Why Write an eBook
Copyright (c) Jaime Parmis
http://www.JaimeParmis.com
It's not true that everything that has been said has already been written. Since that unfortunate axiom came into use, the whole universe has changed. Technology has changed, ideas have changed, and the mindsets of entire nations have changed.
The fact is that this is the perfect time to write an ebook. What the publishing industry needs are people who can tap into the world as it is today - innovative thinkers who can make the leap into the new millennium and figure out how to solve old problems in a new way. Ebooks are a new and powerful tool for original thinkers with fresh ideas to disseminate information to the millions of people who are struggling to figure out how to do a plethora of different things.
Let's say you already have a brilliant idea, and the knowledge to back it up that will enable you to write an exceptional ebook. You may be sitting at your computer staring at a blank screen wondering, "Why? Why should I go through all the trouble of writing my ebook when it's so impossible to get anything
published these days?
Well, let me assure you that publishing an ebook is entirely different than publishing a book in print. Let's look at the specifics of how the print and cyber publishing industry differ, and the many reasons why you should take the plunge and get your fingers tapping across those keyboards!
Submitting a print book to conventional publishing houses or to agents is similar to wearing a hair shirt 24/7. No matter how good your book actually is, or how many critique services and mentor writers have told you that "you've got what it takes," your submitted manuscript keeps coming back to you as if it is a boomerang instead of a valuable mine of information.
Perhaps, in desperation, you've checked out self-publishing and found out just how expensive a venture it can be. Most "vanity presses" require minimal print runs of at least 500 copies, and even that amount will cost you thousands of dollars. Some presses' minimal run starts at 1,000 to 2,000 copies. And that's just for the printing and binding. Add in distribution, shipping, and promotional costs and - well, you do the math. Even if you wanted to go this route, you may not have that kind of money to risk.
Let's say you already have an Internet business with a quality website and a quality product. An ebook is one of the most powerful ways to promote your business while educating people with the knowledge you already possess as a business owner of a specific product or service.
For example, let's say that you've spent the last twenty-five years growing and training bonsai trees, and now you're ready to share your knowledge and experience. An ebook is the perfect way to reach the largest audience of bonsai enthusiasts.
Ebooks will not only promote your business - they will help you make a name for yourself and your company, and establish you as an expert in your field. You may even find that you have enough to say to warrant a series of ebooks. Specific businesses are complicated and often require the different aspects to be divided in order for the reader to get the full story.
Perhaps your goals are more finely tuned in terms of the ebook scene. You may want to build a whole business around writing and publishing ebooks. Essentially, you want to start an e-business. You are thinking of setting up a website to promote and market your ebooks. Maybe you're even thinking of producing an ezine.
One of the most prevalent reasons people read ebooks is to find information about how to turn their Internet businesses into a profit-making machine. And these people are looking to the writers of ebooks to provide them with new ideas and strategies because writers of ebooks are usually people who understand the new cyberspace world we now live in. Ebook writers are experts in Internet marketing campaigns and the strategies of promoting and distributing ebooks. The cyberspace community needs its ebooks to be successful so that more and more ebooks will be written.
You may want to create affiliate programs that will also market your ebook. Affiliates can be people or businesses worldwide that will all be working to sell your ebooks. Think about this? Do you see a formula for success here?
Figure out what your subject matter is, and then narrow it down. Your goal is to aim for specificity. Research what's out there already, and try to find a void that your ebook might fill.
What about an ebook about a wedding cake business? Or an ebook about caring for elderly pets? How about the fine points of collecting ancient pottery?
You don't have to have three masters degrees to write about your subject. People need advice that is easy to read and easily understood. Parents need advice for dealing with their teenagers. College students need to learn good study skills - quickly. The possibilities are endless.
After you've written your ebook:
Getting your ebook out is going to be your focus once you've finished writing it, just as it is with print books. People will hesitate to buy any book from an author they've never heard of. Wouldn't you?
The answer is simple: give it away! You will see profits in the form of promoting your own business and getting your name out. You will find affiliates who will ask you to place their links within your ebook, and these affiliates will in turn go out and make your name known. Almost every single famous ebook author has started out this way.
Another powerful tool to attract people to your ebook is to make it interactive. Invent something for them to do within the book rather than just producing pages that contain static text. Let your readers fill out questionnaires, forms, even crossword puzzles geared to testing their knowledge on a particular subject. Have your readers hit a link that will allow them to recommend your book to their friends and associates. Or include an actual order form so at the end of their reading journey, they can eagerly buy your product.
When people interact with books, they become a part of the world of that book. The fact is just as true for books in print as it is for ebooks.
That's why ebooks are so essential. Not only do they provide a forum for people to learn and make sense of their own thoughts, but they can also serve to promote your business at the same time.
About the Author:
------------------------------------------------------------
Jaime Parmis helps ordinary people all over the world make money online with affiliate programs. If you can follow 3 easy steps, you can get your own customized website, autoresponder (email follow-up software) and pre-written email marketing campaign professionally designed and installed and ready to pull in profits for you in 24 hours or less! See details at and sign up today at: http://www.JaimeParmis.com/pips.html
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Why Write an eBook
Take a Time to Market Your Online Business
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Take a Time to Market Your Online Business
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Jaime Parmis
Building Websites Quickly & Easliy
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Building Websites Quickly & Easily
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Jaime Parmis
Website Promotion - The Power of Writing Articles
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Website Promotion - The Power of Writing Articles
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Jaime Parmis
The Key to Your Success
Today's feature article is:
The Key to Your Success
Copyright © Stone Evans, The Home Biz Guy
http://www.PlugInProfitSite.com/main-19755
In regard to making money on the Internet, everyone is always
looking for the quick fix. They want to sign up for a program,
place an advertisement, and make hundreds or thousands of dollars
instantly. While this may be possible depending on your
circumstances, the most direct and guaranteed path to success on
the Internet is to stick with the fundamentals.
A friend of mine who is an athletic coach for kids in the city
where I live reminded me of this lesson. This guy is actually so
passionate about kids and athletics that he coaches 4 different
sports: basketball, soccer, baseball and football. Of course, he
has a kid of his own on each team. But what is remarkable about
this guy is the results he gets with his teams.
He was recruited to coach the 8th grade football team where his
children go to school. After 27 years of losing seasons in a row,
the first year my friend became the head coach the team won the
district championship and repeated their championship run the
following year. This past weekend he coached 12 different games
and won all 12 of them. As you can tell, this guy is extremely
dedicated.
But the funny thing is that he and the kids he coaches are not
totally hung up on winning. If they lose a game, they feel
equally good about themselves as they would if they had won. What
matters most to them is how well they played and lived up to
their potential as a team.
The real question is how my friend's teams continually perform
on such a high level and beat nearly anyone they play even though
they are often smaller and younger than their competitors. I
asked this question to my friend the other day and he told me
that it's all in the fundamentals.
In his practices, all he works on with his kids is keeping a
positive mindset and practicing the fundamentals. He told me that
his teams never scrimmage or strategize about upcoming games
during practice. They simply work hard on all the fundamentals of
whatever particular sport they are playing and do so more than
any other team they play. This constant practice and improvement
of the fundamentals is what allows his teams to progress faster
than his competitors. While most other teams get caught up with
how to win, out-strategize, be stronger than and intimidate their
opponents, my friend's team is just so good at the basics that
they blow everyone out of the water when game day arrives.
This got me thinking about my own Internet business and why I've
been able to succeed on such a high level while most others who
have tried to do what I do have failed. The answer is not really
surprising.
Most people who try to build a successful Internet home business
are looking for the quick fix. They want it to work IMMEDIATELY
and so they usually fall prey to business opportunities that
promise to help them get rich overnight and advertising scams
that promise to deliver thousands of hungry prospects to their
website in the next 24 hours. Of course, these opportunistic
schemes are really just geared to steal people's hard earned
money. You see, when someone is desperate and looking for an
INSTANT solution, they will often be taken advantage of and their
chances for success with an Internet home business are slim to
none.
However, while there are thousands of business opportunities on
the Internet and millions of different ways to advertise and
promote your website, I personally practice the fundamentals in
my Internet home business. I do this by sticking with the
business opportunities I've joined for the long haul and
promoting my website consistently with simple, affordable and
easily maintained Internet marketing techniques.
In fact, one of the techniques that works best for me is writing
articles like this one and getting them published on other
people's websites using article syndication tools and software
found online.
By writing articles and getting them published on other websites
online using powerful tools like those mentioned above, I'm able
to get my name and website address in front of thousands of
people without paying a dime in advertising. Of course, the key
to this strategy is that I write and distribute articles
consistently in this way. It's one of those "fundamentals"
that doesn't cost anything but a little time and effort. Fact
is, it's this price of time and effort that most people are
unwilling to pay. They'll gladly part with hundreds or even
thousands of dollars, but ask them to do a little hard work and
they say "No way."
It's this understanding that can separate you from the pack. If
you are willing to practice the fundamentals of your business
faithfully and consistently, you will be destined to succeed on a
high level. But if you can't and you're only looking for the
quick fix, you have already lost the game before you even set
foot on the field.
Even pros like me practice the fundamentals every day. In fact,
especially pros like me practice the fundamentals. The moment I
stop practicing the fundamentals is the moment I stop being a
pro. Think about this carefully and then renew YOUR commitment to
the fundamentals of your Internet home business today. Do this
and you will soar past your competition.
About the Author:
------------------------------------------------------------
Stone Evans helps ordinary people all over the world make
money online with affiliate programs. If you can follow 3
easy steps, you can get your own customized website,
autoresponder (email follow-up software) and pre-written
email marketing campaign professionally designed and
installed and ready to pull in profits for you in 24 hours
or less! See details at and sign up today at:
http://www.PlugInProfitSite.com/main-19755
------------------------------------------------------------
The Enormous Power of Past Success
Today's feature article is:
The Enormous Power of Past Success
Copyright (c) Stone Evans, The Home Biz Guy
http://www.PlugInProfitSite.com/main-19755
I was checking my voice mail yesterday and received a message
that was short and sweet. It said: "My name is Ken Shapiro. I'm
the writer, director, producer and star of the motion picture
'The Groove Tube'. Please call me back at ..."
Interesting. The writer, director, producer and star of a motion
picture?
My curiosity was aroused so I went to Google and looked up "The
Groove Tube". I discovered that Ken Shapiro was indeed all of
the things he said he was and that Chevy Chase, a very famous
American actor, had is debut film appearance in the movie. My
mind determined that Ken Shapiro was a force to be reckoned with
so I gave him a call.
It turns out that Ken found me online and was seeking some
guidance on how to promote his new project at
http://www.bedbooks.net/. "Bed Books" is a very interesting
innovation and I must admit that I've often wanted to lay on my
side in bed and read a book, but that's not a very comfortable
thing to do. Thus, Ken's unique idea and business has the
potential to really take off.
In our brief conversation, we exchanged pleasantries and I gave
Ken a few tips on getting publicity for his site. He's obviously
a guy who takes action on his ideas so I expect that he'll take
the information I gave him and put it into motion immediately. If
so, you'll be hearing a lot more about Ken and BedBooks.net in
the near future. In exchange for my time and advice, Ken said he
is sending me a "Bed Book" to try out.
What's interesting about my conversation with Ken is my
motivation for having it in the first place. Considering that I
receive an overwhelming amount of voice mails every single day
and that I'm rarely able to call anyone back on the phone
personally, why did I choose to pick up the phone and call Ken on
my dime?
The answer is because Ken had established that he was already
successful. Because of the accomplishment of making "The Groove
Tube" movie in which Chevy Chase appeared back in 1972 I
determined that calling Ken would be, at the very least,
interesting. I also sensed that there could be the possibility
for me to benefit in some way because I perceived Ken to be
powerful and influential.
I was right. Ken is powerful. He's a doer. He makes things
happen and I respect him for that. In this world, it's the
dreamers that take action and persist until they succeed that get
my attention. That's why I called Ken and that's also why he
was able to benefit from a free consultation with me. In that
discussion, I gave Ken some very specific advice for marketing
his website that has the potential to bring him all the business
he can handle.
The point to take home is that Ken's previous success in the
movie business made it a lot easier for him to get the
information and resources he needs to succeed in his new venture.
In other words, past success has power.
When I first started my Internet business it was not easy. In
fact, it was downright difficult. I spent thousands of dollars on
credit trying to learn the game and acquire the tools I needed to
build my business. Everything was expensive and the people who I
thought could help me grow my business the most wouldn't give me
the time of day. I was a nobody in this world.
However, I was persistent and by leveraging my financial and
creative resources I was finally able to make my first sale
online. Once that occurred, I simply focused on what I did right
and did more of it. My sales continued to grow and I was becoming
successful.
From those initial small successes, I was able to continue
building my knowledge. I realized that once I had knowledge, I
could share it. By sharing my knowledge with others, I was able
to become an expert. As an expert, people were attracted to me.
Through that attraction, I was able to sell more goods and
services. I was becoming *very* successful.
Then other experts got attracted to me. They started giving me
their products and services for free. They were also open to the
possibility of working together. The same products and services
that I could barely afford in the beginning of my career and the
same people who wouldn't give me the time of day before, were
now becoming as freely available to me as oxygen itself.
Why? The answer is simple. I was already successful.
Is it easier for the rich to get richer? Absolutely. Is it easier
for successful people to become more successful? Definitely. The
momentum has already been established. Money attracts more money
and success attracts greater success.
Before you get cynical, first consider the fact that most of the
rich and successful people in this world started with nothing but
their ideas and enthusiasm. They were able to use that energy and
put it into motion to create their own success.
In most cases, the path they traveled was riddled with moments of
confusion, struggle and failure. But they persisted and with each
small success their path got easier and easier to travel until
they eventually paved it and turned that path into a "success
super-highway" that now allows them to travel and succeed with
ease.
The enormous power of past success is that it can and will
catapult you toward greater success in the future. Use everything
in your power right now to create some initial success and then
roll that success forward to create more success in your life.
You will ultimately discover this is a very easy thing to do.
About the Author:
------------------------------------------------------------
Stone Evans helps ordinary people all over the world make
money online with affiliate programs. If you can follow 3
easy steps, you can get your own customized website,
autoresponder (email follow-up software) and pre-written
email marketing campaign professionally designed and
installed and ready to pull in profits for you in 24 hours
or less! See details at and sign up today at:
http://www.PlugInProfitSite.com/main-19755
Journey to Home Business Success
Today's feature article is:
Fast-Track Your Journey to Home Business Success
Copyright: Stone Evans, The Home Biz Guy
http://www.JaimeParmis.com/pips.html
No one has ever logged onto the Internet for the first time and
started pocketing dollars in a really short period of time. As
with all things in life, there is a learning curve.
SOME PERSONAL HISTORY
Just a few short years ago, I was a working stiff just like you.
One day, I bought and read a book called "Multiple Streams of
Income" by bestselling author, Robert Allen. Immediately, I
began my journey.
Every night after work and after my wife and children went to
sleep, I would get online and explore different ways of using the
Internet to make money.
In the two years that followed, I spent over $10,000 racking up
credit card debt buying eBooks, membership sites, special
reports, opt-in leads, and joining every "guru" recommended
business opportunity that flew into my email inbox.
I stayed up learning, working, and drinking coffee until 5:00 in
the morning, month after month filled with the hope of making
money online.
In my third year of working part-time to build a home based
income, I finally broke through and earned over $100,000 in just
twelve months from the Internet.
BECOME THE MASTER OF YOUR LEARNING CURVE
Research the lives of all of the "gurus." The one thing that
you will learn is that my own experience is not unique. Most of
the high earners on the Internet experienced a learning curve
very similar to my own.
Chances are that your curve will also be similar to mine, but it
is my hope that you can get to the top faster than even I did.
Three years was a long time to struggle, but every ounce of
struggle was worth the reward I have finally received.
In order to shorten your own learning curve, you must do a few
things differently than the rest of us did. You must become the
master of your learning curve.
THE SHORTEST DISTANCE BETWEEN TWO POINTS IS A STRAIGHT LINE
There is only one way to shorten the curve on the Internet:
You must plan to succeed!
Here is the deal. Most people put up a freebie website and select
a few affiliate programs to add to their website. Right out of
the gate, most people are running for the finish line without any
real plan in mind.
After a few short weeks, people begin to see the writing on the
wall that says, "This is going to be a long hard road."
People check their hit counters daily for six weeks before they
realize that getting traffic to their free site is going to be
tough.
At this point, they begin developing their first batch of
advertising. Then they spend countless months finding places to
show their advertisements for free. Some make an even more
drastic mistake by blowing thousands of hard earned dollars on
their new and untested ads.
These are the people who will learn the facts of life the hard
way.
In time, they will learn how to make their advertising work for
them, but most will earn very little money from their affiliate
programs.
At this point in the learning curve, most people throw up their
hands and walk away from their dreams in utter disgust. Instead
of a walking away point, this should have convinced the
struggling online entrepreneur that they were simply traveling
the wrong road.
YOU MUST PLAN TO SUCCEED
From day one, you must begin to learn about the nuances of web
promotion. Read everything you can get your hands on. Don't just
read the hype, back it up with the opinions of others who have
reviewed the same programs before you came along. Learn from
their mistakes and successes.
As you begin to learn, you must also look to make a decision. Do
you want to step into a pre-built program that is designed to
help you to succeed, OR do you want to create a completely new
program of which you are the sole owner?
If you decide to step into a pre-designed and complete turn-key
online money-making venture, then you must select the right
venture to step into. If this is your decision, I encourage you
to check out the Plug In Profit Site at:
http://www.PlugInProfitSite.com/main-19755
If you decide to go the journey on your own, then do all of the
necessary research, planning and preparation that is needed for
your success.
PREPARE TO SUCCEED
Decide what you think you would want to do, and then figure out
how your planned site will generate a real income.
Internet old-timers know about hundreds of corporation domains
that existed with IPO millions, but did not have an actual money
plan that could sustain their business model. Most of these
companies were among the hundreds of companies that bellied up in
the 2000 dot bomb experience.
Don't blindly believe in your plan. Research others on the web
who have undertaken similar business models and see if they have
survived. Study your competitors in depth to learn what is
working for them and what did not work for them. To better
understand what has or has not worked for competitor websites,
check out their time lapsed progressions using the Wayback
Machine: http://web.archive.org/
Once you have determined your money plan, then you should
undertake the development of a business plan and a marketing
plan. Utilize professional assistance if you need to do so. While
creating your plans, make a determination as to which domain name
you think would be best, then register it along with a hosting
account. You can do this at Host4Profit in Step 2 on this page:
http://www.PlugInProfitSite.com/main-19755
Once you have developed your business plan and marketing plan and
have run them through several revisions, then it will be time to
buy your domain name and to begin work with a site designer and
developer. You may need to have your domain sitting on a web host
for your site developer, but this is not always necessary. While
they are doing their work, enlist a copywriter to help you with
your site sales copy.
When your site designer and developer have your site working, you
should then undertake significant testing to make sure everything
works as planned. It is much harder to fix problems on a
operational site than it is to fix problems on a site that has
yet to be launched.
When testing is done, then you should fill in your sales copy and
then shoot for launch. Of course, you already have a marketing
plan in place, so your preparation here will be simply a matter
of putting the pieces of the puzzle into place.
You are finally ready to open for business. Don't be afraid to
spend the money to bring your dream alive. Time can replace money
in the goal of starting a profitable online business, but money
invested can shave years off of your company's growth.
About the Author:
------------------------------------------------------------
Stone Evans helps ordinary people all over the world make
money online with affiliate programs. If you can follow 3
easy steps, you can get your own customized website,
autoresponder (email follow-up software) and pre-written
email marketing campaign professionally designed and
installed and ready to pull in profits for you in 24 hours
or less! See details at and sign up today at:
http://www.PlugInProfitSite.com/main-19755
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Advertising and Promotion Game
Today's feature article is:
How to Win the Advertising and Promotion Game
Copyright : Stone Evans, The Home Biz Guy
http://www.JaimeParmis.com/pips.html
I am certain that, as a business owner, you have often
entertained the question as to how much to spend and where to
spend your advertising dollars. For most small business owners,
these questions can add to the headaches suffered in the course
of normal everyday operations of their business.
THERE ARE NO SIMPLE ANSWERS
The how much to spend and where to spend it questions have no
easy answers.
Depending on your type of business, many people suggest that the
*how much* should be equal to anywhere from 4% to 10% of your
gross receipts.
The quandary is that a business cannot survive without a fresh
flow of incoming customers. But, a business can seldom generate
a fresh stream of customers without spending money to get the
word out about their business.
THE CHALLENGE OF DEVELOPING EFFECTIVE ADVERTISING
Have you ever paid for advertising and sat back to await the
fresh flow of customers, only to find yourself sitting and
sitting and then sitting some more?
Don't feel bad about that. It has happened to many of us before.
See, knowing where to spend the advertising money is not enough
to get the job done.
Where to spend the money only begins to highlight the other
issues connected with advertising:
1. Marketing Plan
2. Advertising Strategy
3. Headlines, Ad Copy and Visual Presentation
4. Tracking the Success of Your Advertising Campaigns
THE MARKETING PLAN
The Marketing Plan is used primarily to identify your own
products and services, costs, strengths, weaknesses and the
strengths and weaknesses of your competitors.
ADVERTISING STRATEGY
It is important to understand what you expect to gain from your
advertising.
Do you simply wish to get your name known so that when your
customer will need you, they will think of you first? Or, do you
wish to get your customers in your front door on Saturday?
Do you want your customers to come in and take a look around to
discover the next object that they cannot live without? Or, do
you want them to come in and buy a specific widget?
Do you hope that enough people will come in to buy enough
products or services to pay for your single ad? Or, do you
expect to gain a lifelong customer who will help pay for your
advertising over the course of several years?
When you know what you want, then you will better understand
just how to do it.
HEADLINES, AD COPY AND VISUAL PRESENTATION
You might be surprised how many business owners put out
advertising without regard for the quality of the sales pitch or
presentation. The quality of your distribution outlet or the
amount of money you spent to get there will do little for you if
the advertising vehicle is a junker.
Test all of your advertising materials in smaller markets before
blowing your advertising bank roll on it. You must absolutely
know the value of your advertising before putting large sums of
money behind it.
TRACKING THE SUCCESS OF YOUR ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS
Tell your customers to save another 10% when they tell you they
heard or saw your ad in such-and-such location. Suggest that
they can register to win a free widget if they fill out a form
and have them to tell you how they heard of your business.
Advertise a specific widget in your ad and track the sales of
that widget.
It does not matter how you track your advertising --- just make
sure you do it!
IN SUMMARY
The ideal way to spend your advertising budget is to buy a rifle
with a high-powered scope and to only shoot your targets in the
light of day.
If you are not tracking your advertising, then you are shooting
a pellet gun without an attached scope, with blinders on, and
shooting in the dead darkness of night.
Even with a bigger gun, the blinders in the dark constitute the
single largest mistake made by advertisers. If you are unable to
track your advertising to learn what is working well, what is
working somewhat, and what is a money pit, then you are
condemned to repeat your mistakes over and again.
By relying only on gut instinct, you may be choosing to spend
more money in the money pit and to lose all of your money in the
process.
When you get down to the nuts and bolts of making money from
your advertising, you should plan, prepare, track and study your
results. You must have factual information on which to base your
advertising decisions. When you are making the right advertising
decisions, then making money from your business might just come
easy.
About the Author:
------------------------------------------------------------
Stone Evans helps ordinary people all over the world make
money online with affiliate programs. If you can follow 3
easy steps, you can get your own customized website,
autoresponder (email follow-up software) and pre-written
email marketing campaign professionally designed and
installed and ready to pull in profits for you in 24 hours
or less! See details at and sign up today at:
http://www.JaimeParmis.com/pips.html
------------------------------------------------------------
Offline Promotion Strategies 101
Today's feature article is:
Offline Promotion Strategies 101
Copyright : Stone Evans, The Home Biz Guy
http://www.JaimeParmis.com/pips.html
No business can survive the long run without some form of
consistent advertising. As a result, most business owners will
eventually consider using advertising to promote their business.
The toughest part of the advertising equation is in determining
where and how to spend your advertising dollars. If you do it
wrong, you could plunk down your entire advertising budget and
receive absolutely no return on your investment. But, if you do
it right, your advertising could continue to bring a nice return
for years to come.
HOW DO I MAKE THE RIGHT ADVERTISING DECISIONS
In order to make good decisions concerning how to spend your
advertising budget, you must first have a good understanding of
the different types of advertising and promotion available and
what can be expected to be achieved by each.
1. You must understand which markets the different media`s can
reach.
2. You must understand the demographics of the media`s
consumers.
3. You must understand the buying habits of the consumers
reached through the media.
WHAT OFFLINE ADVERTISING & PROMOTION MEDIA`S SHOULD BE CONSIDERED
The media`s that people think of most often are television,
radio, newspaper and magazine advertising. Of course, these are
the big boys that big businesses use regularly.
Other methods of promotion include trade shows, press releases,
direct sales, telemarketing, word of mouth, branding and
billboard advertising.
CONSIDERING THE BIG MEDIA OUTLETS
The big boys of advertising media`s generally cost big bucks.
Given certain circumstances, the big media`s can be bought for
very little money.
Take for example, television, radio and newspapers cost big
bucks during their prime times, but can be bought for pennies on
the dollar during non-primetime hours.
Television primetime is between 7pm and 10pm. Radio primetime is
between 7am and 6pm. With newspapers, the primetime is
Wednesdays and Sundays.
If you intend to hit a media during prime time, get ready to
drop some bucks. Primetime means that you will be able to hit
more consumers during these times. So, in most cases, a
primetime buy will enable you to reach more people with your
advertising.
Non-primetime hours can still deliver a lot of eyes and ears to
your message, and sometimes, these off-hours can be bought for a
bargain basement price.
GETTING MILEAGE FROM EVENTS
Trade shows and press releases are more event-driven. The trade
show is the event, while the press release generally exploits an
event.
Trade shows are an exceptional tool when you deal directly with
potential sellers of your products or services. Other shows are
directed at the consumer, and those can be very valuable avenues
for sales as well.
The press release is aimed towards gaining attention for a
business by distributing newsworthy information about the
business.
Sometimes the appearance of a business at a trade show or other
show can provide the necessary angle for a press release. But
most often, a successful press release will actually require
more noteworthy information than the appearance of a business at
a show.
Yet, even the most mundane of information could be spiced up to
give the real air of importance necessary to get your press
release read and printed.
The great thing about a press release is that might permit you
to get relatively inexpensive promotion on television, radio,
newspapers and magazines; for far less than what it would cost
you to buy advertising in those same outlets.
UTILIZING A SALES TEAM
Depending on what type of business you run and the consumers you
are trying to reach, you might find direct sales and
telemarketing to be very lucrative ways to drive sales to your
business.
Both are very similar in nature. Direct sales can be very
expensive, as it requires a great investment of time to
accomodate. Telemarketing seeks to minimize the time
expenditure, but it often leads to a smaller degree of respect
and attention.
Depending on your product or service --- and always depending
upon the people you employ to the task --- each method will be
more suited to each business on an individual basis.
BRANDING YOUR BUSINESS
I grouped branding and billboard advertising together in my
original list for a reason. I did this because billboard
advertising serves most businesses best by helping to support
the process of branding.
Branding is the process of establishing your business as the
supplier of a certain product or service, or in emphasizing a
certain USP (Unique Selling Proposition) as it pertains to your
business.
If branding and USP seems to be a confusing concept, think about
Wal-Mart and their tag line: "Always Low Prices, Always."
Think about Ford Motors, "Quality is Job One."
Think about the Visa Card, "It`s Everywhere You Want To Be."
You see, these top corporations have managed to make their USP
part of their branding.
Even if you are only competing in a local marketplace, your USP
can and should fit snugly into your branding strategy.
NO MATTER THE MEDIA OR METHOD
Whichever method or media you should choose to employ in your
advertising and promotion, you should become knowledgable about
your market, and the consumers reached by each media. It is
important to understand which consumers can be reached by a
certain media, and in what quantities.
However you choose to spend your advertising dollars, you should
always track the results of your promotional efforts. Failing to
track successes and failures will ultimately lead to the failure
of a business.
When you know whom you are trying to reach and how you think you
might be able to reach them, you will begin to learn how to use
advertising and promotion to make your business successful. That
is a good thing --- after all, that is why you got into the
business in the first place, isn`t it?
About the Author:
------------------------------------------------------------
Stone Evans helps ordinary people all over the world make
money online with affiliate programs. If you can follow 3
easy steps, you can get your own customized website,
autoresponder (email follow-up software) and pre-written
email marketing campaign professionally designed and
installed and ready to pull in profits for you in 24 hours
or less! See details at and sign up today at:
http://www.PlugInProfitSite.com/main-19755
------------------------------------------------------------
Difference between Marketing & Promotion
Today's feature article is:
Understanding the Difference between Marketing & Promotion
Copyright © Stone Evans, The Home Biz Guy
http://www.JaimeParmis.com/pips.html
Are you an online marketer? Or do you simply promote affiliate
programs? Marketing is truly the most misunderstood word in use
today on the Internet. Let me see if I can clarify this issue
just a bit.
In Marketing 101 at your local university, marketing is actually
the process of Product, Place, Price and Promotion.
PRODUCT
No business can exist without a product or service to sell.
In a nutshell, entrepreneurs are the people who believe in a
product, service or idea, so much that they are willing to
invest their lives into the development of their dream.
Historically, every major corporation in the world was started
by an entrepreneur with a dream and the drive to make it a
reality.
However, there comes a time in the life of every corporation
when those who fear the gambling nature of their founder, squash
the entrepreneurial drive that made the company a viable concern
in the first place. The entrepreneur will either submit to the
careful nature of the stockholders, or he will be forced to
leave the company he created.
The only entrepreneurs who withstand the pressure to move more
carefully are those who have maintained majority control over
their companies.
PLACE
In the offline world, place is defined by location. On the
Internet, place is defined by domain name and the web hosting
service chosen.
Both online and offline, place can make or break a company
without respect to the quality and value of the product, service
or idea.
PRICE
Selecting a price is determined first on a basis of whether the
company wants to be seen as a discount or a value company.
Take for example Wal-Mart and Staples.
Wal-Mart is the lead discounter in the marketplace. Staples on
the other hand is the specialist in office supplies.
Both sell a significant number of office supplies despite the
fact that the lowest price can usually be found at Wal-Mart. As
a value dealer, Staples can afford to charge more for their
products than Wal-Mart.
So the question for you is whether you want to position your
company as a discount or value company.
Testing has shown that products and services can be sold at any
number of prices and still reach a significant number of people.
The challenge of selecting the best price for your product or
service will require a certain amount of testing.
UNDERSTANDING THE PRICING EQUATION
Let`s assume we are selling a product. Let us also assume that
we know that the product can be sold for $10 or $50. Let us also
assume that if the price dips below $10 or rises above $50, then
the product sales fall off significantly.
Our challenge is to determine the best rate at which to sell our
product.
Testing has shown us that we can sell 1000 items a week at $10.
Testing has also shown that we can sell 500 items per week at
$50. And testing has shown that we can sell 650 items per week
at $45.
At $10, our projected weekly earnings are $10,000. When we sell
the product at $50, we know that we can earn $25,000 per week.
Most importantly, we know that we can earn $29,250 when our
product is priced at $45.
With the imaginary testing we have done on our imaginary
product, we can easily see that selling our product at $45 per
item will earn us more money over the long haul.
Thus, when we make the decision for a national rollout of our
product, then we will price our product at $45.
Of course, this is a very simplistic analysis of the point I am
trying to make. Though simple, I believe this analogy will help
you understand the methods of developing a product`s prices.
PROMOTION
Promotion, on the other hand, is the process of notifying the
consumers for your product or service of your availability to
serve them.
Methods of promotion vary distinctly and should be arranged to
meet very specific goals.
As with product, place and price, promotion should not be left
to chance. You should test every ad, every media, and every
price point to determine the best bang for your promotional
dollars.
HEADS UP!
If you are an online promoter or marketer, please factor in the
most important element concerning the cost of your promotions.
What element is that? Your time!
Value your time at a certain dollar amount, and figure in your
time into the cost of your promotional accounting.
I say this because too many online promoters lose sight of this
concept and spend 20 hours to generate one sale while using free
advertising. Even if you rate your time at the federal minimum
wage, then you will have invested $105 of your time for one sale
that might only net you a gross sale of $45!
ARE YOU TRULY A MARKETER OR ARE YOU JUST A PROMOTER?
Most people who run a business on the Internet call themselves
marketers. Yet, most of these same people are really just
promoters wrapped in the label of a marketer.
True marketers do not promote without a lot of advance work.
They spend time planning, testing and measuring their actions
and results to get the most out of every dollar spent and earned.
Entrepreneurs finesse the art of marketing as they build their
company into a major enterprise.
If you are a promoter who does not keep an eye on the total
marketing equation, then you are bound to fail.
If you do call yourself a marketer, then do what a professional
marketer does. Make sure that every dollar spent is spent well.
Make sure that every dollar earned is put to good use. Market
well so that when the people of the next generation look at your
life, they will see a fine example of a successful entrepreneur
that they will strive to emulate.
About the Author:
------------------------------------------------------------
Stone Evans helps ordinary people all over the world make
money online with affiliate programs. If you can follow 3
easy steps, you can get your own customized website,
autoresponder (email follow-up software) and pre-written
email marketing campaign professionally designed and
installed and ready to pull in profits for you in 24 hours
or less! See details at and sign up today at:
http://www.JaimeParmis.com/pips.html
------------------------------------------------------------
Children in the Home Business Environment
Copyright: Stone Evans, The Home Biz Guy
http://www.JaimeParmis.com/pips.html
Operating a home business is seldom easy and interruptions come
in all shapes, sizes and forms.
Between the family, friends and neighbors who call or come by,
and the telemarketers who insist on ringing your number off the
hook, getting through the workday can be a real challenge.
When you introduce children into the home office environment,
your productivity and patience can be seriously tested.
For example, right now my three-year old daughter is pulling on
my shirt and begging me to read her a story. Clearly, Im in the
middle of something important here, but how can I say no to
those eyes? Ill be right back...
Ok, that wasnt so bad was it? Shes happy, Im happy (having
bonded with my daughter) and now Im back to continue my
conversation with you :-) Whats the lesson here? Flexibility
is a major key to balancing your home business priorities with
your familys needs.
I can tell you from first-hand experience that maintaining a
deep level of concentration on work in a home business for long
periods of time is next to impossible. Naptime does offer some
reprieve, but any break from the kids is usually short lived.
Even with older children, summertime introduces new challenges
with kids running in and out of the house all throughout the day.
I would like to share with you some of the tips I have
discovered to help manage your home office with children in your
midst. Since children of different ages pose different
challenges, I will present my tips in terms of age groups.
OLDER CHILDREN AND TEENS
We will look at older children first since they pose the least
challenge to our work productivity.
Children, who are old enough to understand the idea of schedules
and chores, are old enough to understand the needs of your home
business. Explain to your children that you do your work at home
so that you can be near them when they need you. But also be
sure they understand that you must do your work so that you will
have the money necessary to keep your house, feed the family and
to provide them with money for entertainment.
Once your children understand the necessity of your work, then
outline a work schedule and explain it to them. Do make sure
they understand that emergencies are definitely an acceptable
reason to interrupt your work. Then make sure they understand
that between hours x and y, you will be doing work --- and then
hold them to respecting your schedule.
INFANTS
Infants will never understand your needs for work. But
fortunately, babies do well under a schedule or routine. Instead
of expecting your child to work around your schedule, schedule
your work around the needs of your baby.
It is simple. Babies eat, sleep and poop. Sometimes they play.
Fortunately, babies sleep more than they do anything else.
Naptime offers the best advantage for getting your work done.
Get your baby into a routine of eat, sleep and play, and you
will experience unexpected levels of productivity.
TODDLERS
If you have a toddler running around the house while you are
operating your home business, then you may find that your hair
turning gray or disappearing altogether. But, gray hair is a
sign of character, right. ;-)
I am venturing to guess that the person who devised the door
lock for the inside of the house did so because he had toddlers
in his own home. Inside door locks should only be utilized when
you are making that important phone call and your toddler is
screaming for your attention. At all other times, your door
should remain unlocked with your door open.
Develop a routine with your children for meal times, naptimes,
and play times. Work these times into your work schedule and
adhere to them. If you fail to keep appointments with your
children, your children will have less respect for your work and
do more to prevent you from the completion of your work.
Don`t be afraid to let your children sit in your lap while you
are working. It helps them to feel wanted and it helps them to
be a part of your daily life. There are times when it is okay
for them to be sitting in your lap while you work, and at other
times you need them out of your lap. Don`t be afraid to tell
them to get down and go play or read a book so that you can
resume your work.
Permit your children to have their toys in your office. Often
they will sit contently and play while you work. Just knowing
you are near is enough to keep them happy.
Be prepared to take an hourly break to deal with your toddler.
Try to do potty breaks at your hourly break and to do drink
refills. This can help your child grow into a routine that will
work well with your home business. At each break, spend a few
minutes with your child giving hugs and kisses and talking with
your child about what he or she wants to talk about.
Toddlers don`t always do well with the routine, so be prepared
to take a few minutes when needed to give the attention that
your child so desperately needs in the moment.
IN CONCLUSION
I hope these tips serve to help you in the challenge of
operating a successful home business.
My home business permits me to fulfill my financial obligations
*AND* see my children grow up. I would never contemplate trading
my home business for another kind of business. Even with the
added challenges of dealing with toddlers in my home office, the
upsides far outweigh the downsides.
Growing my own home business with children around has definitely
given me a new respect for all people who successfully run a
home business with kids in the work environment. I tip my hat to
you... You deserve it!
About the Author:
------------------------------------------------------------
Stone Evans helps ordinary people all over the world make
money online with affiliate programs. If you can follow 3
easy steps, you can get your own customized website,
autoresponder (email follow-up software) and pre-written
email marketing campaign professionally designed and
installed and ready to pull in profits for you in 24 hours
or less! See details at and sign up today at:
http://www.JaimeParmis.com/pips.html
From RAGS to RICHES
"An Inspiring Story"
I want to share a very inspiring story I received from Eric Holmlund as I'm sure it'll push you forward too after reading it...here goes...---
I want to tell you about a young woman who has overcome some extreme obstacles on her brief but challenging journey to internet marketing success. Her name is Ladan Lashkari, and when I say she’s a young woman, that’s an understatement. At just 20 years old, she has a youthful look that defies the maturity she’s developed in such a short time. I suppose in the online world, youthful success is not entirely unusual. The fact that she’s a girl making money on the internet becomes much more significant when you realize where she comes from. She lives in Iran. Ladan was born and raised in Tehran, Iran, and lives there to this day.
There are political, economical, and religious obstacles that make it difficult for anyone to be a successful internet marketer in Iran, and in most cases even more difficult for a woman to do so. With respect for Ladan, I’m not going to get into the details of the specific political and religious barriers that many women face in Iran, but just be aware that this story runs even deeper than I’m able to write about. If internet marketing was a wrestling match, she’s starting the competition with one hand tied behind her back simply because of the place she was born into the world.Next obstacle: the language barrier. Although you wouldn’t know it from her articles and sales letters, Ladan was not born into an English-speaking family. She started learning the language at eight years of age, and devoured every English book she could get her hands on. Even at such a young age, she began to realize that her fluency in English would open up more doors of opportunity throughout her life. Throughout her teen years, this fervor grew as she tackled the language head-on.
A true entrepreneur, she decided that she wanted to become independent and produce her own income. When her family bought a computer, she quickly began experimenting with ways she could turn it into an income stream. She tried all kinds of business; teaching Windows, graphic designing with PhotoShop, website design, and even learned C++ programming. Even though she was able to make money through those avenues, she knew that there was a bigger opportunity out there. At sixteen years of age, she discovered the world of internet marketing through the late Cory Rudl’s website. She bought and studied his internet marketing course, along with other ebooks and resources. She knew right away that THIS was the business she wanted to be in. Her friends and family tried to convince her that becoming a successful internet marketer in Iran would be IMPOSSIBLE, and that she shouldn’t continue to waste her money. If you’ve ever faced the negative energy of friends and family, you’ll understand that it’s a powerful force that can quench your enthusiasm and ultimately abort the launch of a new business. Fortunately, her father believed in her, and the resistance of others made her more determined than ever to find success.
After about a year of learning and studying the business, she launched her first website, and the rest—as they say—is history. But that history has not been without its fair share of bumps and valleys.Jumping into business forced her to take her English proficiency to a new level. For a long time it was difficult to read and comprehend the many technically-oriented ebooks that she acquired. And if reading comprehension was a challenge, writing was an even bigger issue.It would take her six hours to write and proofread an article, but her determination paid off.
Today if you search for her name on a search engine, you’ll find a slew of her articles indexed all over the internet. And as if writing weren’t enough, she wanted to write her own sales copy. Anyone who’s ever successfully written a sales letter will concur that being a good writer doesn’t make someone a good copywriter.I’m amazed to say that Ladan is a good copywriter. Being a copywriter myself, I wouldn’t say that if it weren’t true. She applied the same vigor to learning the craft, as she applied to learning the language itself. She studied articles and courses from the top copywriters, and practiced until she had developed her own style. While there is obviously some innate talent at work here, I’d say that she is also a testament that copywriting CAN be learned. Starting her business was the beginning of a long uphill battle.Because of the US embargo on Iran, she faces obstacles that most of us wouldn’t imagine.
As I mentioned, her culture has already tied one hand behind her back. The language barrier effectively tied the other one. And the following problems essentially tied her feet…a situation that would cripple most marketers and paralyze them from moving forward in business. Most people wouldn’t jump into a new business with their hands and feet tied. It’s impossible, right? Just don’t use the word “impossible” around Ladan…To start with, she couldn’t get a credit card. That makes it pretty tough to buy anything online, wouldn’t you say? My business relies on my credit cards for many things. Not a day goes by without several business-related charges to my credit card. As I think about it, many of the products and services that I use come from sites that ONLY accept credit cards.She can’t open a PayPal account. Again, this limits her ability to make online purchases. It also rules her out of participating in a large number of affiliate programs that only pay commissions via PayPal.Of course probably the biggest disadvantage of not having a PayPal account is not being able to accept PayPal payments. She estimates that this one issue is costing her many thousands of dollars in lost sales. She can’t get a merchant account, so it becomes very difficult to sell anything online. She can’t have a bank account in US dollars. So that rules out another possibility of making or receiving payments.
To make matters worse, she can’t have any bank account that accepts wire transfers. This cripples her ability to receive payments from affiliate programs to her bank account, or from merchant services for her own products. So even if she can find a way to sell a product online, getting that money into her own hands is a huge obstacle.She can’t cash any USD checks. That rules out most of the other affiliate programs. She can’t travel. It’s almost impossible for her to get a visa to travel outside of Iran. This means that she has not been able to go abroad to attempt to open up accounts, and she can not attend any internet marketing seminars.Those are just some of the barriers created by the embargo. There are many more limitations imposed by the Iranian government.
On top of these physical barriers, she also faces another kind of discrimination that continues to this day. In a business built upon online image and perceived trust, she has been severely disadvantaged by the way much of the world views Iranians. As she puts it, “the reactions are not very pleasant.” She thinks it’s mainly due to the way the media has portrayed Iran and Islam. This has made it difficult to be open and build relationships online, as she has found that even her own subscribers, customers, and business associates look at her differently when they discover she is from Iran.She says, “some people even act like I am a terrorist”. She has received “hate” emails through her websites and also on forums.“I know who I am and where I stand,” says Ladan, “but what the media shows the world and what my country’s government does has nothing to do with me. So I just wish people in the west – especially the United States - would understand this difference.”
Let me ask you a few questions… Do you have a credit card? Do you have a PayPal account? Can you open a US bank account? Can you receive US checks? Do you have the freedom to travel?Could you go to an internet marketing seminar? Maybe you didn’t answer “Yes” to ALL of those questions, but for EACH question you answered “yes” to, you are starting one step ahead of Ladan. Let me ask you a couple more questions…Are you fluent in English? If you said “Yes”, take two more steps ahead. Do people view you as a terrorist?No?
Take three more steps ahead. If this girl can do it, so can YOU. It doesn’t matter how old or young you are…it doesn’t matter where you live in the world… it doesn’t matter what other internal and external factors are trying to hold you down. You CAN succeed. In spite of all her challenges, Ladan views internet marketing as an easy opportunity to take advantage of, and she encourages others to do as she has done…“I think there’s nothing hard about it. It’s the perfect kind of business for people who want to be independent and work for themselves in a business that there’s no limit to your success.” If you’re just getting started, she has more advice: “When you are just getting started, you should know it might take some time to make the amount of money you expect, and you should keep on and don’t give up - no matter how people around you try to disappoint you. I think this is the most important and difficult part… it’s where most people give up.”
In the three short years that she’s been in business, she’s worked hard and implemented many strategies that she’s learned by studying other successful marketers. Out of everything she’s tried, she deems list-building as the most important component of her business:“Nothing is more powerful than building a targeted responsive list and building a relationship with that list.” While her income may not yet be on par with the internet marketing superstars, she’s earning a living online that would impress even those of us living in a more generous economy (she recently earned $6300 USD in a month). The thing that must be kept in mind is that she is making more money than about 95% of the people in her country, and bringing home more income than her countrymen who have 30+ years of experience in their careers.
I’d love to see what she’d be capable of achieving outside the restraints of her county, and so would she, which is one reason she is considering a move to a locale more conducive of her business—such as Canada or Australia. She says the biggest key to success is: “Believing in yourself, and promising yourself that you WILL reach your goals and won’t let anything or anyone stop you.” When I asked her what makes her different from those who fail, she said that her success is derived from her persistence in facing and overcoming challenges and obstacles.She points out one of her favorite quotes from Ross Perot:“Most people give up just when they’re about to achieve success. They quit on the one yard line. They give up at the last minute of the game, one foot from a winning touchdown.” When she’s not working on her business, she enjoys reading self-improvement books (who would have guessed?), dancing, watching movies, spending time in nature, and going out with friends.In other words, she’s just a normal girl with big plans and an indomitable positive attitude.
Today she has more than 20 websites, and she hopes to expand her business by 400% while continuing to help others find their own success. You can learn more about Ladan and her business here... As Ladan says: “If a young girl who got started when she was only 16 years old, with no previous business experience, with English being her second language, with less than $30 to her name, in a country where you can’t have a credit card or PayPal account and is under a strict embargo from United States, and so much more limitations…
If such a girl can succeed, how is it possible that YOU can’t succeed - while you may not even have one of these limitations?” Ladan will never give up.I hope you don’t either.
SFI - Financial Freedom!!!
Advertising Your Home Business on a Budget
Today's feature article is:
Advertising Your Home Business on a Budget
Copyright : Stone Evans, The Home Biz Guy
http://www.JaimeParmis.com/pips.html
When you are starting out in a new home business and no one
knows who you are, one of the greatest challenges you will face
is how to drum up new business.
If there were not people in your community or marketplace that
you knew who needed your products or services, you probably
would not have started your business to begin with. But, once
you have talked to those who you personally knew who needed your
what you offer, then your next task is to find others who will
help keep your doors open.
Many people know that they must turn to advertising at some
point in the future, but they hope that day will be long down
the road. For some, this utopian concept will come to fruition.
But for the rest of us in the real world, we must come up with
creative solutions for meeting our home business advertising
needs while working within our budget.
Most people have a misconception about having to spend lots of
money in order to advertise their home business. When you start
out, you honestly will not have much money available for
advertising, and if you do, you should still spend it wisely.
Before you jump headfirst into the world of advertising, let me
share some of the lessons I have learned concerning this most
important topic.
LESSON #1
It does not have to cost an arm and a leg to advertise your home
business, unless you fail to plan and fail to test.
As much as is possible, you should always test your advertising.
If you jump in and start dumping tons of money in to advertising
without first testing your advertising, you might find yourself
broke and without sales at the end of the road. Most people who
commit this error write off their failure on the home business
they chose or the economy or any of a hundred other excuses.
But, if they are unwilling to take responsibility for their
mistake, they will never learn from their mistake. Don`t let
this be you.
LESSON #2
All testing should be done in blocks. If you begin to advertise
simultaneously in newspapers, radio and television, how will you
know which advertising is bringing people to your cash register?
You won`t. All you will know that something might be working,
but you will not know what is actually doing the trick.
Even if you tell people in your advertising to tell you how they
found you, my experience shows that fewer than 10% of the people
ever will tell you anything --- and those people who do may not
even get the facts straight! You cannot rely on your customers
to tell you what advertising is working for your home business.
You must put in the extra effort to know for yourself.
LESSON #3
Only when you have a proven and solid advertising portfolio
should you venture to drop big bucks in an advertising campaign.
Even then, you should be careful to keep further measurements to
determine how much the maximum advantage of an ad would be.
Sometimes you might be able to reach ten times as many people,
but depending on the kind of media and other factors, the
additional exposure will only generate twice as many sales. Keep
your eye attuned to situations like this to get the most from
your advertising dollars.
LESSON #4
As Lesson #3 illustrates, sometimes your best advertising
investment may actually cost you less money. When you are first
starting out, whether you are running a home business or a
business outside of your home, you need to be able to get people
talking and thinking about your business.
If you are busy testing ads in media`s such as the newspaper,
magazines, radio, and television, you need to learn ways of
promoting your business that do not require large cash
expenditures. A few examples are:
1. Word of Mouth
2. Business Cards
3. Press Releases
4. Non-Primetime Ads on Radio and Television
Here is more information about each type of low-cost advertising:
WORD OF MOUTH
This of course is the cheapest kind of advertising on the planet
--- it does not cost you anything. Ask your customers if they
know anyone who could also use your products or services. When
they are happy with your offerings and service, they will be
willing to tell you whom you can contact, and they will pass the
word for you.
BUSINESS CARDS
You can usually pick up 500 business cards for about $20. When
you do, hand them out. Do not give more than a couple of cards
to each person. If they need more cards from you, they will ask.
Some people are known to network with others on a regular basis.
Some of these people are also known to be always looking for an
extra few bucks. With these people, you can suggest to them that
if they write their name on the back of one of your business
cards and the card is presented to you, then you will pay a
referral fee to them. You do not have to offer much ---
sometimes one dollar is enough. Look at your home business and
your offerings and decide how much would be a good referral fee.
PRESS RELEASES
Press Releases are a good source for generating news about your
home business. The business editor at your local newspaper is
always on the lookout for a good business story to fill the
business news section of the newspaper.
Of course, the business editor understands the economics of
running a paper and is more inclined to run your story if you
buy advertising in his/her publication, but will still print
stories for special events and openings.
The important thing to remember about Press Releases is that it
must be constructed in the form of a news story. Even if you are
a sole proprietorship, quotes from you should be written in a
third person format: John Doe said, "Your quote here."
A Press Release should pack the most important information at
the beginning of the copy, and leave extra details towards the
end.
You should always provide the reporter who gets the task a
simple and easy way for him/her to contact you directly. Often
the reporter will want to contact you to get details that will
enhance their take on your story.
NON-PRIMETIME ADS ON RADIO AND TELEVISION
Believe it or not, some of the best rates for radio and
television are on the overnight and non-primetime venues. These
target times are not a total waste as they can easily keep the
infomercial people in business.
These off-hours are just less populated than the primetime hours.
Don`t be afraid to check your local radio and television rates
for non-primetime hours to see what bargains may exist. With
television, primetime is 7pm to 10pm. With radio, primetime is
8am to 5pm. This sure leaves a whole lot of hours available to
advertise your home business at discount rates!
IN CONCLUSION
When it comes down to it, there is a lot to understand about
advertising, but when you have the basic knowledge down pat,
everything will fall into place and bring more dollars to your
bank account.
About the Author:
------------------------------------------------------------
Stone Evans helps ordinary people all over the world make
money online with affiliate programs. If you can follow 3
easy steps, you can get your own customized website,
autoresponder (email follow-up software) and pre-written
email marketing campaign professionally designed and
installed and ready to pull in profits for you in 24 hours
or less! See details at and sign up today at:
http://www.JaimeParmis.com/pips.html
------------------------------------------------------------
Affiliate Marketing Success
Today's feature article is:
Make the Leap to Affiliate Marketing Success
Copyright: Stone Evans, The Home Biz Guy
http://www.jaimeparmis.com
If you are going to become a successful affiliate on the
Internet, you need 3 "intangibles." These are things that must
come from WITHIN you.
===> Intangible 1 <=== First, you must have a strong WHY.
Why must you make affiliate marketing work? What is driving you?
What is it that you CAN'T have in your life anymore and/or what
is it that you absolutely MUST HAVE now?
For me, I couldn't stand working 12+ hours a day anymore and
missing the experience of my children growing up. I also
absolutely HAD TO HAVE the freedom of being able to control my
life and finances through a little box that I could carry with me
anywhere in the world and not be tied to anyone's time pressures
or demands but my own. That was my carrot and my stick. I felt a
great pain deep in my gut of missing out on my children's lives
and the incredible freedom that succeeding in this business would
provide for me. I found my why. You MUST find yours.
===> Intangible 2 <=== You must BELIEVE that it is possible.
If you don't believe that it's POSSIBLE for you to make money
with affiliate programs or make your living on the Internet, you
won't. It's that simple.
For me, figuring out that it was possible was just a matter of
realizing that many other people were ALREADY making great money
online. If they could do it, I could too. It would just be a
matter of figuring out what those people were doing and then
adapting it to my situation.
There is no shortage of undeniable PROOF that people (millions of
them) are making money online with affiliate programs. Just get
online and do some research and you'll find countless
testimonials and stories of REAL PEOPLE making real money on the
Internet. Or head to your local bookstore and you'll find the
same documented evidence of this fact. Truth is, it's getting
easier and easier to make money online with affiliate programs.
I've always said that "affiliate marketing" is the job of the
future. In the "old" days, you had to go to a potential
employer, apply for the position and hope for the best. Now you
can simply go to any company you want, fill out their affiliate
application and start work immediately. Affiliates are the new
working class. Believe me, making money with affiliate programs
or making your living on the Internet is WAY MORE than possible.
It is pretty much (or will be soon enough) unavoidable now.
Affiliate marketing is the "job" of the future that's already
here TODAY.
===> Intangible 3 <=== You must be willing to MAKE THE LEAP.
Ready, FIRE, then aim... This is the operating philosophy you
MUST adopt to succeed with affiliate marketing.
That's backwards for most people who like to aim before they
fire. The fact is the Internet is a moving target... The only
thing constant about it is change. You need to stop analyzing the
game and simply jump into it. You can't learn from the
outside... You have to be IN THE RING to truly understand it.
The lesson here is that you will never really be READY to start
an affiliate marketing business. You simply have to start one.
This is what I call "Making the Leap."
The good news is that the cost of failure on the Internet is very
small. In the "brick and mortar" world you need to evaluate
things very carefully before you decide to open up a business.
It's almost always necessary to invest thousands of dollars to
get an offline business off the ground. However, on the Internet
you can often start a successful business for less than $100. The
Plug-In Profit Site is a great example of this:
http://www.jaimeparmis.com
You simply need get IN THE GAME... Each moment that you stay
"out there," you're wasting valuable time that you could be
learning and skills necessary to become a successful affiliate
marketer. In fact, if you're not in the game yet, you're
ALREADY behind the times. Make the leap to becoming a successful
affiliate marketer today!
About the Author:
------------------------------------------------------------
Stone Evans helps ordinary people all over the world make
money online with affiliate programs. If you can follow 3
easy steps, you can get your own customized website,
autoresponder (email follow-up software) and pre-written
email marketing campaign professionally designed and
installed and ready to pull in profits for you in 24 hours
or less! See details at and sign up today at:
http://www.jaimeparmis.com
At your service,
Jaime Parmis
www.jaimeparmis.com
How to Stay Focused on Your Home Business Goals
Today's feature article is:
How to Stay Focused on Your Home Business Goals
Copyright: Stone Evans, The Home Biz Guy
http://www.jaimeparmis.com
When you are the owner of a home business, you will find
hundreds of distractions that vie for your time, energy and
focus.
Common distractions include: children, family, friends,
neighbors, pets, phone calls, mail, household chores, video
games, television, neighborhood children, visitors, and so many
more.
As an owner of a home based business, you must always remember
your purpose in bringing your profession home. What was your
reason for wanting to own a home business? Was your goal to work
from home so that you can share in the lives of your children?
Was your goal to be out from under the rule of a tyrannical
boss? Was your goal to have the freedom to work when it is
convenient for you? Was your goal to make tons of money working
for yourself?
Here`s a few good tips that will help you stay focused on your
home business:
TIP #1:
Whatever your reason for going out on your own, you must keep
your reason in the forefront of your mind. If you forget your
reason for starting your own home business, you will not be
working for yourself for long. It is far too easy to let
circumstance drive your activities --- and when circumstance is
in the driver`s seat, you are more likely to crash and burn.
TIP #2:
Remember --- your own business is a lot like a real job. Some
people go to work to play, some go to socialize, and others ---
most often those who are paid in a commission or tip environment
--- go to work to work and to make money. When you work for
yourself, your salary is directly proportional to your
productivity. Therefore, wouldn`t it make sense to stay focused
on getting as much done in as short of a period as possible?
Go to work to work and to make money. Leave playtime and
recreation for when your workday has ended.
TIP #3:
When you are dealing with family in the course of your workday,
it is important to schedule your activities as much as possible.
With small children, you must take time when you must, but you
should also work hard to make sure you dedicate a specific
number of hours to your workday.
With older children, it is much easier to tell them that you
will be working between the hours of x and y. Your children and
your friends must understand that certain hours of your day are
devoted to the activities of your business.
TIP #4:
Don`t permit your friends and extended family to run over you.
Many people get the blind idea that if one works from home then
they are not actually working.
Well-meaning people may try to fill your doorway to bring advice
about getting a real job. Others may simply believe that if you
are at home, then you are fair game for chitchat and
socialization.
You must stand firm. You must make certain your friends and
family understands that when you are working, then you ARE
working! If they wish to socialize with you, then they need to
do it during the hours that are not dedicated to your home
business.
You are the only one who can stand up for you. Your friends and
family will seldom be able to appreciate your dedication to your
home business, unless you make the effort to make sure that they
have the same respect for your business that you do.
TIP #5:
You should allot a certain portion of your day to email and to
regular mail. For example, allot one hour in the morning and one
hour in the afternoon to handling your written communications.
Unless you dedicate certain times to the handling of these
communications, you will soon find yourself on the downward
slope of decreased productivity.
TIP #6:
When you find yourself spending too much time doing
non-productive activities, then you should seriously consider
finding a third-party service provider who will assist you in
those non-profitable business activities.
As an example, you might be in the mail-order business. You
might believe that your time is best spent writing ad copy and
setting up your advertising, but you find yourself spending far
too much time taking care of your books to take care of your
advertising in the manner that you should. In this event, it
might make more sense to hire a bookkeeper to handle your
financial records for you.
CONCLUSION:
In the end, the success of your home business is entirely and
completely reliant upon you and the decisions that you make.
You had your reasons for deciding to start your own home based
business. You must always keep your reasons in the forefront of
your mind. You must always be able to rely upon your own self
and your dedication to the success of your business.
Your friends and family might be annoyed that they cannot come
visit upon their own whim, but when success comes to you and
your business, they will better appreciate you for putting your
foot down when necessary.
Success is within your reach, if only you can stay focused on
your goals. You must decide to reach for your goals, and then,
you must have the discipline necessary to reach them.
About the Author:
------------------------------------------------------------
Stone Evans helps ordinary people all over the world make
money online with affiliate programs. If you can follow 3
easy steps, you can get your own customized website,
autoresponder (email follow-up software) and pre-written
email marketing campaign professionally designed and
installed and ready to pull in profits for you in 24 hours
or less! See details at and sign up today at:
http://www.jaimeparmis.com
At your service,
Jaime Parmis
www.jaimeparmis.com
Asset or Liability...What will you choose?
Asset or Liability
THE BASICS OF CASH FLOW
There are those who e-mailed me asking about the basics of cash flow. I'm really sorry that I assumed everybody already understands it. Anyway, by demand … here it goes…
May isang bata… joke lang.
The basic is. What pattern do you see if you will get a P100.00 bill and monitor where and how it is transferred from 1 possessor to the other? How does it flow? The pattern for a typical Pinoy is.
You earn from your work, you spend it on food, gadgets, clothing and other basic needs. Before you reach the next payday, paubos na yung pera mo. But that's ok payday is just a few days ahead and it doesn't matter if I run out of money, I am expecting money again any time soon.
This cycle goes on and on and you make some sidelines or create other ways to earn but it seems that money was never enough. (I am tempted to explain further pero usapan… basics lang).
So you can't leave the job that you have because a week without work would affect the cash flow you have to support your family and needs. As much as you wanted to accept another job, the gap would make you pay less for a couple of days, which makes you a slave to your boss.
At least, you have a job to support your needs.
So to illustrate…Cash is flowing inside your pocket.
Years have gone by doing your monotonous routine.
Question… what if you get fired? Or you were forced to retire because there are new and younger people ready to take your place. What would you do?
As an OFW, Makati Executive, Top Salesman, Engineer, Attorney, Teacher, etc… What if it all ends? The sweet cash that enters your pocket every 15 th and 30th suddenly comes to a halt.
There are two things you can buy with your money… An asset and a liability. To describe each... An asset brings money inside your pocket;a liability takes money out of your pocket. Another way to see, it is that an asset if you buy one, will bring the money you spent for it back to you 2 or 3 folds. A liability, when you buy it will not give your money back at all.
Sa ilocano… idjay ti kwa… djak maawatan… (joke lang po, seryoso na kayo eh…)
Sa madaling salita… kapag asset, maibabalik ang pera , pag liability, goodbye sa pera…
Ang problema kay JUAN DE LA CRUZ, habang may trabaho ipon ng ipon at bili ng bili ng liability!
I have seen OFWs get back to the country with gold chains at kung pwede lang limang shades ang isuot ng sabay-sabay gagawin nya eh… dvd, component, jackets, clothes, inuman, pulutan, party, pabango… hindi na makalakad sa dami ng bitbit…
At s'yempre mga empleyado natin dito sa bansa na lingo-lingo bago cell phone at mags ng kotse.. hindi na nga magkasya ang damit sa aparador, tapos pag umaga sasabihin…. wala na akong maisuot.
Guys, esep-esep… what you bought… will it bring money back to you? I know what you have in mind… you have to enjoy what you worked hard for. That's right, but think of something that will last… think of your future.
I have seen the worst of people who were abogado de kampanilya, executive secretaries of top rank business men, people who worked for big companies, earned a fortune and got a big retirement pay by the millions… Now…. Wala na.
Why? Because of their cash flow… went in… went out.
I need not to mention basketball players, actors, singers, etc… Check what is their career path… next after acting, singing and playing… POLITICS. Kasi, 'yung million na kinita nila, puro liability ang binili.
Going back… all the liability they bought, ibinenta ng mura! I'm wearing a gold chain now, which I got from a seaman… he bought it for P35,000 and sold it for 8,000 to me. Hindi po asset ang alahas! Bakit? Totoo na tumataas ang value n'ya pero kapag gutom ka na, kahit palugi ibebenta mo! (wala bang aaray?) Cell phones… dvd players etc. pati bahay at kotse… that's the cash flow of most OFWs…
The question is …"WHAT IF THE INCOME STOPS?"
Sa Pinoy, ganito: anak… mag-aral kang maigi, at pag tanda namin… ikaw na bahala sa amin ha…. Hindi po ba maling-mali…
You have to establish something today that will take care of your future.
Teka, teka… eh ano ang dapat gawin para hindi mangyari yan?
You must create a source of income that will continually make money flow inside your pocket. Start a business! While you are working as an executive or an OFW, or a professional… START A BUSINESS and MASTER that business till you get out of that company. Para kapag tumigil ang income mo sa kanila… may susuporta pa din sa iyo hanggang pag-tanda mo!
Now don't tell me to invest my money on pensions and plans… NO WAY ! Narinig n'yo na siguro yung …. Naku ayaw ko na magbanggit…. 'yung mga nagbayad at hindi nakapag-claim… sila pa ang dinimanda at nag-piyansa!!! HUWAG MO I-ASA ANG PAGTANDA MO SA IBA! GUMAWA KA NG SARILI MONG BALON NG PERA! KAHIT MALIIT PA 'YAN, SARILI MO AT HINDI KA AASA SA IBANG TAO…
Imagine yourself when you reach an older age… (aruy ko,,, baka yung iba sa inyo about that age… tabi tabi po…Ako po sa mga nagtatanong… I'm 37 years old. Naabutan ko pa si Michael Jackson at hinele po ako ng nanay ko sa mga kanta ng hagibis…). You have money that the company gave you as your retirement pay… what will you do?
You can consume the money till your old… eh kung hindi umabot? Masamang damo ka pala… at hindi ka kaagad kinuha ni Lord. Eh pang age 65 lang yung naipon mo na budget.
Or maybe, you can start a business and use the money for capital… Kapatid… 9 out of 10 businesses, FAILED… yung isang magsa-succeed, gagayahin pa ng kapitbahay mo instead na mag-franchise sa 'yo… think! At age 50, you are struggling trying to make a business work! What if it fails?!
Eh ano nga ba ang sagot?
The answer is, stop buying liabilities and instead buy assets now. I don't care if it is a banana-Q store, balot, ice candy or a sari-sari store, etc… start now! Because, your experience here will teach you what to do in the future. It's so hard to struggle in business when you are 60 yrs old.
You have to create a source of income separated from the source of income from your work. That when the time comes that you have to stop working, you will have your own source of money! Create assets, start a business that will be there to support you and your family. I AM NOT TELLING YOU TO QUIT YOUR JOB! I'm telling you to start a business while you're working and stop spending your money on liabilities and start putting them on assets!
Ang pera kapag pinambili mo ng LIABILITY… hindi na babalik… ang ASSET… BABALIK.
Teka… masama ba bumili ng mga magagandang gamit? Hindi! Siguraduhin mo lang na ang pambili mo nun ay galing sa asset mo. The business has to be prioritized! Mawalan ka man ng trabaho, may negosyo kang palalaguin.
If before, nabubuhay ka naman ng iisa sapatos mo, huwag mo baguhin 'yun… dati, nagdyi-jeep ka lang… 'wag ka na munang mag-FX…
Create assets and lessen liabilities. Invest and learn now… mag-negosyo!
Eh anong negosyo? Any, as long as you think it is work and doable! I am still looking for partners for my HOME MASSAGE SERVICE! SPA MAGIC! And my business CAR MAGIC is still franchising… (joke lang … baka sabihin nyo nag pro-promote lang ako eh…But I AM PROUD TO SAY THAT ALL MY BUSINESSES ARE ORIGINAL AND ALL ARE GRAND ASSETS!
I started all my businesses with a very small capital. If I used that money to buy a gadget, new shoes or any liability… baka wala lahat ng negosyo ko at wala na akong makain ngayon.
Again, I hope that this BASIC CASH FLOW article helps…. I wish all of us become financially free!
FROM UNKNOWN AUTHOR