such is the case of myself and my best friend Kathy Ritchie of [url=http://www.thebestva.com]Ritchie Secretarial Service[/url] ) To sum it all up, being a member of an industry specific organization has many benefits and shouldn’t be viewed as associating with the enemy. Try to think of your relationship with your fellow industry members as ‘coopetition’ rather than ‘competition’. By working together we can build the industry as a whole, our own individual businesses and even our personal lives. ------------------------- ------------------------- ------------------------- --- Janice Byer is a certified Master Virtual Assistant and owner of award winning [url=http://www.docutype.net]Docu-Type Administrative Services[/url] , a professional Virtual Assistance and Website Design. She is also a member of several organizations, all of which are listed on her website. |
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| How to find a Telecommute job |
| 06.15.04 (6:41 am) |
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[i][b]How to find a Telecommute job[/b] By, Sharon Davis[/i] The answer may be easier than you think, but there's a catch. The truth is that you find a telecommute job just like you find any other job- with research, persistence and a bit of job search savvy. The caveat? Ever wonder why more companies don't advertise telecommute jobs? In this competitive job market you'd think more of them would see the benefits of hiring telecommuters. Well, many of them do, they just don't advertise their telecommute positions. The sad fact is that when they do, they are inundated with responses from applicants who aren't remotely qualified for the position. There seems to be a persistent rumor circulating that the desire to work at home somehow qualifies a person to perform a job. This has really turned employers off to posting telecommute positions for the world to see. With that said, you can see how important it is to be very realistic when applying for a telecommute position. Think of your home-based job search as a "traditional" job search. Keep in mind that many companies are telecommute friendly, even if they don't list that in their job listing or ad. In fact, the company you are currently working for may be willing to allow partial telecommuting. That should be the first place you look. Many companies are testing the waters by allowing employees to work from home on a part-time basis. If you feel that this is a possibility for your company, the first thing you should do is determine whether or not the job you do is appropriate for telecommuting. If you are a receptionist who does clerical and phone work, then your job could possibly be performed from home, but if you also greet clients then it may not be an option. Here is a [url=http://cnnfn.com/1999/09/21/l...]good article [/url] on how to convince your boss to let you telecommute. For an external job search, definitely check out the sites that cater to telecommuters. Some good sites are [url=http://telecommuting.about.co...]About.com[/url] , [url=http://www.gilgordon.com/]Gil Gordon's site[/url] , and [url=http://www.dice.com/]Dice.com[/url] . Aside from that, you should identify companies that you want to work for and apply to them. You will find a listing of Telecommute Friendly Companies here at [url=http://www.2work-at-home.com/...]2Work-At-Home.com[/url] . When I was making a career change, I made a list of the top 10 companies that I wanted to work for. I sent my resume and cover letter to each of them. I ended up landing the job with my first choice. As it turns out, the person I replaced had just been promoted on the day my resume was received. The company's Human Resources Manager was passing my future boss in the hallway. Handing her my resume she said, "Oh, here you go. You'll need to replace yourself!". Timing is everything. While you do want to inquire about a company's policy on telecommuting and flexible work arrangements, you should not let that be the focus of the interview. You want to leave the impression that you are a quality candidate, not that you are desperate to stay at home. Most companies don't offer telecommuting right off the bat. In most cases, you must work for a predetermined period of time before telecommuting becomes an option. Take a good hard look at your resume. Companies that hire telecommuters are looking for specific skills and qualities. Make sure your resume highlights those skills. A resume is particularly important for someone who is looking for a home-based position because in many cases, the very skills required to write an effective resume are the skills an employer is looking for. Also keep this in mind when interviewing, as these skills will be evaluated through the interview process. Many employers conduct phone interviews and will get a sense of your communication skills and your professionalism this way. Even if you don't have the skills that are in demand for telecommute jobs, don't lose hope! It's never too late to learn a new skill. Take a course at a local college, or one of the many online courses that are available. You can find information on internet courses [url=http://www.2work-at-home.com/...]here.[/url] Whatever your situation, remember to stay focused on finding a job that matches your skills and experience, present yourself in a professional manner, and treat your job search as you would if you were seeking a non-telecommute position. Resources: [url=http://www.amazon.com/exec/ob...]110 Best Job Search Sites on the Internet[/url] - by Katherine K. Yonge. [url=http://www.amazon.com/exec/ob...]101 Great Answers to the Toughest Interview Questions [/url] - by Ron Fry, Ronald W. Fry. [url=http://www.amazon.com/exec/ob...]Deloitte & Touche:[/url] The VaultReports.com Employer Profile for Job Seekers. [url=http://www.amazon.com/exec/ob...]The 100 Best Companies to Work for in America [/url] - by Robert Levering, Milton Moskowitz. ------------------------- ------------------------- ---------------- Sharon Davis is the Mother of two girls, the owner of [url=http://www.2work-at-home.com/...]2Work-At-Home.Com [/url] and the Editor of the site's monthly ezine, America's Home. In her spare time she reminisces about what it was like to have spare time. To subscribe to her free ezine, [url=http://www.2work-at-home.com/...]Click Here [/url] |
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| Home Based Business Opportunities |
| 06.14.04 (7:47 am) |
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[b]Home Based Business Opportunities[/b] [i]By, BB Lee[/i] Your Best Opportunity For Home-Based Business Success Might Be Right Before Your Eyes! It might even be a task you perform everyday! Where Do I Begin: You want to start your own home-based business but you don't know what kind of business to start. The answer to your question might be very obvious! Consider This: Your best opportunity for home-based business success might be a skill you perform everyday around the house. Perhaps you are a good cook. Consider starting a catering service. You take care of children or elderly parents. You could start an elder care or children's day care center. Friends say you have a green thumb. Not the Jolly Green Giant kind, but you are a great gardener. Ever thought about starting a landscaping business? Or growing exotic house plants? Perhaps sewing is your hobby. You could specialize in tailoring. Or sewing outfits for children. Sewing designer curtains, cushions. One woman in California turned her sewing hobby into a profitable business by creating patterns and sewing unique hand bags. Are you good with a paint brush, hammer and nails. Hire yourself out in your neighborhood as a professional repair person. Maybe, you are a whiz with computers and surf the Internet for fun. Do you realize a large market exist for an eager entrepreneur to train people in setting up their computers, getting on the Internet. Along with teaching email skills, downloading, web page building, setting up accounts with web host. These are skills you might find simple enough, but are very perplexing to newbies. Are you great at throwing together a children's birthday party? Or are you the life of the party? Performing, telling jokes, making funny animal balloons? One young female friend of mine used her offbeat humor to start a traveling clown business, specializing in children's birthday parties. Did you help a friend arrange a wedding celebration? Wedding Consultants are in high demand across the country. This would be a very lucrative business venture. One easily started out of your home. Perhaps you worked in an office performing basic secretarial skills. Why not start a home typing service. You could specialize in one area-target college students, typing their terms papers. Or target recent graduates, typing resume's, cover letters. The point is that it is conceivable that the same tasks you perform everyday for your family or employer could be turned into a very profitable home-based business venture. Maybe you are thinking, "I don't have any marketable skills. I basically cooked and cleaned for my family the last several years." Wrong! You have a very marketable skill. Why not start a "Home Based Cleaning Service." This is a business that is very easy to start out of the home. And started for less than $100.00. For More Info On Starting A Cleaning Business [url=http://www.geocities.com/smal... ]Click Here[/url] OR [url=http://www.lulu.com/bblee]Here[/url] [b]The Planning Stage: [/b] First thing to do is to grab a few sheets of paper or a notebook. Write down all the duties you perform each day at your job, or you perform around the house. You get the point? [b]At work:[/b] Do you conduct interviews, answer the telephone, type letters, keep records, manage accounts, market products, train new employees on computers. [b]At home:[/b] Do you take care of children, look after pets, tend gardens, keep a household budget, balance checkbooks, sew clothes for children. Paint and repair projects. Lawn care. Conduct an online research. Search for Internet businesses that incorporate the skills on your list into their business. [b] Are You Ready? [/b] Keep your mind open to new business opportunities. There's nothing wrong with following the tried and true path. Starting a business venture proven successful. Great opportunities also exist in starting a brand new business venture. One where the waters have not been tested. Think about it. Are you ready to get your feet wet? Remember, the business idea you have been searching for might be right in front of your eyes. [b]Sources:[/b] For More Info On Starting A Cleaning Business [url=http://www.geocities.com/smal... ]Click Here[/url] For Information On [url=http://www.lulu.com/bblee ]Arts/Crafts Home Business Ideas[/url] ------------------------- ------------------------- ---------------- BB Lee is Editor/Publisher of [url=http://www.geocities.com/smal... ]SmallBizBits Newsletter[/url] . Your Home-based Business Connection On The Internet. mailto:smallbizbits@yahoo .com |
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| Finding Your Home Business Niche |
| 06.13.04 (10:08 am) |
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[b]Finding Your Home Business Niche[/b] [i]By, Stone Evans[/i] When some folks begin to think about a business of their own, they know in that very moment what kind they are going to start. Then, there are the rest of us... Knowing that we want to have a business of our own is not enough. Many of us have struggled with the important question of what type of enterprise we would like to start. Franchises offer a simple pre-packaged money making idea, but the cost of a franchise often makes it a prohibitive option to most folks who contemplate going out on their own. For those who do not have a million dollars to buy a McDonalds franchise, we must look to other ideas for our own business. There are literally hundreds of lucrative home business ideas for you to choose from, which will suit every type of personality and all levels of financing. From selling information on the Internet as a infopreneur, to growing delicious gourmet mushrooms for sale to restaurants and catering companies; there is a pile of money to be made by filling a need, for these and a host of other necessary services. Of course, actually liking what you do, will have a lot to do with the success of your new venture, so be sure to pick a home business that you'll enjoy running and that will keep you motivated. For example, if you're a math whiz, an accounting or income tax service might be the ideal home business for you to start. Perhaps writing is your forte and you'd like to start your own home based copywriting service or advertising agency. Each of these businesses can be run successfully--and profitably from the comfort of your own home. Academia might not be your cup of tea, but maybe you are good with your hands --- having a creative genius where crafts are concerned. Craft items are red-hot sellers at swap meets, country fairs and world wide over the Internet, and they can provide you with solid profits. If crafts don't interest you, then why not start a laundry service with pick-up and delivery, or a shopping service for shut-in's--even a companion service or granny sitter or a doctor shuttle service; any of which, could be much in demand, in and around your neighborhood or community. When brainstorming new ideas for your future home business, keep in mind the soul of any successful endeavor is providing a product or service that others will actually purchase in quantities. Satisfy the needs of your target market, and your target market will keep you and your home based business healthy, happy and profitable. Below are some suggestions for home business ideas that might help you decide on a suitable venture in which to invest. Multi-level-marketing (mlm), floral/plant service for offices and hospitals, pooper-scooper service, dog walking service, answering service, vending machine service, gift basket service, homemade soap maker, mobile windshield repair service, mobile tire repair service, income tax specialist, researcher, freelance writer, business card and letterhead designer, courier, shut-in/shuttle service, landscaping service, tree trimming service, wood crafter, carpenter, crafts and crafting supplies, pool cleaning service, plants/nursery starts, growing herbs, growing mushrooms, garage sale and swap meet vendor, proofreader, private investigator, typing service, interior decorator/designer, website design, wedding consultant, hot lunch/snack vendor at local courthouses, pet sitting service, pet grooming service, Internet entrepreneur, paralegal, gourmet catering service, new media production, mobile cosmetic technician, mobile nail technician, mobile hair stylist, aerobics instructor, personal fitness trainer, advertising consultant, companion service, small printing service. Ideas, ideas; hopefully the above ideas will give you some fresh ideas of your own to mull over. A spring board if you will, on which to dive into your own chosen home business. When you work from home, any business you start has the potential to explode into a perpetual gold mine! It just depends on how much your home business is in demand around your community or on the Internet. Your home business might start slow and steady, regularly picking up clients as you become more established. On the other hand, your chosen home business may take off like wildfire, quickly becoming too hot for you to handle by yourself (well done!). This is the time to enlist the help of willing family members to help you out in your time of need, which will make your business into a friendly, family concern. This will also help family members better understand your business and get a grasp on the mechanics of profit. Good luck in all your decisions and have fun with your home business, which ever one you choose, and don't forget to enjoy your newfound freedom! ------------------------- ------------------------- ------------------------- - Stone Evans owns the "Home Business Resource Directory" where you can find everything you'll ever need to start, run and grow a home business at: [url=http://www.Home-Business.com]Home-Business.com[/url] [LINE][b]Start your work-at-home career today. Get direct access to hundreds of freelance and home-based jobs. Click here to find work now. |
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| Ezine Publishing As A Business |
| 06.10.04 (4:03 am) |
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[b]Ezine Publishing As A Business[/b] [i]By, Elena Fawkner[/i] © 2000 Elena Fawkner If you have your own website, or are planning to create one soon, in the course of your research you will have read about the importance of publishing an ezine (electronic newsletter) as a way of generating traffic to your site. -- Note to purists: yes I DO understand there is, strictly speaking, a difference between ezines and electronic newsletters but for our purposes it doesn't matter so don't write me. ;) It's good advice. By capturing the email addresses of your site visitors (via an ezine sign-up form at your site), you can develop a mailing list to put yourself before time and time again, unless and until they ask to be removed. The idea is that by regularly sending your ezine to your list, your site visitors get to know you and, over time, come to trust you as an expert in your field. Assuming you do competent work, that is. But ezine publishing can be a lot more than just a traffic generation tool - a means to an end. It can be an end unto itself. Your ezine can actually be a business in its own right. How can an ezine be a paying proposition in itself? There are two ways - by accepting paid advertising and charging for subscription. [b]= Advertising[/b] When I started my ezine way back when in July 1999, I was just following conventional wisdom. I had created a web site by the same name and wanted to publish an ezine as a way of staying in touch with site visitors and reminding them to visit my site. What ended up happening, though, is that the ezine became the central plank of my business and the website became secondary. Why? Well, first of all, I found that I actually enjoyed it. I enjoyed writing articles and I enjoyed the fact that other people actually got some benefit from my labors. But, beyond that, once I had amassed a subscriber database of 1,000 or so, people started asking me what my advertising rates were. I didn't have any. I had never really thought of my ezine as being a revenue generator in and of itself. The most I was hoping for was to remind readers to visit my site in the hope that, while there, they would place an order for one of the affiliate programs I promoted thereby earning me a commission. Of course, I was also running ads for my own affiliate programs in the ezine which translated into income via commissions but, again, the ezine was a means to an end, not an end unto itself. When advertisers started approaching me, however, I soon changed my thinking and my focus and before long, I had on average ten to twelve advertisers wanting to run ads in my ezine, every single week. So, quite quickly, accepting paid advertising in my ezine became a primary revenue source, certainly way ahead of anything else that was generating revenue for me at the time from my website. Things have changed considerably for all ezine publishers from those heady days where ezine advertising was all the rage and demand for ezine advertising space outstripped supply. No longer do I publish a dozen ads in each issue. Now it's only five or so but paid advertising remains an important element of my business plan and it is still a very viable revenue generation model for you to use in your online business. [b] = Paid Subscriptions[/b] Just as ezine advertising has slowed down, paid subscription ezines are emerging as the next hot trend. More and more, the concept of free content on the Internet is giving way to user pays and ezine publishing is no exception with ezine publishers beginning to charge for subscription to their ezines in lieu of (or in addition to) running paid ads. For those who (for some reason) believe that everything on the Internet should be free (as long as they're not the ones who have to do the work for nothing, of course), this is, on a superficial level, probably bad news. But on the other hand, when someone is paying for content, it had better be worth it. So the upside is that subscribers to paid ezines are more likely to be getting (and will demand) better quality content than they are used to from the typical "free" ezine. In other words, you get what you pay for. So what does all this mean for you, the would-be Internet entrepreneur? Quite simply, if you're an expert in anything (and we all are) you can turn that knowledge into the foundation of an online business by publishing an ezine on that subject, including your own original articles on a regular basis (don't bother just regurgitating someone else's - if you're publishing them, so are others and the object of the exericse is to make an original contribution) and either accepting paid advertising or charging subscribers a subscription fee. All right then, how do I start an ezine?, I hear you say. [b]= Come Up With a Great Idea[/b] Don't waste your time (or everyone else's) publishing yet another Internet marketing ezine. How many ways are there to say the same thing? They're a dime a dozen and worth even less. Do the hard work of coming up with something that's original and fresh, something that every man and his dog isn't already doing. It doesn't matter how specialized the subject matter - the Internet audience is vast - you will attract your share of it. In fact, the more targeted your audience the better. Far, far better to have 500 devoted readers than 5,000 who may or may not even open, let alone read, your ezine. (And don't believe the naysayers who will try and convince you that because there are already so many ezines being published there is no room for you. There is ALWAYS room for quality original content and there always will be.) [b]= Write a Few Articles[/b] Before you publish your first issue, write a few articles about your chosen subject and submit them, together with a resource box that includes a way for people to subscribe to your new ezine. This is just to drum up interest so that you actually have a few subscribers to send your first issue to. What do I mean by "submitting" your articles? There are many ezine publishers and webmasters looking for fresh, quality content for their ezines and web sites that they don't want to have to create for themselves. In response to this demand, a number of services and web sites have sprung up to collect content contributions from people like you and make it available to people like them. Here's a list of article submission points to get you started: [b]= Announcement Lists[/b] [url=http://groups.yahoo.com/]Yahoo Groups[/url] (submit from the Yahoo Groups website - you'll need to subscribe to these groups first): aabusiness aageneral aainet article_announce ArticlePublisher articles_archives epub hersmallbusiness Free-Content publisher_network PublishInYours [b] = Web Sites[/b] [url=http://www.makingprofit.com]Making Profit[/url] [url=http://www.ideamarketers.com]Ideal Marketers [/url] [url=http://www.marketing-seek.com... ]Marketing Seek[/url] [url=http://www.womans-net.com ]Women's Net[/url] [url=http://www.boconline.com/sub-... ]Boconline[/url] [url=http://www.connectionteam.com... ]Connection Team[/url] [url=http://www.certificate.net/ww... ]Certificate.net[/url] [url=http://www.mailbiz.com ]MailBiz[/url] [url=http://www.UltimateProfits.co...]Ultimate Profits [/url] [url=http://www.atozines.com/conte... ]Autozines[/url] [url=http://opportunityupdate .com/...]Opportunity Update [/url] [url=http://www.selfgrowth.com]Self Growth [/url] [url=http://www.internetday.com/su... ]Internet Day[/url] [url=http://www.marcommwise.com ]Marcommwise[/url] [url=http://www.vectorcentral.com ]VectorCentral[/url] [url=http://www.goarticles.com]Go Articles[/url] [url=http://www.hotlaunch.com]Hot Launch[/url] [url=http://www.ezinearticles.com]Ezine Articles[/url] [url=http://www.webmasterslibrary....]Webmasters Library[/url] [b]= Publication[/b] Then, when you have a few subscribers, you're ready to publish your first issue. Be ready to roll it out pretty quickly after you submit your articles so you are still fresh in the mind of your readers. For assistance with the nuts and bolts of actually creating your ezine (including what should go where and why) and sending it out, visit the excellent resource [url=http://www.ezineuniversity.co...]Ezine University[/url]. [b] = Generating Subscribers[/b] Once your ezine is a reality, you can "announce" it to the world at large. Here's a list of ezine announcement lists and directories to get you started: Before being able to submit your newsletter to these lists you'll need to subscribe first. Just go to [url=http://www.groups.yahoo.com]Yahoo[/url] or [url=http://www.topica.com]Topica [/url]to sign up for the lists you want to be able to submit to. (Onelist and Egroups are now under Yahoo): 1_List_Advertise@onelist.com a1promo@egroups.com Aannounce@egroups.com Announce@topica.com ezine_announce@egroupscom freelistresources@topica.com GetMoreSubs@egroups.com GetMoreSubs@topica.com ListAdvertise@egroups.com List_Builder@topica.com Lits_Of_Lists@egroups.com Listpromote@egroups.com List-Your-Lists@egroups.com List-Your-Lists@topica.com Mailman@topica.com Promote_Your_List@topica.com WritersZines@egroups.com ZineDirectory@egroups.com eAnnounce@egroups.com compu-list@ egroups.com List_announcements@egroup s.com PromoteList@topica.com Announce_Lists@egroups.com Announce-A-List@egroups.com Here are the ezine sites and directories: [url=http://scout18.cs.wisc.edu/cg...]Scout[/url] [url=http://www.the1000.com]JimWorld's Top 1000 Submission Sites Directory[/url] [url=http://alabanza.com/kabacoff/... ]Alabanza[/url] [url=http://new-list.com/ ]New List[/url] [url=http://tile.net/lists/addlist... ]Tile.net[/url] [url=http://www.escribe.com/intern... ]eScribe announce[/url] [url=http://www.escribe.com/intern... ]eScribe.com[/url] [url=http://www.escribe.com/intern... ]eScribe List Builder[/url] [url=http://www.goodstuff.prodigy.... ]Good Stuff[/url] [url=http://www.liszt.com/ ]Liszt[/url] [url=http://www.paml.net]Paml[/url] [url=http://www.newsletteraccess.c... ]Newsletter Access[/url] [url=http://www.promotefree.com ]Promote Free[/url] [url=]Virtual Promote[/url] [url=http://www.wcsu.ctstateu.edu/... ]WCSU[/url] [url=http://www.webcom.com/impulse... ]Webcom[/url] You'll find other sites and announcement lists to add to these lists as you go on. This is just to give you a starting point. Of course, just because you've created an ezine that's a paying proposition (i.e., profitable) doesn't mean you have to stop there. You can still create a website and use that to generate revenue in addition to your ezine. In fact, a combination of the two is the best way to go - multiple streams of income are key to the financial stability and security of your online business. --- Recommended resources: Subject matter idea generation and putting your knowledge on paper - Make Your Knowledge Sell (Monique Harris and Ken Evoy, M.D.) Creating a high-income paid subscription ezine - The Paperless Newsletter (Monique Harris) Automation software for submission of your ezine - Ezine Announcer Marketing with ezines - Ezine Tactics (Lee Benson) ------------------------- ------------------------- ---------------- Elena Fawkner is editor of [url=http://www.ahbbo.com]A Home-Based Business Online[/url] ... practical ideas, resources and strategies for your home-based or online business. |
| 0 Comments |
| Online Business Scams |
| 06.09.04 (5:36 am) |
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[b]Deceiving and being Deceived[/b] [i]By, Kelly McCausey[/i] I have been online for eight years and I have seen it all! I have zero tolerance for a scam artist. A few years ago some friends of mine at church were taken in by an internet scam. A well dressed, fast talking fella shared an "internet mall" (A bundle of affiliate programs) with them that would only cost $400 to get into! He told them their income potential was sky high AND they could share the opportunity with others and earn "bonuses" for everyone who signed up. The moment I heard of it I knew it was a thinly vieled pyramid scheme and I said so. But my non-internet savvy friends were convinced that they were buying an expensive web presense that would earn them lots of money and they wanted to share it with everyone. And they did. At least 20 families close to me signed up. Of course the first few made a lot of money. And of course, the last few to sign up lost their $400 and never saw a penny of return. That is what breaks my heart. There are always so many people hurt by these scams. They see the previous few at the top of the scam making money and they jump in expecting the same results but soon realize there is noone else left to share it with and the whole thing collapses. The folks who made money at it walk away cheerfully looking for the next great idea to come along while the losers on the bottom feel nothing but used and abused. Since that time I have watched so many other scams come and go. Nowadays, the scammers have gotten sneakier and more deceptive than ever. The latest scams have aimed lower - at people will less money. Instead of requiring hundreds to join, they only require $69.95, $29.95 or even $8! They tell you it's for software so you can do a job at home or that you'll receive an ebook with priceless information. But what you end up with is careful instructions about how you can deceive someone else into sending you some money. I don't care how good it sounds or how legitimate it appears, if someone asks you to give them money in order to get a job - it's a scam. Typing ads for pay is just another pyramid scheme scam. And it burns my bottom that it is aimed at stay at home Moms who cannot afford to lose a precious $69.95 from their household budget. Another scam to watch out for: Services that promise you tons of targeted traffic for your website. If you don't understand how it works - it probably doesn't work. I have read that many of these traffic services send artificial hits on our domains, making it look like we received visitors but in fact we did not. If you are a stay at home Mom and you want to develop something to do at home, please do not fall for a scam. Don't send anyone any money for anything unless you have verified that there is a tangible product or service involved. Such us: Becoming a Direct Sales Representative - It is perfect normal and reasonable for a new representative to pay for a start up kit. Still use common sense, don't send hundreds of dollars to someone you don't know. Check them out completely. Most opportunities will require less than $100 to get started. But don't even do that unless you are passionate about the product and willing to promote it with your time and energy! Genuine eBooks - There are many genuine eBook that are worth a few bucks to gain the information they contain. A responsible eBook author/seller will be clear about what the book is about and give you a sampling before receiving any money. Costs of Doing Business - Obviously if you are going to do business on the internet you will need to have a website and that will cost money. You will need a designer and/or a graphic artist to help you get it set up unless you are comfortable creating your own site. Again, use common sense. If you are a work at home mom selling a homemade product, please don't pay someone a fortune for a website! Neither will you want to let your cousin Susie build it if she doesn't know what she is doing. There are many other work at home Moms who offer web design services for very reasonable prices. Remember - Don't abandon real life common sense just because you are online. If it sounds too good to be true... ------------------------- ------------------------- --------------- Kelly McCausey is a single Mom in beautiful northern Michigan. She is a freelance graphics and web designer as well as owning the [url=http://www.usawahm.com/]USAWAHM[/url] family of Work at Home websites. She enjoys hosting her [url=http://www.wahmtalkradio.com/...]internet talk radio program [/url] and promoting Work at Home Moms! [b]Related Articles: [/b] [url=http://www.freelancemom.com/F...][b]MLM’s- Waste of time or Goldmine? [/b][/url] By, Sharon Davis [url=http://www.freelancemom.com/F...][b]The Seven Signs of a Scam[/b][/url] By, Sharon Davis |
| 0 Comments |
| Can you afford to work from home? |
| 06.08.04 (3:53 am) |
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[url=http://www.freelancemom.com/F...][b]Can you afford to stay home?[/b][/url] [i]By, Sharon Davis[/i] A few years ago, after the birth of our second child, my husband and I were trying to decide whether or not it would be possible for me to stay home. At first we thought that since we were just about breaking even, there was no way we could ever make it happen. But when we decided to actually put pen to paper and calculate our bottom line with and without my salary, we were quite surprised. What we found was that it was actually costing us to have both of us working. While that may not be the case for everyone, you may find that the second salary brings in much, much less than you think it does. According to Jan MacGregor, a financial consultant and former analyst, “There are people out there who are expecting to be able to meet their bills better (after they re-enter the work force) and never realize they are either working for a loss or for something like $4,000 a year (after expenses).” That may seem hard to believe, but if you consider the many “hidden” expenses of a two-income household it is often the case. There are, of course, the obvious expenses such as child care and commuting costs. Some of the hidden expenses are the money spent on lunches, more take-out and convenience food for dinner, dry cleaning bills professional clothing. There can be higher medical costs due to increased exposure to illnesses for children who are in daycare. Many families hire a housekeeper or gardener to keep up on the household work that they don’t have the time to do. A significant factor is your taxable income. A second salary can push your taxable income into a higher tax bracket. While the tax issue in and of itself does not eat up the entire second salary, when you add in all the other expenses of a two income family, you might find that it’s not worth it to have both parents working. Here is a link to MacGregor’s cost of living chart that uses a second salary of $40,000 as an example: [url=http://cnnfn.com/1999/02/22/l...]Cost Of Living Chart. [/url] If you are considering having one parent stay at home, the best thing to do is to actually calculate your income and expenses, taking into consideration the difference in taxation. You may find that you can in fact afford to stay home with your kids. ------------------------- ------------------------- ---------------- Sharon Davis is the Mother of two girls, the owner of [url=http://www.2work-at-home.com/...]2Work-At-Home.Com [/url] and the Editor of the site's monthly ezine, America's Home. In her spare time she reminisces about what it was like to have spare time. To subscribe to her free ezine, [url=http://www.2work-at-home.com/...]Click Here [/url] [b]Related Articles:[/b] [url=http://www.freelancemom.com/F...][b]Starting Your Home Based Business On A Shoestring Budget [/b][/url]By, Stone Evans |
| 0 Comments |
| How Virtual Assistants are changing the face of the workplace |
| 06.07.04 (10:55 am) |
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[b]Assisting You Virtually- How Virtual Assistants are changing the face of the workplace[/b] [i]By, Sharon Davis[/i] Assisting You Virtually- How Virtual Assistants are changing the face of the workplace. Virtual Assistants, or VA's are changing the way we do business. Not only is this field growing tremendously, but it's offering employers and business owners alike an attractive new alternative to hiring employees. Perhaps because this is a relatively new industry, it's hard to pin down exactly how many Virtual Assistants there are out there. Susan Valeri was a VA before she even knew she was a VA. "I started [doing this work] and then I came across the term Virtual Assistant on the Internet and I thought, '...that's me!'. I didn't really know that there were other people doing it," Valeri comments. So is there an easy way to define a Virtual Assistant? Not according to Stacy Brice, President and Chief Visionary Officer of AssistU, an organization that provides training and coaching to virtual assistants. "The definition of what a VA will vary, depending on who you ask," Brice contends. "I have a very much branded definition [and that] is that a VA is a person who owns her own business, works from her home office, provides administrative and personal support across the board to clients who can be down the street or around the world...but in collaborative, long-term relationships." Some define a VA as anyone who works from home and provides any sort of support virtually. Stacy disagrees. "If you're a Marketing Consultant, and you do that from home, that doesn't make you a Virtual Assistant, that makes you a Marketing Consultant who works from home. So, I think that using the term Virtual Assistant as a catch-all for anything a person can do from home, that is supportive of other businesses, is a false definition." The International Virtual Assistant's Association (IVAA) defines a VA as: "VAs are independent contractors who provide administrative support or specialized business services from a distance, through the Internet, fax, telephone or another method of communication. They can help a company that needs extra people to meet seasonal demands; provide unique skills for a special project; or step in to meet the demands of business growth, locally, domestically or globally." Despite the varying definitions, what everyone can agree on is the fact that this is a growing industry that can be a lucrative home business opportunity. At the same time, a Virtual Assistant can offer tremendous benefits to the business owner that contracts them. Virtual Assistants are not hired as employees. They are business owners themselves and are hired on a contract basis. An employer who works with a VA has the distinct advantage of not having to deal with taxes, unemployment insurance, sick leave, vacation pay, or benefits. Rather than having to provide additional office space, and be responsible for the development and supervision of an employee, they can enjoy the support and assistance of a professional without the headaches of hiring and managing employees. And while VA's are in a support role, that doesn't mean that they are in a subordinate role. According to Brice, the ideal VA is someone who "genuinely loves being in a support role and doesn't see that as having to be in a sort of one-down position. Someone who can really see that if I use my skills in supporting you, I can absolutely be your equal. I'm just bringing a different set of skills to your table." Asked about the skills that make for a successful VA Brice responds, "I think that VA's typically are talented admins, who just want out of the corporate world." Of course, basic administrative skills are a must. At AssistU, fewer than half of the applicants get to the first interview. Says Brice, "I don't want to be teaching someone to use Word for the very first time. I don't want to be talking to someone about telephone etiquette. Of course we can talk about that on a higher level, but what was important to me is that these people come out of a background where they already have a certain number of years with that kind of experience. I think that someone who doesn't have any administrative type background would find it possibly very much more difficult to become a fabulous VA." Another critical skill would have to be resourcefulness. Most VA's are generalists, that is they offer a variety of services to clients across different industries. Sooner or later, a client is going to ask them to do something that they don't know how to do. "It's not so important that any VA can do it all," says Brice. "What's more important is that she knows how to get it done. Because if you're my client, and you need something done, and I don't know how to do it or I don't like to do it, you're not really going to care as long as I can get it handled for you." As with any business, flexibility is important. Susan Valeri, who lives in the Central time zone, has a client on the West Coast. This can be both a benefit and a challenge. "[It] works out great for me because by the time she wakes up, I've got her work done!" On the other side of the coin, "She's getting revved up when I'm getting ready to have dinner. So I can hear my email going off while I'm cooking." In addition to administrative skills, soft skills are also integral. A successful VA is someone who can be proactive about how they can help a client to achieve their goals, and they need to be able to convey this to a potential client. And as with any business, integrity is vital. One of Valeri's responsibilities is to answer emails regarding her client's business. "I'd better be honest, open and knowledgeable about her business," she insists. "Get a good grasp of my clients business, how they want things run, what their product is, so that I can intelligently answer inquiries." Aside from the obvious impact that integrity has on the success of any business owner, it also affects the type of client that a VA attracts. "If I act with integrity, then I'm going to get more business and I'm going to attract the kind of people that I want to do business with," Valeri says. Brice agrees. According to her, one of the smartest things a potential VA can do is to invest in their own life because, "you'll become more attractive and be able to attract a more high quality client." If your goal is to work with people of a high caliber and high ethics, you'd better demonstrate those principals yourself. While most VA's are generalists, many specialize in a particular field. For example, when Brice was a VA she was deeply niched and only worked with best-selling authors. One advantage of becoming niched is the ability to charge a higher hourly rate. According to Brice the low end of the pay scale is about $30 per hour. In fact, she feels that a VA cannot make a profit billing at less than that. She projects that by 2003 the average experienced VA will be billing at around $60 per hour, and "much higher for someone who's deeply niched and incredibly good at what she does." Brice herself commanded over $100 per hour for her services when she was a VA. While this is a fairly new industry, there are several organizations that offer support and resources to VA's. Many VA's agree that becoming a member of one of these organizations can be a tremendous help to someone starting out. Valeri says that looking back, she would have joined a professional organization earlier to start networking with other people doing this type of work. And Brice offers this advice: "Look at all your options. Look at what it would be to get trained, and really investigate that. Look at what it would be to go it on your own and investigate that, as well. And find the organization, whether it's AssistU, or another VA organization. Find the organization that you believe is going to support you in the way that you need to be supported. And be honest with yourself about it. That's where I see alot of arrogance. 'I've been an administrative assistant for 12 years, I don't need any help.' Trust me, you need help. This is a brand new world. Working virtually is not the same as being an assistant in the corporate world. It just is not." Want more information? AssistU hosts a free telediscussion about Virtual Assistance. [url=http://www.assistu.com/va/va_... ]Click for information on how to participate.[/url] [url=http://www.assistu.com ]Learn more about what AssistU offers[/url] [url=http://www.virtualassistantsu... ]Visit Susan Valeri's website[/url] ------------------------- ------------------------- ---------------- Sharon Davis is the Mother of two girls, the owner of [url=http://www.2work-at-home.com/...]2Work-At-Home.Com [/url] and the Editor of the site's monthly ezine, America's Home. In her spare time she reminisces about what it was like to have spare time. To subscribe to her free ezine, [url=http://www.2work-at-home.com/...]Click Here [/url] [b] Related Articles: [/b] [url=http://www.freelancemom.com/F...][b]How to find a Telecommute job[/b][/url] By, Sharon Davis [url=http://www.freelancemom.com/F...][b]Joining VA Organizations Has Many Benefits[/b][/url] Janice Byer, MVA |
| 1 Comments |
| 99.6% of 'GET RICH' Programs are SCAMS. Do you know the Signs? |
| 06.06.04 (1:01 pm) |
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[b]99.6% of 'GET RICH' Programs are SCAMS. Do you know the Signs? [/b] [i]By, Eddie Pennington [/i] If you're looking to make a legitimate income online, then you have to read this because there really are ways to make money on the world wide web. The problem is sorting out the scams from the genuine money-making opportunities. We've spent 18 months picking apart a hundred work at home programs and recording data and numbers. What we discovered was appalling! There are many 'writers' online that simply aim to capitalize off the dreams of people like you. Many times we could not reach these 'writers' via email,fax, or phone to obtain the refund they had promised on their sales page. That is why this site was conceived. We are here to help as many people as we can find the TRUEST, and most successful Online money-making businesses. There are obvious signs that will immediately tell you if you are being scammed. 1. Have you been on a site, and noticed the sales pitch you were reading [b]failed to mention JUST WHAT PRODUCT OR SERVICE was being sold?[/b] Chances are you probably have. They paint this beautiful picture about fancy cars and mansions; trips to exotic paradise resorts, and all that can be YOURS?! Umm, not quite. These people are selling you the "Dream" of having a wealthy lifestyle. The name of these programs are 'Multi-level Marketing schemes'(MLM), or they're also called 'Pyramid schemes'. The point is to get YOU to recruit other people by feeding them the same dream that you were fed. The only ones making real money are the creators of the program. A GENERAL RULE: IF THEY'RE NOT SELLING AN ACTUAL PRODUCT, DO NOT GIVE THEM $$ 2. [b]Stuffing envelopes [/b]from the comfort of your own home? This is supposed to be an employment offer. Yet you are asked to send money to a company that claims they need it to add you to their database. It does NOT take money to input a couple lines of data into a server! This is another scam. Common sense will tell you that NO ONE in their right mind will pay up to $3 dollars to have ONE envelope stuffed. 3.[b] Chain Letters [/b] Chain Letters, Electronic or Otherwise, are not legal. First of all, we want to point out that no matter what the scam artist tells you in the letter, these little schemes ARE NOT LEGAL, and people HAVE done jail time over them. For example, Dave Rhodes spent a number of years in a Federal Prison (and may still be there for all I know) for his starting of this whole scheme electronically back in the days of the Bulletin Board Services instead of the internet. Whether disguised as a "mailing list," selling recipes," a "free loan," "selling reports," a "gifting club," "lottery ticket club," or any of a hundred other thin veils, they are still chain letters, and still illegal. 4. [b]Mass Emailing [/b] For example, many companies that promote bulk email will tell you that sending out bulk email is the road to riches. It isn't. And, if that stock really was such a good deal, why is this person sending you — and millions of other people — this “secret” tip? 5. [b]"I Can show you how to make $36,000 in only 5 days!" [/b] This is quite possibly the most popular scam floating around the internet. How does this person know for a fact that YOU, a person he's never met, can make all that money in just 5 days?! For all he knows, the person on the other end is slightly brain damaged..or lazy even. The point is- never believe anyone who puts a set dollar amount without knowing anything about the person buying his 'program.' Individual results will always vary from person to person. The sad truth is that online businesses CAN NOT be operated by just anyone with a PC and internet connection. It takes alot of work to earn a living off the internet, but that's why it feels so amazing when the money starts to roll in. ------------------------- ------------------------- ---------------- [i]Eddie Pennington is an internet marketer and consultant that has several ventures online. You can learn more about Eddie's latest project by [url=http://www.moneymoneyonline.c... ]visiting his website.[/url] [/i] [b]Related Articles:[/b] [url=http://www.freelancemom.com/F...]Deceiving and being Deceived[/url] By, Kelly McCausey [url=http://www.freelancemom.com/F...]The Seven Signs of a Scam[/url] By, Sharon Davis |
| 0 Comments |
| PROMOTION TECHNIQUES |
| 06.05.04 (3:05 pm) |
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[b]Promotion Techniques[/b] [i]By, Lori Redfield[/i] So you've done it! You've poured your heart and soul into the perfect design, the perfect concept, THE perfect website. Don't stop there. I have seen countless websites - perfectly good websites sitting out there on the web, looking pretty - but not being seen. Here are some strategies to implement - over and over again if you want your website to be a success. First of all, please! Provide content. Give your visitors a reason to be there and a reason to come back. It truly helps if your site's focus is something you are passionate about. It is very difficult to succeed with a website you threw together solely because you thought it might 'make you some money'. You've got to care enough about this baby to work on it constantly - even if it ISN'T making you money. So choose a topic that won't bore you and in which you consider yourself a teacher. You've got to offer your visitor something. They aren't coming to view your paid ads. Once the site is created, make sure that you have good Meta tags on every page. You've got to have them. The search engine spiders feed off them. They are a breeze to make. You can find free tools all over the place to help you make them. I use the [url=HTTP://www.anybrowser.com]Meta tag creator [/url] at anybrowser.com, mainly because I like to support the site. They offer quality resources for free to their users. Even if you are getting a resource for free off of the web, you should realize that the webmaster benefits from you using it. You become one of their statistics - one of their visitors who find the site useful. The more useful a site is, the more it is frequented, the higher value is placed on advertising space. So support sites you love - go there often. If you don't have any particular page set up as your home page on your browser, choose a site you respect and use it as your home page. See, really I believe one of the secrets of success is generosity. If you covet your resources you close yourself off. If you fear your 'competition' instead of embracing them and networking with them, you cut yourself off. So take the time to support other sites and network. Network at least once a day. Set your mind to it. If you see a site that you love, write the webmaster. Tell them what you love about it. There is nothing better then a note from the ethers appreciating all that you have been working on for months. You never know what can come out of these notes. Make suggestions. Tell the webmaster (or webmistress) that you are interested in reciprocal linking, but that you would really much rather go a step further with them. That a reciprocal link really doesn't do justice to the amount of respect you have for what they are doing and offer to exchange articles with them, or newsletter ads - anything. Make some friends! Ideally you should rent [url=http://www.wordtracker.com]Wordtracker[/url] and research the keywords in your meta tags before you create them. Wordtracker is a miracle! It's very cheap to rent for a day (under $10) and it lets you research the words you feel are key to your business and see how many people actually search on those terms, and how many competing sites out there are using those terms. Now that's valuable! A word about metatags: One tag that used to be considered crucial, the keyword metatag, is now considered pretty much useless. Most of the search engine spiders have stopped looking at this tag. Adding it won't hurt your site. In fact there are a few search engines such as Tehoma that still read it. But it definitely doesn't carry enough weight as it used to. Because the keyword meta tag is 'dead', what we need to do is integrate our keywords into the Title tag, the Description tag and probably most importantly, into the text on the site. You can also add some keywords to the alt tags on your sites images. But remember, your visitors will see whatever you have written there when they mouse over your images so keep the message brief and professional and don't over-do it or your site will look bad. Once you have your metatags created and inserted into every page on your site (being sure to use a different 'title tag' for every page. Go ahead and start submitting to search engines and directories. That's the first step. Please note that I said FIRST step. Too many people stop there. The next thing to do is reciprocal link. If your site allows it, set up a directory or some form of a reciprocal linking page. Every morning, sit down with a cup of tea and search. Search for sites that you would like to exchange links with. That's crucial. You don't want to add links to YOUR site with just anyone. Their site needs to be worthwhile. Something that you WANT to send your visitors to. This is much more about integrity then it is about ambition. Keep your integrity and you will have something that people will be loyal to. Also - search for sites that will let you add a link WITHOUT reciprocating. That is where it pays to have a site with integrity. People will actually WANT to link to you simply because they want to offer the resource to their visitors. Google and other big search engines rank sites according to (amongst other things) their link popularity. The more you can get links to your sites out there, any where - the better you will find that your search engine results are. Here is a trick for finding sites to link with. Go to Google and do a search. Say you sell cloth diapers. You will search on, 'add diaper link' or 'add baby link' or 'add WAHM link', etc. You will be shocked at how many sites come up in your search. It's fun! Don't ever consider yourself done exchanging links. You may set it aside for awhile, but do pick it up again. It can never hurt. What CAN hurt is linking to sites with a low Google rating (below 3) from your site. I highly recommend surfing with the Google toolbar AND the Alexa toolbar. Pay attention to the ratings of sites that you are considering exchanging links with. It can never hurt your search engine results if someone links to you, but it CAN hurt your results if you link to them. You may be willing to compromise if a site is particularly good. Why? Because, A. you want to support good sites and also offer excellent resources to your visitors and B. because chances are if it is a good site - the Google and Alexa rankings will only get better. Another fun trick is to pay attention to your Alexa bar as you are surfing on sites that are related to your website. You will see that Alexa provides links to related sites on the toolbar as you are surfing. Imagine if people were seeing YOUR link up there! You want that! So take the time to submit your link as you surf. If you are on a site that relates to yours, tell Alexa about it. It only takes a minute to submit it and a second to click the email they will send you. The results won't be immediate - but they're 'in the bank'. One other promotion strategy I want to share with you is writing articles. Like this one! Write articles on what you know about. What you care about. Or what moves you. In just the same way as you searched for 'add diaper link', now you will do a search for 'add article link'. Submit your articles all over the place. Good webmasters are often too busy to write their own articles and they LOVE to publish good ones on their site. You heard me! They will publish YOUR article on their site. They won't pay you… but they will include a short biography at the end of the article with a link back to your website. Now THAT'S what I call payment! Free traffic that you earned! Someone read your article, recognized that you had something to offer to them and decided, based on the merit of what you have written that they want to know more about you. I promise you - if you take these pieces of advice to heart, put them into practice and have a good time with it… Your site WILL increase in popularity. I wish you all the best luck with your promotion efforts and hope that you become excited enough and savvy enough to be one of the lucky folks who really are able to earn a living doing what they love. [b]Related Articles:[/b] [url=http://www.freelancemom.com/p...]How to build your client base[/url] By, Susan Carter [url=http://www.freelancemom.com/p...]Understanding the Difference Between Marketing and Promotion[/url] By, Stone Evans |
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| Internet Marketing for Dummies |
| 06.05.04 (8:36 am) |
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[b]Internet Marketing for Dummies[/b] By, Keith Bryan There are a ton of tips and tricks that people will tell you are the "best" way to advertise your home business……. But do them incorrectly or choose the wrong methods and all you’ll really end up doing is increasing your frustration, not your traffic or your sales. I remember back when I started my first business (not online) it seemed like almost everyday someone was willing to offer me a great deal to advertise my business. Of course with all these different resources out there some of them had to be more effective than others. The only problem was ………. HOW Do I Tell Which ones? I had limited resources and certainly couldn’t afford to give them all a try, unless I just wanted to cross my fingers and hope they worked so I wouldn’t go out of business! Thankfully, today’s online world provides home business owners with a variety of different marketing techniques, and each can be as profitable as the next. As a business owner you simply have to decide what you are willing to invest in your business, and which will have the best return on your investment Let’s run through a few of the most popular types. [b]Paid Banner (CPM + CPC) and Paid Text- [/b] Banner ads you can pay for as CPC(cost per click) or CPM(cost per every thousand times banner is displayed) usually placed in a high traffic area on a site that causes visitors of that site to see it and visit your site. Paid Text advertising is similar only the ad is in the form of a text link usually off to the sides (or at the top in search engines like Yahoo! And Google) If you are going to use this kind of advertising make sure you pick the sites you place your ads on carefully (popular sites will be expensive but you should get more clicks and smaller sites will be cheaper, but often with little or no results) [b]E-mail lists – [/b]Programs or services that will get your link out to many different internet users. These can be good if you have a very widely used type of product. The negative to these lists is that with new e-mail features often these types of messages get marked as spam and are disregarded by the intended recipient. [b]Free Traffic Generators –[/b]Traffic generators like Traffic Swarm can be a great way of just getting people to go to your site. There are some that you can pay for that will guarantee you a certain number of visitors for a set price. Problem is that most of the people that are now visiting your site aren’t really interested in your product or service. You might get one or two sales from extremely impulsive buyers but the rest only visit to earn credits or something of the sort from the home site. If you’re going to rely on this type of advertising make sure your visitor/buyer ratio is already high for your site. [b]Link Exchange – [/b]This is by far the best way of driving quality traffic to your site…… if you do it right! Before you even THINK about trying to exchange links with other sites there’s a few things you should know….. 1. Download the Google toolbar – This way you will be able to tell the page rank of any pages you want to exchange links with (higher the PR the higher in the search ranking which means more traffic) 2. Exchange links with only pages of PR 4 or higher. It will help your page more by having a few PR4+ pages linking to you than 10000 pages with no page rank. 3. Build your content FIRST! Don’t expect E-Bay to display your link just because you asked them nicely! Webmasters want to know they are linking to a quality site with a good amount of substance. Focus on building your site before you ask people to link to it. 4. Try to exchange links with other sites that have the same key words as yours. Ie: There’s no reason to exchange links with a flower web site if you sell telephone service The only thing this type of advertising will cost you is a little effort. The greatest part of it is that the people that visit your site are people that are actually interested in your product or service, not just people stopping by to earn credits…… and you don’t pay a cent. There are many books and sites on the web that can give you more details on how to effectively exchange links to your benefit. Hopefully these tips have helped you narrow down the best type of advertising for your site. The one thing that hasn’t changed in the transition from regular to internet marketing is that you never really know what will work best for you until you try. Don’t be afraid to get your feet wet and see what you like! [b]GOOD LUCK![/b] ------------------------- ------------------------- ---------------- [i]Keith Bryan has over 9 years experience in both Internet and other forms of advertising and marketing. For more information, tips, tricks, hot products and articles visit his [url=http://www.WorkatHome-101.net...]home business website[/url] or e-mail him at keithbryan@cox.net[/i] Related Articles: [url=http://www.freelancemom.com/p...]Promotion Techniques [/url] By, Lori Redfield [url=http://www.freelancemom.com/p...]Buying Google PageRank - Too Good to be True? [/url] By, Alice Seba |
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| WORK AT HOME MOM TIP |
| 06.02.04 (6:45 pm) |
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WAHM TIP Be swift! One key to a successful career as a Virtual Assistant is to 'bang projects out'. If a client has given you a project to work on, even if they don't specify a deadline -- do the project as quickly as possible. While maintaining excellent quality of course. You don't know how many projects the client may have on the back burner that they would be happy to give to you next! And if they find that your work is both flawless and quick -- why give projects to anyone else? |
| 1 Comments |
| June FreelanceMom News |
| 06.02.04 (5:56 pm) |
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Wow! June already?! School is almost out -- and we work at home Mom's of older kids are looking forward to more time with our children. My oldest son is 12 and seems like he is away from home all the time. I feel so fortunate that I am my home business is stable enough for me to be able to be present for him during his 13th summer! Over the past few weeks I have been working on optimizing FreelanceMom.com and thought that some of the tools I have uncovered would be helpful for other webmaster Mom's out there. Here are a few resources, let me know if you like them! 1. Find out your website's [url=http://www.rankpilot.com/]search engine ranking [/url] for specific keywords with this free resource. 2. Analyze your website's [url=http://www.keywordcount.com/]keyword count frequency[/url] . It's crucial to have your keywords interspersed in your website's alt, meta and title tags, content, and links. This resource will help you evaluate how well you are doing and also will let you compare your website with competing websites. 3. Evaluate your [url=http://www.marketleap.com/pub...]link popularity [/url] and compare with your competitors websites. You can also get a report here that shows how your link popularity has performed for you over time which is kind of neat. If you are serious about optimizing your website, I strongly recommend [url=http://www.webceo.com]webceo[/url] . You can download a fully functional free version of their software that is priceless. Optimization and promotion of your website is crucial to any small business owner's success. It doesn't matter how pretty your website is, or how clever your marketing strategy is. You've got to drive traffic to your website. These resources will give you an idea of how well you are doing, but then it's up to you to implement the information and take action! Join us over in the forums to share your ideas and success! Enjoy! Lori Redfield P.S. We have some excellent articles on [url=http://www.freelancemom.com/p...]website promotion and optimization[/url] . Be sure to check them out. |
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