Part of marketing your website is finding resources that can make that job a bit easier.  This includes networking with others who are interested in similar markets.  Finding forums that deal with your particular area of niche marketing is a plus for any online business.

Finding forums can be as easy as a keyword search.  You can type “forums” in the search box and see what comes up.  It will return over a million results so you’ll have to narrow it down from there.  What is your niche?

Add that name to “forum” and try again.  You will still get a large number of results but not as much as just plugging in the word “forum”.  You can go through each of these, or you can further whittle down the niche to a finer type of product.

There may be hundreds of thousands of forums for your niche.  Try a few to see if they deal with issues that you are looking to explore.  Some of those niche forums may be for customer comments.  On websites, these types of forums draw more customers to the site.  They get a chance to compare notes and talk about what they have purchased.

These forums can be helpful as far as hearing what customers have to say about the products and what they would like to see.  But, as a business owner, you are looking for forums that deal with the business aspect of selling these products.  You want to connect with other business owners so you can pick each others’ brains for useful information.

What is the advantage of these business forums?  A business forum for your niche will give you the support you are seeking to help with your business.  People with similar interests can work together to build partnerships so both businesses increase their profits.

Some forums will let you advertise your business when you post.  This is a way that others can find leads on new businesses.  When you find a good forum, don’t just visit to post information about your business and then leave.  Be a member in good standing.

Being a member of a forum is just like being a member of a social club.  The more often you show up and participate, the more people will know your name.  If someone is looking to partner with a business like yours, another member can recommend you because they know you.  It will be considered selfish to only focus on your own interests and not contribute to the forum as a whole.

As a business owner, join at least a couple of forums.  Don’t join more than you can possibly participate in, and stay current.  However, you want to get a good mix of different types of forums.  Find something special about each forum that you haven’t found anywhere else so that each offers something new.

HomeBizMart

EbookMoneyMachine

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Graphics can make or break the success of an e-book.  It’s estimated that people take
about 20 seconds to evaluate whether or not they’re interested in purchasing a book.  In
the bookstore or online that gives them about enough time to scan the title and graphics,
which makes both critically important in the buying decision.

The trouble is, headlines and titles are often easier to come by than graphics which are
both attention getting and relevant to the subject matter and as more and more e-books hit
the market – there’s an added challenge to be unique.  Here are a few tips and strategies
to find the right e-book cover graphic.

#1  The most common step e-book creators take is to hit the stock photo websites.  This is
a great option because the cost for stock photos are relatively low and the search tools
make it easy to find a number of options.  And many sites offer downloads in a number
of sizes making clarity and image quality a non-issue.

However, the problem of uniqueness exists when you use an online stock photo site.  The
solution is to use sites which show how many times the photo has been downloaded. This
limits the chance that it’s been pasted all around the internet.  Search online for free
graphics

#2  Hire a graphic designer.  This is a more expensive option however the right graphic
designer turns a plain old PDF into a work of art.  Take sure when hiring a graphic
designer to find out if they create all of their artwork or if they too use stock photos.  Ask
for samples and make sure all your graphics are original and you have 100% of the rights
to them.

#3  Use graphic software.  There are a number of quality design software programs
created specifically for e-book graphics.  Additionally, screen shot software can create
good cover art for technology books.

Of course for the do it yourselfer, you can take photos or create cover art using many of
the drawing and graphic design programs.  Before you get started with any of these
options take a look at successful e-books.  What do you like about their cover art?  Plan
what you want your cover to look like and then seek solutions.

For a 140+ page guide to starting, publishing and marketing your ebook, go here:

EbookMoneyMachineStore

Until Next Time!

TheHomeBizMart.com

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Product Name:  Organize Your Home Office
Rating:  7
Where to Buy:  http://www.amazon.com

Description:  This book is part of the organize series.  It is a short book filled with valuable advice about setting up your home office in any little nook or cranny in the house.

Review:  I am the most disorganized person on earth.  Finding this little book ended up being a life saver for me.  No more looking under this thing or rummaging through every draw in the office.  No more chasing myself to find something that is right in front of my face either.  I’m so organized now that it’s even a bit scary.

This book is filled with way to organize your home office no matter how big or small the space may be.  It covers every aspect of a home office.  From where to put things, what supplies to buy and even how to handle your workflow, this book covers it all.

I was very impressed with the way this book was laid out.  It’s not filled with possibly this or possibly that would work.  It gets right to point of the matter, tells you how to make it work and then gets you going to make it work.  The chapters are short and easy to read and comprehend.  The ideas actually work too.

If you’re new to the home office, I really do suggest you get this book. It will start you out on the right foot and make it so much easier from the get-go. If you already have a home office but you are as disorganized as I was (notice I said WAS) then check out this book.  It helped me get it together and that’s a miracle all in it’s own.

TheHomeBizMart.com

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Domain names need to be chosen carefully.  Your business and your domain name are intertwined.  It represents you and who you want to be in the market.  When choosing a domain name is it a wise idea to purchase others that are similar to the one that you chose for yourself.

Let’s weigh the pros and cons of this question.  Whether you should buy other domain names that are close depends on how well your name was chosen.  Just like you conduct research before choosing a niche for your business, do the same before choosing a domain name.

Domain names can be triggered by keyword searches.  If part of your domain name contains a keyword that is popular in search engine searches it could be a future winner.  Ideally, you want your domain name to appear on the first page of a search.

A winning domain name will have others trying to get as close to it as possible without infringing.  Buying those domain names yourself means that they will have to come to you for those names.  You may want to use those names in the future for other websites that you will create.  Having names that are similar will ensure that others can find your sites with their keyword searches.

If your domain becomes a household name, the other domains will become even more valuable to you in the future.  You will have the option of selling them for a fair amount of money or holding on to them.  Selling them will mean that someone else will get to ride your popularity with a name similar to yours.

One reason to buy similar domain names is for misspellings.  Do you know what homophones are?  They are words that sound alike but are spelled differently.  If you are doing a podcast or talking about your business website to someone and tell them your domain name, it is possible that they could misspell it when they type it into the URL address space.

If someone misspells it, that person could be directed to another website.  Thinking it is your site they could recommend it to someone else or buy from that site.  It could end up being a costly faux pas on your part.

When you enter your own address, purposely misspell it and see what comes up.  If there are no matches, then you might be safe — for now.  You may want to think of all the spellings that could come up and buy those domains as well to avoid this problem in the future.

There is a lot to know about domain names besides just coming up with the names.  Before you choose your name, look into all the possibilities so that you are sure that a good name that can’t be duplicated is chosen.

TheHomeBizMart

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A business can always benefit from new marketing techniques.  Are you considering penning a few words to increase traffic to your website?  Maybe you have thought about using an eBook or a special report to enhance your marketing strategy.  Someone out there wants to know, what’s the difference between an eBook and a special report?

Let’s look at eBooks first.  An eBook is a book that is available on the Internet.  It is sent to the recipient electronically.  They can download it to their computer and keep it on their hard drive or they can store it on a CD or disk to be looked at whenever they want to.

EBooks are convenient to create.  If you have Adobe Acrobat, you can use their compiler to put your book together.  There are other tools available to design the cover and assist with various aspects of the book.  The total cost to you is minimal if you write the book yourself and do a lot of the design work.

Creating eBooks is similar to self-publishing a hard copy book.  You are in charge of the promotion and you set the price.  The price of an eBook is directly in line with the going rate for a book of that type on a bookstore.  People may pay more for the convenience of an eBook but probably not double the price.

Special reports are different from eBooks in many ways.  First of all, they usually don’t follow the design of a book.  A book has a table of contents, a title page, and then the book starts.  For a special report, there is a title page but not necessarily a table of contents.

A report of this type usually deals with information concerning a certain topic of expertise.  For example, you may have a special report on the reasons to hire a virtual assistant or how to create crocheted items.  The information deals with that subject and is like a how-to.  Anyone reading that special report will know how to do something or how to deal with a specific situation when they are through.

Special reports are shorter than books.  They can run anywhere from five to thirty pages thereabouts.  If your business is sewing, you can create a special report on various aspects of sewing or making certain products.  With an eBook, these would all be rolled into one book that covered many topics.

A special report can be sold for a greater profit than an eBook.  Because it is quality information on a topic of expertise, people will pay for the secrets it holds.  It is short so there won’t be a lot of reading to do.  A five or ten page special report sold for $9.99 will increase profits quickly with less effort than an eBook.

Both eBooks and special reports have merits for business.  Depending on your business, you may benefit from either or both.

TheHomeBizMart

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There are many ways to enhance your business.  If you are looking to pursue one of those ways, consider using eBooks.  EBooks are the easiest way for people to acquire books without needing a bookshelf to house them all.  Here are some of the benefits of eBooks:

1.  EBooks are inexpensive to produce.  You can hire someone to take your manuscript and turn it into a professional-looking product or you can do it yourself using eBook compiler and design software.  Make your eBook look as attractive as any volume sold in a store.  For a super easy 140+ page guide to creating your own ebook for only $17….click here!

2.  There is no cost involved in getting eBooks out to the customer.  Since the customer can download them right from the Internet, you don’t have to worry about the cost of shipping and insuring your product.  Also customers will be glad that they can get your book virtually in an instant as soon as they’ve paid for it.

3.  EBooks can be used in a number of ways.  You can use them as a way for people to learn more about the aspects of your business.  Written information on certain subjects are always in demand.  Make sure that it is good quality information presented in a way that has not been done before.

4.  Give them away as contest prizes.  With each order, a customer is entered in a draw for an eBook of their choice.  You are making money because the customer has to buy something from you in order to get a chance to have the eBook for free.

5.  EBooks can be written by you.  Having a book with your name on it makes you more credible with your consumer base.  If you have a knack for writing, money will be saved by not hiring a ghostwriter to do it for you.  All of the profit is going directly to you and your company.  Once you get started you will get hooked on the idea and want to write an entire library of eBooks.

6.  The money that you spent to have the eBook created will be recouped as soon as you sell the first few eBooks.  People are willing to pay for convenience.  Having a book at their fingertips as soon as they want it is as convenient as it gets.  As long as you are willing to put in the work, the earning potential is limitless.

7.  Sell your eBook in other marketplaces.  EBay is the most noted marketplace on the Internet.  Creating how-to books and other books dedicated to subject matter of interest to the public is a moneymaker.  Who knows?  A publisher may get a hold of it and want to offer you a deal to publish it in hardcopy form.

There are many uses for eBooks that can bring extra profits to your business.

For a $17 140+ page guide to writing and marketing your own ebook…click here!

TheHomeBizMart.com

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We have been looking over the latest product from Ewen Chia called “Ebook Money Machine”.  If you don’t know who Ewen Chia is, he is a very successful affiliate marketer and also a marketer of several products that he created.

Ebook Money Machine, is a 140+ page ebook which discusses how anyone can create their own Ebook on their own product and then how to market the ebook for profits.  This is a very detailed ebook which goes into several areas on how to come up with your own ebook idea.  Some of the chapters cover:

• How to “Find Your Niche”
• How to “Prove Your Market”
• How to “Target Your Ebook Idea”
• How to “Write Your Ebook”
• How to “Sell Your Ebook”
• How to “Make Money”

So as you can see, it takes you through the necessary steps in detail on how to accomplish each chapter in the least amount of time.  This type of step-by-step instruction will greatly reduce the learning curve and save you a lot of time and money!

How much is this ebook?  Just $17!  That’s less than .12 cents per page!  Kind of a no-brainer!

We were so impressed by this book that we bought the resale rights from Ewia!

To grab you own ebook with immediate access to the download page, click here!

Want to have this as a home based business?  You can also buy the resale rights, just like we did, and keep all the profits for yourself!  No middle man, no commissions, just pure 100% profits for you to keep!

This business opportunity is fantastic as you get your own website that you can customize with your name, etc.  You get your own re-brandable version of the Ebook Money Machine in pdf format.  Just follow a few easy steps and the ebook will be re-branded to you, with your name and affiliate links included! Get yourself a neat domain name (8.99) and a hosting plan ($98 year at BlueHost) and your in business! Operate this business from the comfort of your home in your spare time!  Plus Ewen gives you all kinds of marketing tools, ad copy, etc to get you up and running quickly.

But to get the business opportunity you must act quickly as only a limited number of the resale rights will be sold!  Once their gone…their gone for good!

To learn how you can obtain the resale rights as well for your own home based business, click here!

Good Luck and Good Promoting!

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As with anyone who advertises or sells, follow-up is the key to closing any deal.  After you’ve sent a press release, follow up with those who received it.  Additionally, cultivating relationships in the media definitely pays off.  What’s the best way to cultivate a relationship with the press and ensure your press release gets noticed?

There are two schools of thought.

The first is to send the press release and call or email the media representative.  The second method is to contact the representative first, tell them your story, and ask to send the press release over.  Many people are hesitant to contact the press.  Don’t be, they’re people too.  Ask how they prefer to be contacted.  Email is fine as most media representatives are on email just as much as everyone else however when in doubt, pick up the phone.

What do you say?

If you’re following up after sending a press release, keep the email or phone call short and to the point.

State the purpose of your contact.  “I’m calling to follow up on a press release I faxed to you on Wednesday.”  Or “I’m following up to see if you received my information.”

Tell them who you are and highlight the benefits of the press release.  “I’m Jane Smith from The Universal Baby Store.  We’ve just released a book on the top organic products for new babies and their families.”  Like sales copy, highlight the benefits of the press release for the media representative.  Keep it short and sweet.  Seriously, if you can have a stopwatch running, keep your pitch under a minute.  Tell them why they should care about your press release.  Like anyone, they want to know what’s in it for them.  What is the benefit of writing about your company?

What don’t you say?

Don’t say, “Did you get my press release?”

Don’t ask them to send you the story or to let you know when it’s going to be printed.  That’s your job, not theirs.

Don’t follow up every single day until they say yes.  Become a pest and they’ll never cover you or your company.

Do follow up regularly.  Perhaps one week after you sent the initial press release.  When you follow up, if they express interest, ask how they would like you to proceed.  Should you follow up in a month, two weeks?  It isn’t uncommon for a press release to be covered many months after it is initially submitted.

More follow up tips:

Do send the release to them in their preferred method.  Most media representatives express how they prefer to receive a press release. Fax and email are the two most common methods.

Do be prepared to take a different approach to your story.  For example, you wrote the press release to focus on organic baby products.  If that isn’t appealing to the media rep, then an alternative pitch in your pocket may get the yes you’re seeking.

Do accept a “no” professionally.  The next release may be a yes and it’s important to be professional and gracious.

Press releases are a great tool to build word of mouth about your company, to increase exposure, and to enhance branding.  However it often isn’t enough to just send a release and sit back, you have to follow up.

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RSS, or Really Simple Syndication, is essentially a tool which enables internet users to ‘subscribe’ to content they’re interested in.  It helps people keep track of the information they value without having to go online and search for it each and every time they sit down to surf.  For example, blogs, websites, and forums can all be subscribed to.  Anytime new content is posted, it is either emailed it is either emailed to you or it shows up on a ‘reader.’  A reader is essentially an aggregate for all information a person subscribes to.
On the marketing and business side of the coin, an RSS feed (the tool used to send info to subscribers) benefits business owners because it ensures messages reach the intended audience.  Content and promotions land smack dab in their mailbox or reader for easy access.

RSS feeds offer a variety of options.  Business owners can:

* Send all full length blog posts to readers
* Send excerpts of blog posts with links back to your site.
* Send weekly blog post highlights – with links back to your site so readers can read entire posts at your   site.
* Send top industry stories of the day.
* Send reviews of relevant products
* Send promotional messages, contests, coupons etc…
* Send posted articles, in their entirety, to subscribers.
* Send excerpts of articles to subscribers.

Some of these options lend themselves quite easily to bringing readers, and prospects, back to your site.  For example, sending a full length article to subscribers is great for them – they don’t have to click on anything.  The content is all there right in front of them – no work.  However, delivering an excerpt or even a captivating headline encourages people to click on the link which of course brings them right back to your company website.

The key concept to bringing readers back to your site – present a benefit driven excerpt and/or an attention grabbing headline.  Skipping this step results in fewer click throughs to your site and who wants that?  It’s certainly not the goal – however sending a full post or article doesn’t encourage any click throughs.
Another way to bring readers back to your website and still send them a complete article, is to include an advertisement, promotion, or even a simple embedded link right in the feed.  That way, even article scanners, receive the opportunity to click through and take advantage of promotions and interested readers will click through on text links – landing right on your business website or sales page.

RSS offers myriad opportunities for both readers and business owners.  Be creative, pay attention to how your readers prefer to interact online (track click through rates and length of time on pages) and provide the experience they desire.  It’ll keep them coming back for more.  The end result, more traffic and more profits.

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Business owners on a budget often turn to “free marketing” options to get started.  While this can be an excellent decision, it isn’t always the ideal solution.  Here’s what to look for and how to know when “Free” will cost you.

Free Business Cards – Business cards definitely belong in the marketing mix of any company no matter how large or small. It never fails, standing in line at the grocery or at a baseball game someone will inevitably ask, “What do you do for a living?”  Being able to pull out a business card and hand it to them gives you the ability to seize a potentially profitable opportunity.

To do its job a business card needs to have contact information – this is a must.  However to really make a business card worth the effort a bit of branding makes it memorable.  Branding items include a logo, unique selling proposition and even a call to action.  For example, “Visit www.newbabystore.com for a free report on how to prepare for your new arrival.”

The problem with free business cards…they don’t often offer the features necessary to create a memorable business card.  Yes, they offer places on their templates for contact information and many allow users to upload a graphic – though the graphics quite often turn out fuzzy and blurred.  Free business cards are great in a pinch, however to make an impression it’s worth spending the money.  Sometimes a business card is your first and only chance to make an impression.

Free advertising – Sounds like a pretty good concept, right?  Who wouldn’t take someone up on the offer of free advertising?  Think twice before using this type of service.  Free advertising offers several limitations.  Most programs do not allow for any level of control.  That means your advertisement is placed wherever – it may not help your website traffic at all.  Additionally, one of the powers of online advertising is the ability to track data and statistics – the ability to know if your ad is actually working.

Lastly, free advertising programs can actually harm your search engine rankings if the links are coming from disreputable websites, link farms and so on.  It’s important to investigate each and every “Free” opportunity to see if there are lasting costs to your business.

Free Email – Free email services are fantastic for businesses just starting out, right?  Not always.  Free email services, whether it is a database management and autoresponder system or simply free email like Gmail, definitely have some drawbacks.  Free email like Gmail, hotmail, yahoo and the like have the benefit of being free and if you have a personal email account with them then the convenience of having a similar business account certainly makes a difference.  The drawback is that it doesn’t look professional.  Who would you rather do business with…businessnamehere@gmail.com or joansmith@businessnamehere.com?  The latter simply looks more professional and impressions make a difference.

Free email and database management systems benefit business owners because they’re an excellent way to automate email marketing campaigns and manage subscriptions.  However when taking advantage of a free database management system pay attention to make sure there are features which allow your company to grow.  Some providers allow companies to have a free account until their email level or number of subscribers reaches a certain number.  That’s fine if they then allow you to bump up to a higher paid level.  If they don’t then you have to switch systems and that process is a real headache!

Free can be a good thing, however take extra care when taking advantage of it, no matter what the tool or resource.  Free can also end up being very costly in the long run.

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