Home Biz U

The Best and Worst Ideas For Email Marketing

2008-08-11T08:00:00.002-05:00

For every good idea on the Internet there is an equally bad one. This is especially true when it comes to Internet marketing. One targeted form of Internet marketing is email marketing and in this article we will talk about the best and worst ideas when it comes to marketing by email.

The first thing I will say is that your emphasis should be on building your own list. You do this by asking people to opt in by their own free will. This is the best way to build your list. The worst way to build your list is to buy names in bulk and then spam them with unwanted e-mail messages.

What you are looking for is a targeted list of names and email addresses that you can stand information to whenever you want. These people expect to hear from you because they opted in on a sign-up form somewhere on the Internet.

This makes them the best leads because they've given you permission to e-mail them. Bulk leads that you purchased by the thousands is probably the worst way to do email marketing because you do not have their permission, and they have not opted in to your list to start with.

The best way to build your opt in list is to use splash pages and promote them directly. You should also include sign-up forms on every webpage and blog posts that you have.

Your goal is to make it easy for people to sign up to your list as possible. Then it just becomes a numbers game, getting those signup forms where people can find them.

The worst thing you can do is build a list and then ignore it. What makes an opt-in list so good is the opportunity you have to build relationships with your subscribers.

You have been given an opportunity to build a worldwide Internet marketing business using email marketing. The worst thing you can do is spend your time building a list and then not cultivating it.

Thankfully today autoresponders make it very easy to keep in touch with people. You can type in one message and send it to literally thousands of people with the click of one button.

The best way to manage your list is to use an autoresponder and consistently send out valuable information. The worst thing you can do is sell all of the time, and the best thing you can do is mix in sales messages with free information.

This is a few ideas on the best and worst ways to use email marketing. Anyone can do this if they are committed to it.

David Ogden is an established online marketer who specializes in practical website resources and advice that have helped many people like you start their very own home based business. He can help you launch your very own money making website today, ready to take orders and pull in massive profits for you right now, guaranteed!

Work at Home Training for Success Make Money Online Now!

Copyright: David Ogden

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=David_J_Ogden http://EzineArticles.com/?The-Best-and-Worst-Ideas-For-Email-Marketing&id=1377168

10 Tips to Make Your Home Business Successful

2008-08-10T17:00:00.001-05:00

When you work at home many people don't think you are working. You are constantly interrupted with phone calls and family activities can throw off your concentration. I have been working at home for 30 years and these tips keep me productive.

1. Find your space. It would be hard for me to write if my computer was in the kitchen or family room. I am fortunate to have a home office that I share with my husband. The downstairs office works well for both of us.

2. Get comfortable. To save money I bought a cheap computer chair. What a mistake. The chair was uncomfortable and by the end of the day my back was killing me. I finally bought a quality chair and it is wonderful. If you are to get any work done you have to be comfortable.

3. Get task lighting. Good lighting is a must for any home business. My desk is under a ceiling light. There are additional ceiling lights in the office, but they are not enough, so I have a floor lamp for dark days and evening work.

4. Set daily goals. When I get up in the morning I know what I will be working on: writing an article, researching article topics, editing, business emails and/or correspondence. As soon as I accomplish a goal I cross it off my list.

5. File papers fast. Regular filing, instead of piling, helps me to stay productive. I had to buy an extra cabinet to handle the paper overflow and I'm glad I did.

6. Clean out files. I just cleaned out my cabinets and was amazed at the size of my discard pile. Some documents had been filed on a "just in case" basis and I no longer needed them. One hour of cleaning generated inches of extra space in my filing cabinets.

7. Have a schedule. I get up at 5:30 a.m., make coffee, and start writing. Nobody else is up yet and this is my most productive time of the day. Figure out when you are the most productive and make the most of this time.

8. Get an answering machine. Phone contacts may be essential to your business. But phone calls really interrupt my writing, so I have an answering machine. If I answer the phone I end the conversation quickly. "Thanks for calling," I say. "I'm writing now and will call you back later."

9. Track your progress. The daily grind may obscure your progress. Updating my resume helps me to track my progress. You may do the same or keep an ongoing list of sales and products.

10. Promote your business. I promote my work by speaking at conferences, writing Internet articles, and writing for free. Though I have used a marketing firm, the cost was high, and the benefits were low. Find ways to promote your business, use them, and keep exploring new ways.

The success of a home business depends on the type of business, your business practices, and marketing trends. It also depends on you. I hope these tips help your business to grow and prosper.

Good luck!

http://www.harriethodgson.com

Harriet Hodgson has been an independent journalist for 30 years. She is a member of the Association of Health Care Journalists and the Association for Death Education and Counseling. Her 24th book, "Smiling Through Your Tears: Anticipating Grief," written with Lois Krahn, MD, is available from http://www.amazon.com

Centering Corporation in Omaha, Nebraska, North America's oldest and largest grief resource center, is publishing her 26th book, "Writing to Recover: The Journey from Loss and Grief to a New Life." The self-help book is slated for September release

Please log onto Harriet's Web site and learn more about this busy author and grandmother.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Harriet_Hodgson
http://EzineArticles.com/?10-Tips-to-Make-Your-Home-Business-Successful&id=1375149

Selling Your Top Tier Direct Sales Home Based Business Without Sounding Like a Salesman

2008-01-21T23:00:00.000-05:00

For anyone who operates a home based business in direct sales and network marketing the most intimidating problem you face is often the sales presentation. Can you sound natural and relaxed on the phone? Do you have the right words to use at the right time and can you close the deal? Presentation of any product or service is essential for obvious reasons - no sale equals no revenue.

When talking to your prospects, there are three main answer three main questions you should be prepared to answer at least in general terms. These questions include what the business is all about? What has to be done in order to earn an income? And what amount of money one can realistically expect to make from this opportunity? If you can answer these three questions without faltering you will be well on your way to network marketing success.

How To Answer Theses Three Questions Successfully

1. How much money will I earn? The first rule in any relationship (and this is all about building relationships) is honesty. You want demonstrate the potential of your opportunity in order to make it appealing. You can do this by pointing out what the top income earners in your company are making but be sure to emphasize what these earners do in return for their income. This is showing your prospect the potential income but not misleading them to believe they will be an over night millionaire. Do not exaggerate and provide an unbelievable amount. You have to be honest and truthful. People are lied to enough in life and the opportunity to join a great opportunity from a home based career should not be one of those false information providers.

2. What business are you in? If you're in the financial education and wealth building through sound investment business - say so - simple and clear. People do not want to feel that they are left in the dark about what a business is about. If they feel like the product is being talked about in a hush-hush tone or fogged over, they will feel uneasy and reject the opportunity. Don't be tempted to "fake it till you make it" with grand claims of income earned. It seldom works as most people can spot a BS'er a mile off. Again, honesty is paramount and it will come back to you 10 times over!

3. What do I do to earn this income? Explain what you do. I introduce my life changing products and explain how they give you the financial education you never got in school or anywhere else. How they can completely reorganize your financial world and at the same time provide a great income. Then explain how you do the business. Are you completely independent or do you use a turnkey marketing system that does the sales and organizing for you. The more detail you can provide without boring the pants off your prospect the better informed they will be and the more likely they will see the benefit of what you have to offer. It's always far better to have a well-informed customer than a bitter and disappointed consultant after they buy in.

For rookies, prospecting calls are the toughest part of running a home based. The good news is the more you do the easier they get. If you can force yourself to shut your trap and truly listen to what your prospect is telling you and then be able to provide an answer to their problem, you will connect with them in a way that is 100 times more beneficial for you both than you ever will by blathering on incessantly as soon as they pick up the phone.

The main thing to keep in mind is just to be yourself. If you're comfortable, your customers will be comfortable. Make sure you thoroughly understand your product so that you are not just pitching an item or opportunity but you are simply telling them about something that can make their life better. If you feel uncomfortable about the product or service you are offering that will come across loud and clear to your prospect. If you believe in your product or service than your customer will as well. Keep the conversation general and comfortable but focused on your prospects needs and you will find your products or services you speak of will sale themselves.

Adrian McCluskey http://www.success-together.com is an experienced online marketing professional working in the area of top tier direct sales and financial education. His personal mission is to help new and experienced entrepreneurs reach complete financial freedom without compromising integrity and honesty. Please email any questions to adrian.successtogether@gmail.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Adrian_Mccluskey
http://EzineArticles.com/?Selling-Your-Top-Tier-Direct-Sales-Home-Based-Business-Without-Sounding-Like-a-Salesman&id=936336

Holiday spending: Are you prepared for the influx?

2007-10-15T23:36:00.001-05:00

With the holidays just around the corner this is make or break time for a lot of retail businesses. It can also be the best time of the year for your home business. Here are a couple of things to plan for:

Set up your Pay-Per-Click Budget.

The holiday season can be a very busy time of year, but don't forget that you can get instant traffic from online search engines via a Pay-Per-Click campaign. Keep in mind that if you have been running ads already because of the time of year there will be more competition and prices could go up. So make sure that you budget accordingly.

Have a back up payment processor.

The worst thing that could happen to you is that you are in the middle of a holiday rush and your payment processor decides to shut you down. It won't really matter how invalid you believe the reason to be, it simply won't change the situation. It's always a good idea to have a payment processor as a backup. Even Paypal has a Virtual Terminal program that you can use for a pretty low fee per month. You could end up loosing a ton of money and time trying to fix the problem, why not have a solution from the start so all you loose is your time.

Decide and test promotions to run.

Don't miss out on the holiday shopping spree and not even have a sale. People love sales, and most expect some kind of sale to go on during the holiday season. Don't disappoint them. Make a couple of different offers and then use Google Website Optimizer to figure out the best option for your holiday campaign. The best part is that the Google Website Optimizer is available for free with your Google Adwords account.

Build email list of people interested in your holiday items.

Don't think that because it's not even Halloween yet that people aren't already shopping for Christmas. I know plenty of women that start their shopping as early as July! If you are planning on doing promotions for the holiday season don't be shy about getting people onto a notification list for all your holiday sales. This a great way to test out offers before making them available to the general public. You can also ask people on your list what they will be shopping for and give it to them.

HomeBizU Intro

2007-10-06T19:53:00.000-05:00

Do you have you holiday plan yet?

2007-10-06T12:46:00.000-05:00

Now that we are at the end of the first week in October the thought of the holiday season right around the corner should have you really excited. Yes I know that there will be a lot of additional family responsibility but it is also the busiest time of the year for most retail businesses. If you plan your holiday marketing plan correctly it can be the best time of the year for you too.

In the upcoming weeks I will show you some of the things that you can do to make this holiday season the best one yet.

Managing and Recruiting Affiliates

2006-09-12T15:42:00.000-05:00

Once affiliates begin to sign up, even if you are
automatically approving them, its in your best
interest to audit your network on a regular basis.
Now, the FTC is making marketers responsible for
the actions of their affiliates. If your affiliates
get out of control, it could cost you a lot of money.

Read Full Article

Net Infomercial Secrets

2006-08-22T21:47:00.000-05:00

Net Infomercial Secrets! - $97 Value

Get your hands on
Jacob Stein and Russell Brunson's Net Informercial Secrets. This is a $97 value and worth the price of this package alone.

This incredible audio course shows
step by step method of how to create your own successful online infomercials to sell your products online.

Including the secret techniques that you
can use to create and use internet informercials that can bring in
thousands of dollars in a very short period of time!

Click Here To Download Now
For FREE!

Butterfly Marketing Manuscript now availible

2006-08-14T22:16:00.001-05:00

Butterfly Marketing proves to be just as powerful
in strategies then in the software itself. Below
you will find a student and customer of the course.

http://www.MicalJohnson.com/butterflymanuscript-blog

Michael Cheney of “Adsense Videos” applied the the
pre-launch strategies and affiliate tools and JV
strategies outlined in Mike Filsaime’s Butterfly
Marketing Manuscript to the his launch.

Here is what Michael Cheney had to say about what
he learned in the Manuscript:

——————————————————

“Mike - first off I just want to say thank you so much!
The techniques I learned from Butterfly Marketing
played a BIG part in helping me make $63,249 in sales
in 24 hours!!

(more…)

Keyword Elite Launch

2006-03-21T16:51:00.002-05:00

Brad Callen creator of SEO Elite just came out with a new tool called Keyword Elite. This tool enables you to create MASSIVE keyword lists that you can use in your PPC advertising, creating pages for you website and keywords for your articles. And that's just a few of the uses. He has several videos on his site that shows you exactly how he uses the different features on this new software.

To check out the videos you can check them out here: Keyword Elite

Secret "Underground" fightclub

2006-02-22T17:52:00.000-05:00

Have you heard about this?

Wouldn't be surprised if you haven't,because it's just catching on
This was sent to me the other day and I was laughing at this concept, but very catchy hook. They have a very innovative way of getting your attention and offering great free content....anyway, just read this:

(FW from: "Underground Fight Club")

"Few know about it...but in the lesser-known byways and back alleys of the internet marketing world, a strange, bold phenomenon is catching on...and is about to catch fire...all over the world, in small pockets...in Australia and the U.S., in Switzerland and Tokyo, in Canada and Kansas...men--and women--are donning theirboxing gloves, knee-pads, and spiked rings...gathering in groups and getting ready...choosing their champions and placingtheir bets... on a face-off so shocking, so bold,so outrageously daring...it's no wonder this has all been kept underground...until now.

Do the words "Marketer's Deathmatch" mean anything to you?

"If they don't, all I can say is, don't try to get through the front door without a pass...That's all. Here's your pass: Marketer's DeathMatch (BTW It's Free)

P.S.You'll only have one chance to get in the front door...so look sharp.

*******************************
It's another way to have fun and learn at the same time.

Take Care,

Mical Johnson

Butterfly Marketing Launch

2006-02-02T12:14:00.000-05:00

Many of you know already that Mike Filsaime launched a new product this week called Butterfly Marketing. He has created a system that has enabled him to make over $800,000 last year alone. I ordered my copy and will be reviewing it as soon as possible.

In the mean time you can check out this message I made about it.

http://www.MyHomeBasedBusiness101.com/billboard.htm

Learning From The World Around You

2006-01-23T21:50:00.000-05:00

As a home business owner we are constantly looking for new ways to market our businesses and keep on the cutting edge. One of the major down falls of being a home business owner is that a lot of the time we have to do everything ourselves. As if the marketing wasn't hard enough, we do the PR, Customer Service and Fulfillment as well, just to name a few.

We have to be able to find great sources of information that we can count on. I keep track of a lot of different ezines and newsletters. I subscribe to tons of RSS feeds just so I can keep up with all the new events and ideas going on. Why? Because as a home based business owner we can implement a new idea in a very short time and find out if it will work for us or not. That is our biggest advantage of working from home.

While the major corporation may have to take weeks or even months (and sometimes years) to get something done. We can do it in a very short amount of time. But one of the biggest problems we have is coming up with new ideas while we are busy trying to run our home business.

This is most likely the point where you are saying to yourself "Yeah, Mical, I know this already so what is your point...I am very busy."

**Look at the sidebar** and you will notice that I have added a new feed that can give you some ideas from "Harvard Business Schools Working Knowledge" site. Working knowledge is a collection of cutting-edge management information that keeps you at the forefront of today's fast-changing business environment. You will find a wealth of resources and data as well as insights from industry leaders worldwide.

How is this going to help you?

As they bring up different things that they are looking at doing in their business we can take the same information and apply it to our home based business. We don't have to wait weeks or months to see if this new concept will work. We can test it quickly and see how much it adds to our bottom line.

The moral of this story...

Just because we are not in the corporate world does not mean we can not learn from their new ideas and/or mistakes. Take what is around you and make it yours that's what make us all a home business entrepreneurs.

Online Ad Growth Accelerates, Outpacing Newspaper, TV Spending

2006-01-11T16:38:00.000-05:00

Bloomberg.com: U.S.: "The move to online advertising is happening faster than analysts anticipated as companies devote more of their budgets to the Internet than traditional media.
The market for online ads will increase 32 percent to $16.6 billion next year, fueling growth at companies including Google Inc. And Yahoo! Inc., Credit Suisse First Boston analyst Heath Terry said in a research report. He had previously forecast 21 percent growth.
Sales of online ads that have animation, sound or interactive features will jump 66 percent next year to become the fastest growing area of Web ads, Credit Suisse predicts. Yahoo, the most-visited Web site, and No. 1 search-engine Google are winning business at the expense of publishers and broadcasters. "

You should proably be thinking to yourself
How Can I do this too?
Can I do that type of advertising with a little budget?

Here are a couple of places to start...

Total Web Audio - Josh was not kidding when he named it "Total Web Audio" he really over delivered when he put this package together. You will see some of the things that I have created with his products in your inbox from time to time.

Multi Media Profits Revealed - Bob is fondly called "The MultiMedia Guy" and really takes the time to show you "how to" do it. This "How To" Product is great for beginners and the savvy marketer. The big benefit is you get access to his private Multimedia site. It's a product that keeps on giving.

Vlog It! - This is a new product soon to be released from Serious Magic (they have a free demo right now) This cool little tool allows you to add video to your blog with all kinds of cool features and it's very easy to use. When it is released you will definitely be seeing me use it here. I must have played with this program for several hours when I got it. It's a must have for every toolbox out there.

With these products you will be able to create your own ads and add audio and video to your site. A big bonus over the "other" guy's out there.

I will be using these tools to create an Audio and Video Ezine as well as adding audio and video to this site and my other ones too. These products are a very big reason why I decided to redesign this site. So start the new year out right and really listen and see what they can do for you.

New Home Business Articles

2006-01-02T00:29:00.000-05:00

I have just posted some new articles:

Starting a Home Based BusinessHaving a good idea is the first step to starting a home based business. But this is the easy part. If you want to have a successful business, there are many other things to consider.
...Read More

Home Business Planning Tips
Home business careers or careers in home business are getting more and more popular every day. On the internet these there are hundreds of home business opportunities available, you can find a home business career in any field you desire....
Read More

About Working from Home
Why do so many people want to work from home and what is it that inspires so many to follow this avenue of earning an income? These are questions that I asked myself also when I first considered Home Based Business and contemplated the possibility of joining this growing community of people.....Read More

Happy New Years

2006-01-02T00:28:00.000-05:00

Just wanted to wish everyone a Happy New Year.

The Season of Change

2005-12-20T11:17:00.000-05:00

It the time of the year when things are winding down. Most everyone looks back over the year to see what has happened and what has changed. When it comes to change you don't have to love it to be successful, but you really need to be willing to accept it for what it is.

Things Change

That's part of life, but change is good. It lets us push our boundries for growth and we realize how much more we can do. We can get out of a rut or get a fresh start. One of the great things about change is that it gives us the opportunity to reevaluate our direction in life.

So with change in mind here are a couple of my picks for site ideas for 2006.

Alternative Living
Identity Theft Protection
Diet & Fitness
Travel

With Alternative living you are really getting back to the "grass roots" and looking for ways to avoid the increasing high cost of fuel and utilities. This is for the growing population of people who are enviromentally conscious. One site that is already doing it is biojoe.com where they sell biodiesel products and additives. In November the term "alternative fuel" was search 13,330 on Overture.com

With online fraud at an all time high you need to find ways to protect yourself. Identity Theft Protection will be a "must have" item very quickly in the near future. A site that is offering some protection is mycredithelper.com They help you monitor you credit, give consumer alerts, and provide insurance coverage for identity theft for a small monthly fee. The term "identity theft" was searched more than 48,000 times and "identity theft protection" over 3,000 times on Overture.com last month.

When it comes to diet and fitness it seems that it is always a hot topic, especially this time of year. With 80% of women not happy with their appearance according to the National Eating Disorders Association. They also reported that 45% of women and 25% of men are on a diet on any given day. Good sites to look at ediets.com and recipesource.com for the big sites or visit a new comer at myrecipesonline.com This is a great area for a lot of sub-niches. On Overture.com the term "weight loss" was searched over 800,000 times other area like "mexican recipes" was searched over 28,000 times and "online recipes" over 8,000 times

When it comes to travel the baby boomers lead the way. They have time and disposable income. The generic term "travel" was searched over 2.5 million times on Overture.com and that was not even the most searched travel phrase. If you are doing a site yourself you need to be a lot more specific if you want to compete in this market. A great example of that is vancouverislandtravelguide.com The term "vancouver island" is still searched more than 6,000 times a month on Overture.com

You can make anything you want into a home based business. All you need is an idea and a williness to change.

MarketingSherpa.com : Practical News & Case Studies on Internet Advertising, Marketing & PR

2005-12-12T15:57:00.000-05:00

I was reading this article and thought it would be of some merit to everyone since we have to be creative with our advertising and marketing budgets.

Enjoy

SUMMARY:
What do you do when your marketplace is booming, booming, booming, but practically no US Web sites will accept your ads?

Marketing online gambling and poker sites is not illegal -- it's just discouraged by the US federal government. Despite this millions of Americans are flooding online to play.
Top execs at three of the biggest sites in the industry granted MarketingSherpa's reporters exclusive behind-the-scenes interviews about their guerilla marketing for this Special Report. Discover what we learned

Yes, includes ideas for more mainstream marketers:
'I've been doing this for about 15 years, and it seems like every time you have all the answers to the questions, they change the rules,' says Mickey Richardson CEO BetCRIS.com, one of the world's larger online gambling sites.

Marketplace demand was always there ('Years ago, you could put a small ad in big newspaper and get a sizeable amount of leads'), but US lawmakers have danced around the subject of legality.

No one knew 'whether it would be a long-lived, thriving industry or whether they'd put a noose around our neck.'

The result? A booming multi-billion dollar industry that can't buy much advertising, despite the fact that there's no Federal law against it.

So, online gambling marketers have had to get creative. Here's our behind-the-scenes look into how three of the larger sites are coping.

Quick online gambling stats and legal backgrounder
According to Calvin Ayre, CEO Bodog.com, interactive poker legality is a grey area. The US Justice Department has danced around the issue while exerting pressure on media outlets to not run ads.

Ayre says his legal experts tell him media outlets running ads for...Read More

Home Business Creed

2005-12-08T23:33:00.000-05:00

I Do Not Choose To Be Common

It is my right to be uncommon----if I can.

I seek opportunity---not security.

I want to take the calculated risk;

to dream and to build, to fail and to succeed.

I refuse to barter incentive for a dole.

I prefer the challeges of life to the guaranteed existence;

the thrill of fulfillment tot he stale calm of utopia.

I will not trade freedom for beneficence

nor my difnity for a handout.

I will never cower before any master

nor bend to any threat.

It is my heritage to stand erect, proud and unafraid;

to think and act for myself, enjoy the benefit

of my creations and to face the world

boldly and say, this I have done.

All this is what it means to be an American.

--"My Creed" by Dean Alfange--

These might words were written long ago but still hold true today. It is the American dream to own your own business and we do it from the comfort of our home. We are uncommon in the way in which we live our life...but we live our life by our own terms.

Many wish they could say that they own their own business. We do! Do not settle on your job with a 9 to 5. Keep the course! The end is in sight.

Coming Soon to www.MyHomeBasedBusiness101.com

Step by Step guide to boost your home business income (or start one)

Site Redesign

2005-12-01T23:34:00.000-05:00

Hey everyone,

We are currently doing a site redesign. You should start seeing the changes through out the month of December.

Some of the new things coming:

Video Newsletter
Audio Product Reviews
Weekly Video Marketing Tips
CSS? What is it?
Brand New Forum
And Much More!