Small home-based businesses battle to stay on search engine listings and gain the advertising and marketing exposure they deserve. Small home-based business owners typically don’t have the money for expensive advertising and marketing.
It is for this reason that popular big name companies seem to have taken over the online market by advertising on television, in magazines, and at the top of almost every search engine listing.
Small home-based businesses should not be discouraged. It is possible for small home-based internet businesses to move up the ladder of success through effective and creative internet marketing. Small home-based internet businesses are able to gain the exposure they deserve, but they must use strategies other than standard marketing and advertising methods used by big name companies. Small home-based businesses striving for marketing and advertising success need to grab the attention of potential customers. After grabbing the attention of potential customers, it’s critical to keep their attention. Home-based business owners should consider offering potential customers and those looking for information on the internet the high-quality information they are looking for through opt-in newsletters. Small home-based business owners can bring in new customers and keep customers coming back by giving them the information or news they’re seeking online. For example, if a small home-based internet business sells craft items, the home-based business owner can offer valuable free information on craft projects.Those seeking craft project ideas and instructions through a craft project newsletter will find links to materials and supplies. Marketing small home-based businesses through newsletters can greatly increase earnings.
The owner of a small home-based internet business doesn’t have to be a great writer to develop an internet newsletter full of valuable information. There are a number of helpful internet programs to assist owners of small home-based businesses with developing and marketing products and newsletters. Offer people the information they are seeking, and they will sign up to receive the information. Before long, newsletter marketing efforts will pay off through ever increasing sales. Home-based small business owners who don’t have time for newsletters should consider joining one of the many popular link exchange programs. Marketing small home-based businesses becomes effortless, and home-based businesses literally begin marketing themselves. Link exchange members assist each other with marketing, and they help increase website traffic. Potential customers gain access to small business websites they otherwise wouldn’t have found. Marketing efforts can be increased by directly exchanging links with other business websites. Small home-based businesses can offer their banners and links in exchange for banner and links from other small business websites. There is no cost for this type of marketing, and small home-based business websites can increase traffic and sales considerably. Choose link exchange partners wisely to gain the most marketing benefits and exposure for your small home-based internet business.
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John Beavis Just finished a really nice job for a new client.
I loved it! He was lukewarm.
Yet it was a billion times better than his own attempt at copywriting (not conceit, just plain fact). So I asked him, what was» wrong» with it? His answer? It isn’t long enough! We’re talking about 3000 words here. That’s 10 solid pages of tightly packed copy, at single line spacing. He wanted more. A lot more – say 12,000 words. Now that’s about 60 pages at 1.5 line spacing! That isn’t a direct mail letter! It’s a book! Just who was it who said that length is everything in direct response? Sure, the more you say, the more you sell, but you can’t bore anybody into buying anything – ever! And I’ve seen short copy pull a better response than long copy in split tests. One size never fits all! As they say, there’s a time and a place and in copy, one size never fits all! Your job, as a writer, is to tell the story. You have to know where to pitch the story and which knobs to twitch and what levers to pull. You also have to know when «it’s over». And you have to know how and when to make the «silences» work. Often what you don’t say but simply infer works as hard as what you have said. Remember, your audiences are not idiots! So work with them. You write from the heart, or you should. That means you understand your reader, empathize, sympathize and rub shoulders with them. Your copy covers all the bases and that’s all the features, functions, applications, benefits and bonuses that the product, service, application or opportunity has to offer.
But you also know, as any good writer should, when you’ve said enough. And enough is enough, whether it’s 250 words, 2500 or 25,000. The point is – did it get through? Did it make a connection with the reader that made them want to do something? Dancing on the moon! 25,000 unique visitors (not hits – a different thing altogether) and not one buyer is a poor return, it’s true. But 250 unique visitors and 25 buyers would be great. Not wonderful, maybe, but good enough to tell you you’re doing a solid job for your client. Any more success and you’d be dancing on the moon! The point is that there is no rule over copy length. It takes the right number of words to make your pitch – and that’s all there is to it. You can’t weight it like groceries – finance is 12,000 words, fitness is 18,000 words and so on. You write till you’ve said it all and just because a competitor or rival produces 4 or 5 times more words than you does not mean they are likely to be 4 or 5 times more successful. Far from it. All you can ever do is test, test and test again. Then you’ll know. Know what? Know that on that particular test, at that particular time in the product cycle, on that particular day of the week, for that particular offering, using that particular writer or style of writing that Copy A outpulled Copy B, C, D and E! And that’s all you’ll ever know. No right and wrong It could all change next week. The market suddenly wants short copy, different style and tone, better offers and so on. So you have to go with instinct, experience, intuition and expertise to guide you to find the right answers that will give your client the very best results. And your test program will guide you to find the most reliable answers because there is no right and wrong … just copy that works. There is no hard and fast rule over copy length. It is finished, when it’s finished. You don’t look at a great work of art and say the artist could have done with a few more metres of canvas, now do you? And great copy should be a work of art – beautiful, precise, evocative and moving. It has the power to hold, enchant, absorb, engage and deliver.
Evidence proves it It tells a story that is relevant and real. It answers a need. It signposts a direction. It builds its momentum, delivers its promise and tells it exactly how it is. No more, no less. And that is the art of great copy. It’s not measured by the metre, but by the magic it creates in as few, or as many, words as it takes. Don’t blindly follow the lead of others and do it because «someone, somewhere, said». Do it because it’s right – and gather the evidence to prove it, in your results!
Marketing On The Playground (TM) Yes, you can market from your comfort zone.
It’s all about permission, learning style and claiming where you are most comfortable…by the way, that’s where the permission comes in. So many of us are led to believe we must step out of our comfort zone in order to market our business. I would like to transform that thought right now. It’s amazing what will happen when you give yourself permission to stand in your comfort zone. You will automatically start branching out and yes, you may be so excited you will want to try new things. So what is your comfort zone? Here’s a quick exercise to help you identify with the perfect stepping out point. Take out a blank sheet of paper. Get some colored pens, markers, crayons or a plain pencil if you like. There is one rule. You cannot write down anything you don’t like and anything you’re not good at. Begin writing: – things that bring you energy – things you enjoy and skills you have – things that people say about you and your expertise – what you have heard from your clients – gifts you share with others – how you have helped those you connect with In the previous course we talked about the perspective of your marketing definition.
Now let’s talk about the perspective of your approach. There are two ways you can think about stepping into marketing action. You can come through the door marked «Marketing, Follow Me» or you can go through the other door marked, «My Comfort Zone first, My Chosen Marketing Steps Next.» Here’s an example: Someone might suggest to me, call 3 entrepreneur associations a day and tell them about my business. I might say, «that’s a good idea but I think I’ll do it from my comfort zone. I’ll contact someone I know that’s involved in an association, ask if they could introduce me to the person in charge, make the call and ask if they would like to talk about each others business to see if there’s a connection.
You see, I like to hear about other businesses and make comfortable connections. My comfort zone in this example was a «warm» call, which is having someone else, connect me and my comfort marketing was asking to share a conversation about their business and mine rather than ‘telling’ them about my business as the first part of the conversation. Each person has their own comfort zone and their own style. We are all unique. Again, we choose different business paths; wear different clothes; drive different cars; have different viewpoints-our marketing approach should be just as unique. Marketing from your comfort zone is all about the right fit for you. Since we are all different, let’s identify what’s unique about your or your approach. List 3 ways you are unique. Here are some key points to think about while making your list. – Don’t take your style, skills and passions for granted. Not everyone does what you do. – If you have a difficult time writing these down, ask a friend or relative, «Do you see something unique about a skill or hobby I have?» – What does unique have to do with Marketing? It’s a huge piece in differentiating you from your competition.
Now that you know what makes you unique, what are 2 creative ways YOU can make a comfortable marketing approach? There is a marketer inside of us all – it’s just a matter of identifying the true, authentic marketing person inside of YOU.
Business Angels are people who like to invest in struggling businesses which they think have a good chance of making it in the business with some financial backing as well as businesses that are just starting up. These businesses will need help financially to start-up with the purchase of stock and equipment. Business Angels usually come from an entrepreneurial background and therefore know the troubles you may go through and that finance is one of the most important factors in any start-up business and especially in a business that is struggling financially. A Business Angel will usually only offer financial backing if they think your business stands a good chance of succeeding. The amount of finance they offer you depends on the business plan you put forward. They will need to see every little detail of your business from who your suppliers are and how much they charge to how much you offer a product or service at. They will want to see all your ingoing’s and outgoings for the last year if your business is struggling. If it’s a new business venture you’re trying to gain finance for, you will need a good plan showing the revenue of the business over the next few years as you see it. A Business Angel can offer from Ј10,000 to Ј75,000 to help regenerate your business or get your business off the ground. Some Business Angels may be willing to work as an Angel Syndicate and can then offer from Ј100,000 to Ј250,000. The average amount a Business Angels invests in a company is around Ј75,000.
All Business Angels want a good return on their investment and this is often done by their high percentage share of your business which they get back at a much higher price in a few years. There is a difference between Business Angels and Venture Capitalists this is that Business Angels take less control of your business they don’t usually want the bother of a director’s or management job and would rather invest in your business and give you some advice if you need it. Due to this, their investment decisions are usually a lot quicker than Venture Capitalists. Whoever you get investment from whether it be a bank, a loan company or a business angel you will need a well planned and thorough business plan. Your business plan will show what your intended goals are and any ideas you have for the future as well as the planned income of the business for the first few years. Every business plan should be regularly updated to keep up to date any changes with the business internally or externally and also any new pointers you’ve put in place. Not only will you use your business plan to help secure business finance from a Business Angels but also it will help you run your business more effectively and efficiently.
So why wait if you’re looking to raise finance for your start-up or struggling business contact a Business Angel today for financial help and advice.
