How to do link exchanges

Are you swapping links at your website? You should.

Many people are hesitant to swap links with like-minded businesses, thinking that they will pass their customers to the competition. But it has been proven that a network of the same businesses only enhances your business and improves business.

If you sell envelopes, it would be a good idea to exchange links with another printer rather than a hair salon or eye doctor. If you are a realtor, it's a great idea to exchange links with other realtors or realty related businesses like home inspectors and mortgage companies rather than dog groomers or clothing stores.

Keep your link exchanges "on topic". It will work in your favor.

Are negative phrases hurting your business?

By Tom Falco (c) 2007

Don't use negative words or put negative thoughts out into the universe if you want your customers to buy from you.

For instance, don't use phrases like, "Don't Delay!" because just the fact that you use the words "don't" and "delay", you are subconsciously putting that into the universe and into your potential customers' minds.

Use phrases like "Buy Now!" There is nothing negative about that phrase.

Always use upbeat words in marketing and advertising. Put happy and good thoughts out there, keep away from the negative.

Wrong phrases are:
"No risk guarantee" (the word "risk" should be avoided)
"Don't worry" (people will worry)
"No waiting period" ("No" and "Waiting" are bad)

Phrases to use:
"Guaranteed!"
"Order Today!"
"Free"
"Special Offer"

Get the idea? Do not use negative phrases ever.

Business tip

Adding daily specials as part of your email signature works.

If you are a realtor and have a new real estate listing, add a line about it to the bottom of the email. If you sell toys, put in a line about your new Sesame Street line or whatever, if you are a doctor, you can even put in a line about flu shots being in stock.

Change your email signature up often. Keep it fresh. People do read them.

Is your business card up to date?

Is your business card complete? Many people have been using the same business cards year after year. When they are used up, they just run to the printer and have the same thing reprinted year after year. But times have changed and your card needs to change.

For one thing most business cards are full color now. Are you using the same old stale black and white cards with the little clip art image of the whatever in the corner? How quaint, but how about moving into the 21st century.

Full color cards can be had for the same price, sometimes less, than the typical one color black and white cards. Also an important thing to remember is to update your info, do you have your email address on your card? Is your web address listed? These are important ways for your customer to reach you and should be included.

TheDiscountPrinter.com offers 1000 full color business cards for only $59.00. Check them out here: www.thediscountprinter.com/colorcards.htm .

7 Ways to defeat fear of failure

So you have decided to take the plunge and venture into the world of entrepreneurship. You are enthusiastic, eager, uncertain and terrified all at the same time. Believe me, most people in your shoes feel the same way. The start-upphase of any business is often the most exhilarating, but for many, it is also the most trying. Fear of failure often stops would-be entrepreneurs before they even have a chance to bring their ideas to life.

The following are some ideas that may help you to stay focused on your goals and will hopefully give you the extra confidence to pursue your venture.

1. Research the need for your product or service. If there are already 8 dry cleaning services in your town of 1,200 people, chances are your dry cleaning business will not succeed. If you are still determined to open your business when the demand isn't great, consider adding some creative or innovative products or services that the competition doesn't offer.

2. Once you have decided that your business venture is viable, surround yourself with positive people. An encouraging word from a friend or family member can go along way. Confidence and positivity go hand in hand. Conversely, negative thoughts bring self-doubt, and self-doubt almost certainly leads to failure. If someone in your life is negative concerning your business, try to discuss it with them as little as possible.

3. Stay involved in the lives of your family and friends. Starting a new business can be all encompassing. It takes over your thoughts sometimes night and day. Don't forgetto put things into perspective. The most important things in life are your friends and family. Don't neglect them.

4. Read as many books as you can find. Read books on your industry, opening a business in this industry and businessin general. Many online bookstores allow you to read reviews of books before buying them. These reviews will most likely be from people like yourself, looking for the same kind of information as you are. They will let you know if the book is worth purchasing.

5. Get involved. Join trade associations if they exist foryour industry. The advice and insight you will receive from the individuals already working in your field can be even more valuable than the information you can read in a book.

6. Don't listen to the inner negative voice. Self doubt and fear of failure are what stops many would-be entrepreneurs from realizing their dreams. Whenever your ealize that your inner dialogue is turning negative, change it immediately. You control your thoughts. Positive thinking is a powerful tool that will most certainly contribute to your success.

7. Love what you do. If you are planning on opening a home cleaning service, but can't stand cleaning your own home, you are in all likelihood doomed to failure. Choose something that excites you and that you feel passionate about. You need to feel motivated in order to continue growing your business in the years to come. Remember what your goal is and stay focused on that. Don't let fear of failure defeat you.

Regrets are one thing you certainly don't want in life. Once you've researched your venture and know it has potential, keep the next steps in mind. Learn, stay positive and enjoy this exciting phase of your life. Good luck.

About the Author: Kelly Sims is a Virtual Assistant and President ofVirtually There VA Services. She is dedicated to makingthe lives of small business entrepreneurs easier. For moreinformation, visit her website at http://www.virtuallythereva.com .

Social Marketing Must Be A Part Of Your Biz

If you are trying to sell things on the Internet and you do not have a blog you are putting yourself at a disadvantage. Would you go to play golf without a putter? Your competition is blogging and they are beating your pants off every day with ease.

A part of blogging is submitting your articles to social directories. Here are 4 reasons social marketing must be a part of your Internet business.

1. Social marketing is a popular way to get information. Directories like Digg and Netscape are quickly becoming the choice of people all over the world as a way to keep up to date on what is going on. If you are not blogging and submitting to relevant social directories you are missing out on this easy form of traffic.

2. Social marketing is easy to do. You should set up your blog so that you can quickly bookmark the top directories. Then you should post in your blog everyday. If you can talk and type you can blog.

3. Social marketing is an interactive way to develop relationships with your readers. This has become know as Web 2.0 and it is important to the future of your business.People still like to deal with people. This is an age-old sales trick that sometimes gets lost on the Internet. By making yourself and your blog interactive you become a real person. This will help increase your chances for sales and repeat sales.

4. Search engines love social marketing. You are making their life easy when you blog around keyword rich topics that a person researching can find. When you master the techniques of social marketing you will find you can get on page one of Google and other search engines very quickly.

The reason for this is search engines are spidering Digg, Reddit, Newsvine, and many more non-stop looking for fresh relevant content to put online. This may as well be you as opposed to your competition. If all of this seems confusing it really shouldn't be.

Do not wait until tomorrow to get started. Do it today and your Internet business will thank you.
Kevin Sinclair is the publisher and editor of Be Successful News, a site that provides information and articles on how to succeed in your own home or small business.http://besuccessfulnews.com/

PR Web - marketing your biz with press releases

Found a great place to send press releases and you can do it by yourself for a nominal fee. It's PR Web at www.prweb.com .

If you feel you are not crafty enough to write the release yourself, they even have a service that will do it for you. They will rewrite what you send them or they will actually go to your website, root around and come up with a press release suited to the market you would like to reach.

The releases go to all the biggies, like the AP wire and Google and Yahoo news and all the professional agencies.

Winning marketing from Citibank part 3

Become PR Savvy. Getting your business mentioned in the media is a great way to build awareness and reach new customers. You don’t need an expensive public relations agency to create buzz about your business.

The first key to successful grassroots PR is understanding your target audience. Research the publications that they read, the websites they visit and the TV programs they watch. Don’t spend all your time trying to get into The Wall Street Journal if your customers are reading The Main Street Gazette.

Develop a target list of media outlets and take the time to get to know them.The best way to get media coverage is to understand the types of stories that are most relevant with consumers. Then find a way to link your business to them.

Just remember that journalists are busy people. When you send out a press release or call a reporter with a story idea, make sure your message is clear and concise. You’ll have to grab their attention immediately and demonstrate why that particular journalist’s readers will care about your information.

Don’t be discouraged if you don’t get results right away. Effective PR requires persistence. Continue to develop relationships with your targeted media outlets and fine-tune your ideas. Eventually, you’re bound to find a hook that works. The resulting positive press will be well worth the time spent on your PR efforts.

These strategies will help you quickly build a strong marketing foundation for your business.

Winning Marketing from Citibank part 2

Get Online and Get Optimized. Your customers are looking for your business online. So, how will they find you? It’s not enough to have a website. You also have to make sure that your site is optimized so that it appears in the search engine results for the appropriate keywords. A survey from the Kelsey Group, a leading provider of strategic research and analysis, found that almost 50% of local searchers visited an area business as a result of an online search.

The best thing about search engine optimization is that it’s free. All you need is a little education on how to optimize your website copy and HTML tags to make your site more search-friendly.
Get serious about search engine optimization and watch your traffic and revenues grow.

Visit the Must Haves section for a description of the book, "Search Engine Optimization: An Hour A Day."

Part 3 tomorrow

Winning Marketing Ideas from Citibank part 1

For small business owners, effective marketing is crucial for building awareness and driving sales. There are a million marketing ideas out there and your time and budget are limited. How do you know which marketing strategies are right for your company?

Here are 3 key marketing strategies that can deliver results:

1 ) Get Structured. Create a Marketing Plan. Successful small business owners agree that taking the time to develop a proactive marketing plan is critical. A good plan can help you focus your time (and money) on efforts that provide you with better results.

You don’t need a high-priced consultant to create a plan that helps you grow your business. The key is simply to establish specific, measurable marketing goals and define strategies for how to achieve them.

What are your target markets? How will you reach them? What will success look like? As a small business owner, you will probably have a limited marketing budget. That means it’s even more important to plan carefully and ensure that you’re spending your marketing dollars wisely.

Part 2 tomorrow

Increase sales with proper email etiquette

How long does it take for you to answer email? Are you right on top of things or do you make your customers wait for an answer to their requests?

The rule of thumb is 24 hours. But the sooner the better. Many large companies, well-known companies, I may add, feel that they can rest on their laurels and answer email questions when they get around to it. Most likely they are overloaded with mail and it takes awhile, but for a customer waiting for an answer, this is no consolation.

I can't tell you how many times I have gone to a competitor because email was not answered in a timely manner. Answer your email now. Don't wait.

Fax signatures increase sales

A great way to advertise specials and up-sell are fax signatures.

Just like email signatures they can bring in more business.

Basically, all you do is put a tag line or two at the bottom of all your fax cover sheets. Type it in a fancy or odd typeface, something that will stand out, Comic Sans is good for this.

If you sell realty, you can have one line that says: "Interest rates dropped again today, call us for more info."

For a toy store: "Our new line of Sesame Street toys is now in."

For a business website: "Did you see our new collection of eBooks and selling tips?"

Just tag this at the very bottom of the fax cover sheet.

Each time you fax someone a mini advertisement is going out with your transmission.

Caution: Use this only for legitimate fax trasmissions. Don't start faxing everyone you know. Just use it in your normal day-to-day fax correspondence.