Archive for Planning
Business Mistakes = Business Success
Posted by: | Comments
How can a business failure turn into a success? Mistakes are actually necessary for achieving profitability. The truth is, nobody achieves success their first try. Without making errors, you will never have anything to learn from.
The average millionaire today has been bankrupt three times. This means they did something wrong the first two times. It was only by falling down and getting back up that they achieved their dream. If they had given up after the first two failures, they would have never succeeded.
So how do you overcome those failures and turn them into successes? Here are four tips to make it happen:
Learn from your mistakes
Thomas Edison once said there is no such thing as failure, just eliminated options. Every time you fail, you know one more strategy that doesn’t work. This just means you are that much closer to finding one that does.
So the key is to throw as many options as you can up on the wall, and see what sticks. And do it as quickly as possible. As Dan Kennedy says, “fail fast.”
Be objective
Many people are extremely attached to their business. So if something doesn’t work, they instantly become discouraged. However, when you look at things in an unbiased way, you will see more clearly where you went wrong, and how you can fix it.
You might want to hire a business coach like me. This is because coaches are outside of your business, and therefore will look at it more objectively than you can. It will cost you some money, but it could be worth it.
Remember why you started the business
This could be the most important point of all. Without having a clear reason why you have your business, you won’t have much incentive to keep pushing yourself.
Staying focused on the prize is how to keep going in the face of hardship. You might want to put reminders around you to keep you motivated. For instance, if you want to have enough money so you can spend your time volunteering, put a picture of those you want to help on the wall.
Surround yourself with others who have achieved success
Trying to achieve success on an island will not work. Being surrounded by people who’ve achieved their goals is very important, because they can keep you motivated when the going gets tough.
The bottom line is, your success all depends on how you respond to failure. If you implement these four tips, you will use failure as a launching pad for success.
Marketing Monday – Using Email Newsletters
Posted by: | Comments
There are so many marketing tools to choose from. It can be difficult to know which will work best for your business. However, a weekly e-mail newsletter is an effective and easy marketing tool for any business owner. Here are a few reasons why you will benefit from publishing a weekly e-mail newsletter of your own.
Sending out an e-mail newsletter is inexpensive. There are no printing or mailing costs associated with contacting prospects via e-mail. You will need to use a newsletter management program to send out your newsletter, but you can look for one within your price range. Newsletter management programs allow subscribers to manage their own subscriptions, so you don’t need to pay anyone for that service. Some even offer templates for you to use so you won’t need to hire a designer either.
You can track your marketing. Many newsletter management programs offer tracking so you can see how many of your subscribers are opening your newsletter. You can also see which links in your newsletter they’re clicking on. This will tell you what it is about your newsletter that interests your readers the most, and you can make the appropriate changes.
You are marketing to people who are interested in what you sell. Your subscribers signed up for your newsletter because they were interested in the information you offer. This can make it easier for you to convert them into buyers.
Your subscribers will become familiar with your products or service. It’s said that people need to hear about your product or service at least seven times before they will think about purchasing it. If you send out a weekly newsletter, that’s a great way to tell them about your product, over and over again. Remember to include helpful information as well, so they won’t feel like you’re sending them a sales pitch every time.
You will become a reliable resource, not just a salesperson. If you regularly publish helpful information in your newsletter, you will become a trusted expert. Your subscribers will think of you as a helpful resource they can go to for advice. This means they will be more likely to purchase from you when they’re ready.
You will build relationships with your subscribers. People buy from people they know, like and trust. When your subscribers hear from you on a regular basis, you will become familiar to them. They will feel like they know you and get to like you. Because you’re consistently providing good information, they will come to trust you. When they’re ready to purchase, everything will be in place for them to buy from you.
An e-mail newsletter is a great marketing tool that any business owner can use. Not only is it simple to manage, it will help you turn more of your prospects into customers.
Use Anti-Spyware Tools to Protect Your Computers
Posted by: | Comments
It’s now well known that you need to protect yourself while on the computer. Criminals have found ways to steal your information especially when you thought that you were safe. One way to thwart them is to employ anti-spyware tools on your computer to protect yourself.
Today, we do everything from order pizza to shop for household appliances online. With that level of traffic and financial information floating around, it’s no wonder criminals have turned their attentions to the Internet. But, luckily for you, so have software manufacturers in order to protect you.
No one wants to be the victim of identity theft or fraud. Even though it is not your fault, the burden of proof is on you and the red tape is monstrous. So, do all that you can to protect yourself and your loved ones while online.
One way to do that is to arm your computer with anti-spyware tools. Spyware constitutes programs that hide within other programs, hence the name “spy.” Here’s how it works: You go to a site and download a program. The program may be hiding a second program within itself that will track how you use it. This is a non-lethal spyware program. It was probably employed by the site for statistical purposes.
Then, there are other spyware that, when downloaded, will go in and rewrite certain things on your computer without your consent. If you’ve ever downloaded something and then your home page changed, it was probably courtesy of a spyware program.
Both of these are mild examples compared to what usually happens. More lethal spyware will search your files and retrieve financial information. There can be disastrous results, but you don’t want even the the mild spyware on your machine. If someone has to do something behind your back to get you to try it, steer clear.
Anti-spyware tools and programs seek out these dastardly additions and eliminate them. A well-protected computer will have both antivirus and anti-spyware installed for a wider net of protection. Spyware tools, like antivirus can be obtained for free or purchased.
Shop Around
Know what you are buying. Be sure that free programs offer you adequate spyware protection. Sites like STOPzilla and pctools offer free spyware tools for you to use. These tools work behind the scenes in real-time and on schedules to detect spyware. They also clear your browsing history and prevent pop-ups all over your screen. Spyware also lets you know if a site in your search results is dangerous for you to visit.
Paid spyware offers a few more perks, but make sure that you actually need those perks for your system. If you choose to pay, find software with multiple user capabilities so you can arm all of the computers in your home.
Here a few free and paid anti-spyware tools that I recommend:
Free anti-spyware tools
Ad-Aware Free
Spybot Search and Destroy
Paid anti-spyware tools
Protect yourself from the beginning. Use anti-spyware tools to prevent and remove spyware that threatens your computer.
How To Write Keyword Rich Copy For Your Website
Posted by: | Comments
Your website traffic generation strategy quite likely contains content. However, if you spend time on your title page or home page, you can pull quality traffic there too. Here’s how to write a keyword rich title page for your website.
1. Make a list of your primary and secondary keywords. These are the keywords people use to find your information. If you don’t know your primary and secondary keywords, spend some time using tools like Google’s AdWords tool, WordTracker, KeywordDiscovery and other keyword research tools to find out what keywords and keyword phrases are used. Also consider installing something like Google Analytics so you know what keywords people are using to find your website.
2. Categorize your pages including your home page or title page. Outline which pages you’ll use your keywords and keyword phrases on and how you’ll incorporate them into your copy. For your title page, you’ll focus on using your primary keywords and keyword phrases, just one or two, and you’ll choose a few secondary keywords to weave into the copy.
3. Write your title page copy. Don’t worry presently about your primary and secondary keywords, simply write the copy or content. However, try to write your copy so that headings and subheadings are a natural part of the structure. These heading components of your copy play an important role with your keywords.
4. Once your copy is written, return to it and look at it objectively. Where can you fit your keywords naturally? Focus on using your primary keywords in your headline, in your first paragraph and also where they fit naturally throughout your copy. Your secondary keywords will also go into the body of your copy.
5. Go back and use your keywords and keyword phrases in your headings and subheadings. Search engine spiders look in these key places for keywords and keyword phrases.
6. Test keyword density. Once you’ve gone back through your title page and placed your primary and secondary keywords in, test it. Use a tool like GoRank’s Keyword Density Analyzer and type in your domain and keyword phrase. It will give you a percentage for specific areas of your page including your copy. Experts recommend a keyword density of no more than 5% (five words per 100). However, don’t get too carried away. Firstly, you want humans to benefit from reading your page and then lastly search engines.
7. Make sure everything is coded accurately. You want to make sure your html code is accurately reflecting your keywords. Double check your title tags, your header tags, your meta tags for the page and your keyword tags. Also, if you have any images, give them a description and an image tag so the search engines don’t completely overlook them.
Writing a keyword rich title page is easy when you follow these steps. While preparing your page for the search engines, remember it is a human that buys your products or services. The major key is to make sure to write your copy so that it is customer focused.
Attend An Internet Marketing Seminar like NAMS
Posted by: | Comments
Internet marketing seminars are created to benefit business owners, both virtual and brick and mortar. Making the choice to attend an internet marketing seminar stands to benefit both the owner and the business. Seminars are created to help direct business owners in the right direction and teach business owners how to effectively market their company and themselves.
My personal favorite internet marketing seminar by far is NAMS (Niche Affiliate Marketing System) which will be held in August this year. I would love to meet you at NAMS so register now and enter the coupon code, NAMS4FF, for $300 off your registration. You need to act quickly. As of this writing there are only 27 seats left.
When attending a seminar, the best piece of advice is to be prepared. In order to take away the most information out of a seminar, it is important to actively participate as well as contribute.
Here are some tips designed to help you succeed at your first internet marketing seminar:
Take notes! Unless you have a photographic memory, chances are you will not remember a lot of the information that was discussed during the seminar. The solution to this is to take notes, and lots of them. What may not seem important during the seminar may turn out to be a vital piece of information or advice that will lead your marketing in the right direction.
If you decide to go to NAMS be sure to take your laptop and cord to plug in. The note taking from this conference is endless…in a very good way!
Ask questions. Many seminars reserve a slot of time for questions and answers. Make the most of this time by asking questions about either information you did not understand or even broaching a new subject that was not discussed during the seminar. Do not worry about appearing unintelligent – after all, the only stupid question is the one not asked.
Discuss the information with your peers at the seminar. Most internet seminars have a chat room where users can talk with each other. By chatting with your peers, you may come upon even more information or advice. Different people also have different insights into marketing; some of your peers may share their insights which may benefit you as well. Most of your peers may also be willing to spread the word about your business on your behalf, especially if they like the person they are talking to!
Befriend the host of the seminar. Internet seminars are hosted by a plethora of different people, each with their own take on business and marketing. By forming an acquaintanceship with the host, they may allow you to contact them in the future with any questions you may have. Most hosts will also do consulting outside of the seminar, this may be useful to you as well.
There are several ways to take away a world of knowledge when attending an internet marketing seminar. By being prepared, taking notes and discussing the information with your peers, you are opening the doors to forming a successful marketing bid. Because most businesses do not survive without an effective marketing plan, be sure to make the most of your internet marketing seminar.
