If you have your own business, whether it is a brick and mortar business or fully online, you should be aware of the benefits online marketing to you. 

The Task Of Selling

To most small businesses, any sort of selling could be a difficult task, even online marketing. Honestly, it does take a lot of work and endurance, sometimes even cash. You will find that with an understanding of how internet marketing works you can utilize it to build your business.

Internet Savvy

In a very short time, the internet has become the most used technique of communication by the public. It is also becoming their favorite place to make purchases. Many people prefer the hassle free experience that online shopping affords.  On the Internet they can find the best items at the lowest prices with no waiting in line. Online marketing offers your business a cost effective selling tool that may boost your product distribution  network.

Advertising Methods

Online marketing is much cheaper than normal advertising methods, and since there are fewer invoices or fliers needed, you are able to save storage space too. When it is compared to printing brochures, managing a call center, or purchasing radio and TV advertising, you can see why many people prefer online marketing.

 With online marketing you will be ready to reach millions of potential customers each day. Consumers are constantly looking for products and services on the internet, so when you advertise to your niche market on the internet you will have people actively seeking your products or services. 

With an online store, you have the advantage of being open each day of the year. Online marketing gives you the chance to reach a larger number of people and at a cheaper price compared to conventional methods of advertising. 

 Online marketing also utilizes email which is an instant form of communication. It makes it simple to contact buyers and take orders right away. Using the internet can give you a major benefit over your rivals.

Methods Of Internet Advertising

 These include ezines, blogs, pay per click ads, e-mail campaigns, traffic sites and many others. Using a combination of  advertising methods, you will find that you’re able to increase awareness of your company, fortify relationships with current customers, and attract new customers .  It pays to add online marketing to your advertising menu!

Brenda Bunney

http://homebasedbusinessbunney.com

Download the Free ebook at this link “Are You Getting Lucky Tonight?” for more work from home information

One of my readers commented on my last post “ Internet Marketing Tools | Does One Size Fit All? ” that the public is much more technically savvy and able to discover sellers who have set out with the sole intention of  “duping” the public or at the very least, it’s all about them!   Still, many people are new to the Internet and the world of marketing.  Being new, everyone has a learning curve.  

Network Marketing Partners

I am now with a good group of people in my primary business who I share information with on a regular basis (it wasn’t always this way). We talk to each other and see if anyone has tried the product or knows anything about it. We’ll have each other read the websites for information or check to see if one of the group has something similar we can all use.

If you have a group of experienced Internet marketers who are capable and willing to share all information, this is an excellent venue  and utilizes everyone’s experiences for the benefit of everyone.

Social Networking

Because I made some mistakes early on, I now do a lot more “networking” with people I meet and have developed a relationship with through various companies or social media sites.  

Ask the question, “Do you know anything about…..?”  then check it out on forums for yourself.  Try a free version or look at any excerpts they may offer for you to “test drive”.  An opportunity to “test” the product  before purchasing the full package is always a great option.

Brenda Bunney

http://www.homebasedbusinessbunney.com

Download The Free Ebook:    Are You Getting Lucky Tonight?

As I mentioned on the last post, every single site I’ve been on that has Internet marketing tools say THEY have the very best material for you in every way. They all say the same thing, so how do you as a new marketer determine what is right for you?

A rating of the material with regards to necessary prerequisite skills would be helpful. Think of the wide variety of Web Site builder programs for example. Some are very “plug and play”, but will allow a pre-determined amount of templates or you can create custom web sites with very advanced programs.

How about a sample of “what you get” so that you can determine if it will work for you.? Maybe they could put an excerpt of the Internet Marketing Tools available on-line for you to see how they write, the topics they will cover, the depth of the information?

You can type in “the author’s name“ or “name of material” and “forum”.  This may bring up some discussion of the material for sale.  Having said that, remember people are more likely to post a negative comment before a positive one.

You also need to read all comments for a fair description of the material.  Maybe the network marketing training was too technical for Jack S., but great for the advanced user. Possibly the material was written only for beginners and that’s why Jodi M. was unhappy.  You can usually tell a fair review verses an emotional rant.

Talk to other people in your industry and see what Internet marketing tools they might recommend. You might be surprised at the number of helpful network marketing tips you get … for free. Ultimately you must decide if this expert fits with your needs. Is there a match?

Brenda Bunney

bdbunney@gmail.com

http://www.homebasedbusinessbunney.com

Download The Free Ebook: Are You Getting Lucky Tonight?

 There are numerous ways to generate links for your blogs. Submitting them to directories for review is an excellent option, but it is best to take a diversified approach to link building.

One method for generating free links to your site is blogging. I don’t mean writing and posting numerous articles in your own blog. What I mean is seek out blogs that post content related to your own sites niche. In particular find your competitors.

As an example let’s say your site sells camping equipment. Seek out the blogs which post on topics related to camping. This is easily done by a query with your favorite search engine.

Relavent Blog Information

Go through the list and find those that are most relevant to your site and have the highest quality of information. From there create a list of blogs.

When you have your list together go to each blog and start reading the posts. Blogs give readers the chance to comment on their posts so when you’re done reading, take a moment to make a thoughtful comment on the post. During that process it will give you the opportunity to enter your own website for a link back to it. Use it!

Now one reason that you want to seek out blogs that are relevant to your site is obvious. The links to your site will be more relevant.

Another reason you want to seek out the blogs of your competitors is that the readers of those blogs have already shown an interest in the topic. Since you chose blogs with content related to your own site when the readers of those blogs click on the link from your comment they will find a site they are interested in.

You will gain links to your site in addition to direct traffic that is targeted to you niche.

Commenting on A Blog

When you are leaving comments be careful. Everyone who has a blog knows what comment spam is and believe me they don’t like getting it.

Comment spam is short little comments like “great post” or “enjoyed the post”. Comments like these add nothing to the post and are just attempts to spam the post in order to get a link back. They are nearly always deleted by the blog owner. If your comment just gets deleted it won’t help you.

When making your comment, get your thoughts together and say something that might benefit the other blog readers or the author. This will not only increase your chance for getting your comment approved, it will also let the readers of the blog know you have some knowledge on the topic. That will increase your chances of them clicking your link to visit your site.   Getting traffic to your blog is what it is all about.

Brenda Bunney

bdbunney@gmail.com

http://homebasedbusinessbunney.com

Download the FREE Ebook  “Are You Getting Lucky Tonight“  now!

This morning I read on another blog that the federal government  may begin to require negative testimonies as well as positive ones when showing reviews of the sales and marketing materials of “gurus”. 

Many of these materials cost hundreds to thousands of dollars. I’ve seen some of them and had noticed there were never negative comments. The material seemed to be perfect for every user at all levels.

“Are there no negative comments?“  I mean, is the material “meaty” enough for everyone?  All of the purchasers feel they received more than enough information for their money?

We must remember they are business people making a profit on their marketing material as well as promoting themselves.  On every single site I’ve been on, they have the very best material for you in every way. They all say the same thing, so how do you determine as a new marketer what is right for you?

Selling their materials or programs is perfectly fine, but if testimonies are involved, maybe they need to include both positive and negative reviews.

More on next post….

Brenda Bunney

bdbunney@gmail.com

Download The Free Ebook:  Are You Getting Lucky Tonight?

http://homebasedbusinessbunney.com 

After my experience last Saturday, I would use a paid website hosting company!

I had been told to host my own site so that no one could arbitrarily shut it down, but had not gotten around to it.  I had planned to switch over April 1st, 2009, but got busy :). 

My free company found something they didn’t like.  They said I was telling people they could “get rich quick” in one or two of my posts.

I knew then that there was a problem, but not with my post because I don’t tell people that building any business is easy, quick, or what type of income they will make.

Do people make a lot of money owning their own home-based business?  Some do, but many don’t.  Most of the opportunity lies with the business owner.  What may work well for one, may not work for another!  

They cited a post in particular, so I went back and read it.  It says exactly the opposite. The title may indicate otherwise, but it was meant to be opposite of the actual content. 

So, in conclusion, my advice is to use an independent website hosting company so you own your own information and have control over your information.

There are several good website hosting companies depending on what you’re looking for.

I, of course wanted it all…..

1) reasonable price
2) excellent customer service (I am not technical)
3) Plug & Play website builder, preferably included or for very little extra

I received a great deal on mine. They are a member of my consumer shopping club, so not only were their prices excellent, I will receive cash back on my purchase.

If you’re interested in knowing more about my website hosting company or the consumer shopping club to save even more money, email me at the address below.

I’ll be happy to share!

Brenda Bunney
bdbunney@gmail.com

There are many ways to promote your blog.  I have found several blogging techniques that are helpful as well as a couple of really good blog promotion websites.

In order to build your blogging community, you must:

1) Post quality content and use good writing style

You must have something of “value” to others to say and understand the rules of spelling, grammar, and punctuation.

2) Post frequent updates…. a minimum of one post every 5 days is suggested

3) Use good keywords for your blog

Google looks for relevance throughout the post. If they determine your material doesn’t work with your keywords, Google will not pick it up.

4) Keep your posts and paragraphs short

Most people scan a post first to determine if it’s worth a read.  If it is, then they’ll go back and spend their time to read the whole thing.

If the post is too long and cumbersome, many people will just move on to the next blog.

5) Refer your readers to other great sites and material.  Here are two that you might find helpful when promoting your own blog.

http://condron.us/
Condron is a blog surfing and promotion site. You can add your blog in a rotation schedule to be seen by others.

http://socialmediascience.com/
Social Media Science is a new program that allows you to submit your articles for advertising and possible promotion by others.

While the above blogging techniques are certainly not all inclusive, they will help you get started.

Brenda Bunney
bdbunney@gmail.com

http://homebasedbusinessbunney.com