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5 Critical Mistakes Online Business Owners Make
Thursday, Aug 7, 2008 at 2:47 PM (Public Entry)
Adapted from Guerrilla Marketing On The Internet by Mitch Meyerson, Jay Conrad Levinson and Mary Eule Scarborough Mistake #1: Ready, Fire, Aim. Putting up a website with no planning As any savvy small online business owner knows, it's hard to get prospects interested enough to visit your website, so the last thing you want to do is disappoint them once they find you. Even worse, these website owners are not only missing golden opportunities, but they're paying for services that are producing absolutely nothing. Remember that it's critically important to carefully plan every aspect of your website's development - and all of your other Internet marketing efforts - before it goes live, as well as how it will be maintained and updated moving forward. Trust me, the moment you know where you're going and how you're going to get there you'll feel a tremendous weight lifted off of your shoulders. And no matter where you are on the path, you can always move further along as long as you have the foresight to plan effectively first. Mistake #2: Failing to research competitors and marketplace It's a great idea to take a look at the things you love to do most and see if there's a way to turn those passions into viable products or services, but it's not enough. If enough other people don't share your enthusiasm and/or have no desire to purchase your products, you're sunk. Additionally, it's important to make sure the marketplace isn't over saturated with competitors and you can create a unique niche that you can call your own. And it always helps to check out your competitors - find out what they're selling and how their websites, services, and prices compare with yours. Go to Google and type in the same keywords you used in step one, see what you get, and visit several. As you're looking the over jot down your answers to questions like: How do their products and services compare with mine? Are they priced similarly? Do they have a wider, or narrower, selection? What types of packages do they offer? Then look for ways to make your site stand out by continuing to bore down into your niche for products that appeal to the same target market (your target audience size will be smaller, but you'll attract more qualified prospects) or uncover unfulfilled needs. Mistake #3: Developing websites that are poorly designed and difficult to navigate. Online consumer research studies confirm that when visitors land on a website they experience "stay" or "go" moments within the first ten seconds. If it looks unprofessional or hard to use, they leave - and usually won't be back. In other words, your target audience will judge you, your products and services, and company, in a snap and you're likely to get only one chance to impress them. Given this, all website owners should be doing everything they can to ensure that their online visitors are blown over by their website's look, feel, and navigability. Unfortunately, however, this is often not the case at all. Instead, quite a few shortsighted entrepreneurs underestimate the negative impact of poorly written copy, amateurish design, and convoluted navigation. Don't annoy, or worse yet alienate, prospective customers because your cousin's friend's aunt's next-door neighbor's brother, the carpenter, volunteers to design your website on the cheap. Mistake #4: Failing to Build Permission-Based Email Marketing Lists If ask any successful Internet guerrilla marketer this question, "What is the holy grail of online marketing?" they'll tell you it's their email list. Regardless of whether they're selling packaged products, giving away free information, or anything else in between, they will all be focused on obtaining their website's visitors' names and email addresses. Why? Because people who "opt in" have essentially given them permission to send them promotional emails and/or other information. One of the reasons for this is that they erroneously believe that marketing is a "one-shot" transaction, so focus their efforts on making immediate sales, instead of using a sounder, relationship-building model. Because Internet marketing is a lot like building a personal relationship - it takes time, effort and commitment to develop lasting bonds. In order to accomplish this you'll need to create a system that leads your prospects down a comfortable and natural path to the first sale and many more after that. So, unless you sell "impulse-buy" products or your target audience is pre-sold before landing on your site - the two exceptions to this rule of thumb - we strongly encourage you to use a "marketing funnel" approach. This solid strategy works because it addresses two fundamental human psyche laws; consumers are more apt to purchase products and services from people and companies they know, like, and trust and it is more effective and less expensive to get more out of existing customers than it is to attract new ones. Mistake #5: No traffic generation strategy Many entrepreneurs erroneously believe in that the famous phrase "build it and they will come," applies to their websites. They're wrong. If you want to get people to your site, you need to understand the basic laws and contributory principles that govern Internet traffic, and apply them. Guerrillas understand that great marketing is a methodical and accountable process and there are no secret "tricks" that will effectively drive tons of qualified visitors to your website. But for now, keep in mind two things: 1. You goal should be to entice the "right" people to your website, not just warm bodies. 2. The "right" people don't visit your website by happenstance. They'll get there because you developed a comprehensive plan and executed it using well-thought-out strategies and tactics. To Download 20 Time Tested strategies to get traffic to your site visit http://www.masteringonlinemarketing.com/20TrafficTips.pdf videos on your blogs
Thursday, Aug 7, 2008 at 1:09 PM (Public Entry)
Hey guys, all you have to do is paste your embed code here and you can post your bootcamp videos,exercises etc.. How to Make $1,000's Weekly with a Health Internet Business
Monday, Aug 4, 2008 at 10:23 AM (Public Entry)
Wise Online Entrepreneurs know that the best selling products online are health products and health-related ebooks, books, tapes, newsletter subscriptions, etc.
Now World famous Dr. Suzanne Gudakunst has just released her latest "shocker!" that makes it possible for just about anyone to profit from this fact. She's making it possible for someone to get a fully-operational online "store" that specializes in "health-related" goods and services. Literally now anyone can get a complete Internet "health" business in a box! This complete website has a main product as well as up to 90 separate products that all center around breakthrough health products. And where YOU can earn some really HUGE CASH! It seems that Dr. Suzanne has really done her homework (especially for YOUR benefit!) First she correctly determined that according to Forrester Research (which is perhaps the most powerful & accurate online research database to date!) "health-related" products and information is by far the most sought after things anywhere online. Nope! -- Despite what you might have thought, "sex," "porn," and "UFOs" are NOT the most searched for items on the Internet (but "health stuff" is hands down!) Second, Dr. Suzanne's "Top Secret Fat Loss Secret" shook the entire World with its release recently - and she's even made a special lead-capture page that you also get central to this amazing site! Why is this important? Simple: because Dr. Suzanne's affiliates are making millions right now with what is perhaps one of ClickBank's HOTTEST products (and this same product is the central seller at your new health e-Biz site!) Third, the site you get also acts as a "database" that never stops growing so that you get 10,000's of customers you can continue to sell to over and over again other things! Why is this important? Again, very simple: anyone who's wise online knows that "backend" sales are chief to making long term and extra profits! Dr. Suzanne's NEW "Health Biz In a Box" complete and fully-operational website you get for next to nothing contains an electronic "Automatic Sales Manager" (like a salesman robot - Ha!) built-in that works to upsell to your list over and over again so that you enjoy additional "automatic" income! Fourth, Dr. Suzanne health-biz site also includes a complete health-related products Shopping Mall so that your site visitors stopping by are likely to buy at least 1 to up to 90 additional products creating instantly for you up to over a dozen other income streams! This way you get the "most bang for your buck" so to speak! As if all this weren't enough, the fifth (and perhaps the very best) thing about this automatic seller is the tiny spokesmodel "Rachel" that literally walks out onto your Health-Biz site and guides your site visitors (like a tour guide) through your entire site and what it has to offer! Dr. Suzanne carefully tested the site both WITH and WITHOUT "Rachel" and accurately determined that the addition of "Rachel" boosted sites sales by as much as 396% (meaning nearly 4 times as many sales!) Dr. Suzanne believes that having the spokesmodel adds credibility as well as an informative approach to the site so that it generates a much higher "conversion-to-sales" ration at large. And ALL these amazing features stand to make YOU very, very rich as you get all of them with your own "Health Biz In a Box" website! If any of this floats your boat, then I highly recommend you get over to: =>> http://tinyurl.com/62m3ts ...and because rumor has it that Dr. Suzanne may put a ceiling on the number of these Internet "health-biz" sites she's giving out in order to avoid everyone having one and risking market saturation. Already people securing theirs have had nothing but great things to say about this: "I'm so happy with mine! ... Having this site professionally set up by Dr. Suzanne's Team for us was the greatest thing we ever did! ... the site literally is just pouring money into our pockets even while we're doing other things, vacationing, and even crashing out!" -Cynthia Conrad, Atlanta, Georgia "I never knew that making money online could be so easy!" -Richard Bosworth, SLC, Utah "Health stuff is the real way to make money online easily ... everybody sooner or later has to have it!" -Carla Dupree, Boise, Idaho "I'm making about $6,000 a week with mine ... and this after failing on the Net for nearly 10 years trying to sell everything else!" -Jason Herman, San Dimas, CA "$500 a day is what this biz is shoving in my pocket! I even went out of town for nearly two weeks and my health biz site completely ran itself!" -Michael Sorbowski, Mason, Ohio As you can see by these people's comments, everyone grabbing their own automatic health-products Internet business is raking in the cash! (And now you can too!) Just grab yours now simply by going to: =>> http://tinyurl.com/62m3ts I guess I should have added above that not only do you get all the things I've described thus far, but you also get professional customized set up at no extra charge! That's right! - Dr. Suzanne's own Team of web experts actually build your "Health Biz" for you so you don't have to! They: - design your site - put all the 90 income streams into place - install the electronic sales manager for you - add sharp selling graphics - add powerful videos - add several other webpages - and a complete online shopping mall of health products! All so that you can earn big income online and while you sell product that help people and that you can be very proud to sell. So all in all this is perhaps one of the BEST instant online ventures worth your time. Get your now before the ceiling number is reached and maxed out... =>> http://tinyurl.com/62m3ts Wii Fit??
Sunday, Aug 3, 2008 at 11:22 AM (Public Entry)
5 Low-Cost Ways to Market Yourself During a Recession
Wednesday, Jul 30, 2008 at 6:49 AM (Public Entry)
Small business owners often view marketing like a trip to the dentist -- something that costs you an arm and a leg and that you just got to do every six months or so. But when marketing is continuous and targeted rather than occasional and shotgun, business gets much easier. The rationale is simple: if prospects have a positive view of your products before they start shopping, you're much closer to nailing a sale. But sometimes even if small business owners are aware of this, economic slowdowns force them to do everything possible to reduce costs. They easily get intimidated by the numbers on the price tag for ongoing marketing. Marketing then comes to be seen as luxury only affordable to the Fortune 500 and uber-entrepreneur. The truth is you don't have to break the bank to market your business. Marketing can be free or at very little cost. Check out these ideas: 1. Internet, Internet, Internet. E-marketing is one of the most cost effective marketing strategies. If you don't have a webpage yet, create one NOW. Millions of people search for local businesses on the Internet. Just remember to provide information that's useful to the visitor in his decision-making. Also, use active social media, including online bulletin boards, social networking sites and popular blogs that are relevant to your business. 2. Let Your Story Be Heard. Editorial features are more credible to prospects than paid ads. To get coverage from the local media, such as the local newspaper, TV or radio stations, however, you need a fresh and newsworthy story. You need to target those messages to the appropriate media professional. 3. Encourage Referrals. Your customers are your best sales force and getting them to speak for you is extremely effective. Encourage satisfied customers to recommend you. This is an excellent way to increase your customer base. Consider a referral program that offers rewards like a discount, or give-aways to anyone who refers a successful sale. And don't forget testimonials on webpages. 4.Stop Servicing Unprofitable Customers. It almost sounds too obvious to mention. But too often, the temptation of getting more business leads people to the mistake of increasing sales instead of boosting profits. But the fact is, 20% of your customer base is contributing 80% of total profit; 70% is breaking even; and 10% is costing you profit. If you stop marketing to unprofitable customers, you have more time and resources for customers who actually grow your business. So take a detailed look at your customers' profile and then direct premium services and marketing to customers who count. 5.Make Efforts to Maintain Good Customer Relations. It costs a lot less to retain a customer than to acquire a new one. Use personalized e-mails to inform prospects/customers about your latest products/services and promotions, appreciate their business, send holiday greetings, and gather feedbacks. For a customer who suffered a bad experience, pick up the phone, apologize and ask if there's anything you can do. Being kind to customers is the smartest low-cost marketing you can do.[b] Website Videos
Tuesday, Jul 29, 2008 at 6:08 PM (Public Entry)
Joint Venture Business Partnerships
Tuesday, Jul 8, 2008 at 9:19 AM (Public Entry)
Joint Venture Business Partnerships: Why I Love Them and You Will Too
I think that one of the most challenging parts of being a business owner is the lack of a clear direct support system. Several years ago I had a great job at the University of Pennsylvania. It was prestigious and I had a wonderful department of bright, helpful colleagues. When the time came that I knew I needed to take the plunge into entrepreneurship, I was nervous about going out on my own and being a solopreneur. I knew that I'd miss the social and professional interactions which I loved and felt made me better at what I did. This was particularly difficult for me because I’m an extrovert by nature and thrive on interacting with others. Are you like me? Do you thrive on brainstorming and talking with others? Do you get your energy from being around people you enjoy and respect? Do you worry about being isolated in your life or business? I always say to listen to worries because they can contain the solutions to our problems. If we use our fears to illuminate new possibilities, they can incredibly helpful. The best anxiety cure is to ask ourselves how we can use the anxiety to help us. What I did was confront my fear of being alone in my work. I knew that the solution was to go out on my own anyway even though it was frightening. But simply confronting our fears is not enough to truly manage anxiety and stress and be successful. The next step is to realize that we worry about things that are important to us (if we didn't care, we wouldn't worry, right?) and to take action. Confronting the fear is step one, and step two is to see if there's more we can do with it. Let's say, for example, that you have the fear of public speaking. The first step is to do it and get practice. The next step is to think about why public speaking is important to you and take action on that. Maybe you want to share your message with more people, become a professional speaker, or emcee for fundraising events. Take your fear to the next level. Okay, back to my story....A wonderful solution to the fear of being isolated is to set up joint ventures (JVs), so that is exactly what I set out to do. Joint ventures work like informal business partnerships. You can collaborate with a colleague on a small or large project, write articles together, cross promote each others businesses, and help one another get more exposure. Joint ventures have not only helped me reduce isolation, but they have stimulated and inspired me to do more in my business than I ever thought I could. I love how joint ventures set up a system of accountability, and divide up work so everyone can do the parts they enjoy most and are best at. Most importantly, joint ventures have been extremely educational and fun for me. If you don't yet have joint ventures, mentorships, coaching relationships, or mastermind groups set up, I highly encourage you to do so. The first step is to figure out who would make an ideal joint venture partner. Learn about them. Subscribe to their newsletter, buy their products, and read their books. Be sure you have a genuine interest in and respect for what they do. I now get approached for joint ventures fairly often and I’m much more receptive to someone who’s very familiar with my body of work. Otherwise I feel that they aren’t interested in working with me but in getting exposure to my list or some such and that doesn’t motivate me to work with them. Next, determine how you have complimentary skills or situations. For example, one of you may be great at coming up with story ideas and the other is great at writing, so a series of articles or ebooks could be a great project. You or your partner may create a product and the other one markets it. If you have a set of skills that is applicable to multiple groups, you have great JV possibilities. For example, my expertise is in the psychology of marketing for business growth so I’ve partnered with interior designers, coaches and therapists, and doctors to apply my concepts to their specific fields. Then you’re ready to set up your agreement. It is critical that you are completely clear on roles, rules, and responsibilities from the beginning. Managing expectations is critical. You must do what you say you’re going to do. As you go through the process, stay in communication with your JV partner and show results so that they don’t need to wonder what you’re up to. Make the process enjoyable and hold one another accountable. Enjoy your JVs and the support and bottom line profits they bring you! Larina Kase, PsyD, MBA helps women build their businesses using the psychology of marketing. Her unique approach is regularly featured in media such as Entrepreneur and Inc. magazines. Women entrepreneurs – get dozens of tips at www.WeHabitat.com New Members
Tuesday, Jun 17, 2008 at 3:50 PM (Public Entry)
HI
I wanted to give you some insights into making the most of your blogs. Once you blog is created you will notice that your link to your specific blog in the browser address bar of your computer. For example: my blog link is: http://thefitnessbootcampinnercircle.com/site.php/blog/read/georgette georgette is my user name that attached to the end of link. To make your link just replace with your user name. Can you change your user name? yes! inside "your account" Your blog link can be posted to your websites or given in emails..anything you could do with any link. I also suggest getting your own doamin name and forwarding that domain to your blog link which will even further make it unique. As I mentioned on google group, more blog improvements are down the road including your own headers,uploading videos right to your blogs. you can post anything you want to your blog,even embed utube videos just play around and get the feel for things. Thank you! Georgette Pann http://thefitnessbootcampinnercircle.com Welcome to the Fitness bootcamp Inner Circle~Blog
Thursday, May 22, 2008 at 3:21 PM (Public Entry)
Welcome to all Sure Victory Bootcamp Kit and Inner Circle Mmembers.
I will be occassionally posting information on the blog for members only. Thank you!! And don't forget to get started creating your own Blogs  Please check the forum for help with blogs as well as for asking questions!Georgette Pann http://thefitnessbootcamp.com |
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