Internet Business Marketing Plan
If you have been wondering how to use the various platforms to create or expand a business on the Internet this report has your answers. If you want to understand what virtual professionals do to increase businesses visibility online here is your opportunity to find out. This is a basic Internet business marketing plan to help you understand and get started building an online business.
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Marketing Your Unique Selling Point on Twitter
I have been considering this topic for a while and researching it. I found some articles (which I listed at the end of this article) that suggest you find your unique selling point (USP) by analyzing the following areas of your business:
- Customer Service
- Price
- Product or service benefits
- Delivery
- Perceived value
Some articles advise that you compare your business to your competitors in the above areas then market your business by the area(s) you are ahead of your competition.
I read this information and found it educational but I received my ‘aha’ moment when one of my accountability partners shared in a different topic discussion “other people teach this but I like her style”. This comment brought the USP subject back to my mind. For me I have concluded that your unique selling point is YOU. You are different than anyone naturally – no need to try to be unique; YOU ARE!
Most people new to social media wonder “What do I write, post, or tweet?” Below I have used my Twitter account to give examples on how to engage.
- Sharing comments and responses that bring you joy, enlightenment to exchange with others and respond when they post something that helped you is the way to introduce yourself on Twitter, and remember share valuable professional knowledge. Here are some examples:
You can see that you can build your business, connect with prospects and get involved with other Internet Marketers by simply being yourself.
Most of the information I found regarding USP informed that using the above listed areas you would need to periodically change your USP because your competitors would soon offer the same benefit. However, if you focus your marketing on telling people about what you are implementing in your business, post what inspires you to do your work, tweet the programs you are learning to expand your business and share your joy with others you will alleviate the need to check-in on your competition because your life work will be about you and what’s important to you. I say to market your USP simply ‘Do You’.
Here are the articles I found on this subject if you are interested:
http://ezinearticles.com/?Finding-Your-Unique-Selling-Point&id=418261
http://www.1000ventures.com/business_guide/marketing_advertising_usp.html
https://www.clarityaccounting.com/blog/index.php/2009/07/03/your-unique-selling-point/http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newTMC_11.htm
http://www.interactivemarketinginc.com/unique-selling-proposition.html
http://www.toolkit.com/small_business_guide/sbg.aspx?nid=P03_1012
In my previous post I shared that my website is getting a new look starting next week and that my free report would be available at that time. Well my free report will be available TOMORROW and my new look will come later this month. I look forward to reading your comments on the information I am sharing with you.
Web Blog Site
I have been working on my free internet marketing report and it is almost ready. Creating this report has encouraged me to take my own advice so next week my blog and website will have a new look – I am converting my website to a blog site.
The conversion is scheduled for Thursday and the following Monday I will have a new look. When my site is back up my free internet marketing report will be available. I am looking forward to reading your comments on my new appearance and your reviews of my report. Stay tuned…
Mobile and Social Media Marketing Tips
I am working on a free report for my subscribers this week so I have listed three links to help you with relationship marketing.
Mobile Marketing: It is very important to know how to connect with your audience. Although email is popular some people don’t use it regularly. However, most people now do have cell phones and read text messages. If your niche market does not use email generally mobile marketing maybe the answer for your business. Sending your contacts useful information weekly helps to build your reputation as an expert and one of your mobile messages might become the nugget that encourages a contact to call you about your services. Here are some mobile marketing tips to communicate with your audience. http://www.aweber.com/blog/email-marketing/mobile-email-design-tips.htm?awt_l=62eOh&awt_m=Jo7B9uyx8eA
Blog Marketing: Posting on your blog regularly and syndicating it are effective business blogging strategies. However, to keep your readers interest one more step is necessary. Jason Falls, of Social Media Explorer shares great tips on how to get your blog read weekly. Getting your readers to return consistently is vital to develop relationships with readers. http://www.socialmediaexplorer.com/2010/02/15/the-secret-to-driving-blog-traffic/
Twitter Marketing: If you are using Twitter to market your business Chris Garrett gives seven steps to help you reach your specific audience for relationship building and business exchange. The Social Media Examiner blog helps you with your Twitter marketing and how to measure your activities’ value. http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/driving-targetted-twitter-traffic/
I will post an update on my free internet marketing report next week; stay tuned…
Add Volunteering to Your Marketing
This week I worked on my presentation for the Arkansas Small Business and Technology Development Center’s Fast Track Entrepreneurial Program. Working on my presentation inspired me to talk about the importance of adding volunteering to your business/marketing plan. Actually giving your time and energy to a program that resonates with you is important for your professional and personal development. Below are a few of the benefits that come from volunteering in your business and personal life.
Build a Professional Network
One way to build your online business is by giving your time in joint ventures. Align yourself with others that are in the same industry or in your niche market by collaborating in teleseminars, webinars or creating products that will serve both markets. Another way to build your network is to volunteer in your industry’s professional organizations. Giving your time is a great way to learn from veterans, keep up with the latest changes in your industry, and network with colleagues.
Cultivate Relationships with Prospects
An online business requires more effort to make human connections. Telling people what’s important to you by showing where you spend your time is one way to create a human link. Subscribers to your list will pay more attention to your emails and blog posts if you have a shared interest. Posting your volunteer plans and pictures from events on your social networking profiles will catch the attention of like-minded individuals and serve as an online introduction that could lead to a new subscriber or alliances.
Offline Communication
Teleseminars, webinars, online courses, and video conferences make it easy to create a virtual world. Volunteering creates an environment for in-person interaction with others. Some online business owners have great online communication skills but are reserved when it comes to in-person contact. Spending time with people that share your interest enables online professionals to have a relaxed conversation about something that is important to them. It helps you step away from your work and realigns your perspective of what is important to you.
In other words giving to benefit others helps business owners find harmony in their lives. Sharing your energy, talents and time also benefits your business with gratitude; it helps create good synergy. When you freely invest in the highest good of others the unseen meets your intentions and increases your business when you least expect it from unknown sources.
My suggestion for you is to add volunteering to your business/marketing plan. As you build your business, give regularly. It’s good for your community, it’s good for you as a human being, and it’s good for your business.
Internet Marketer Colleen Crook
Today’s post is by Life and Leadership Coach Colleen M. Crook
After conquering my fear of the computer exploding or burning out, I found that I enjoyed being on the Internet and using the computer. I was eager to learn what I could access and how I could connect and build a relationship with more people in my life and leadership coaching business. In addition to meeting new people locally, I now was able to connect with people from all over the world. How amazing was that! I love doing presentations and sharing my message. Through marketing on the Internet I’m able to post complimentary tele seminars and have people from all over the world sign up to hear great content, participate and learn about my services from individual or group coaching to my Life Purpose Hand Analysis. The number one key in using the Internet to build a business is to establish an authentic, heart centered connection and relationship with people. Ways that I’m using to connect with people and share my message is through a monthly e-zine, a monthly e- inspiration gift, my blog, meeting peeps on Facebook and on my fan page, Twitter, LinkedIn and joining select Internet groups. I’m in the process of adding video to my e-networking and marketing tools.
How has Internet marketing impacted Conscious Living Connection?
Through connecting with people on a regular basis, they get to know me by my posts; comments etc and learn that they can trust me. I’ve connected with a number of people who have signed up for individual coaching with me, all day VIP retreat intensives, group coaching and the Life Purpose Hand Analysis. One of the biggest gifts from marketing on the Internet is that you can access the wisdom of others. There’s a generosity in sharing an expertise that is truly astounding.
Some of the technology involved with Internet marketing totally overwhelms me and even though I have a need to have a working knowledge and understanding of how something works, I need support. So I partner with a virtual assistant who is able to handle the technological aspects of Internet marketing that is not my genius and who continues to increase and update her knowledge base.
Internet marketing is here to stay. It’s important to decide what tools resonate with you and start with one tool first and become comfortable with that then add a second tool. If you try to do all the things available at once you’ll become overwhelmed and chuck everything. Take your time and investigate what you like and what feels right for you.
Happy Connecting!
Colleen M. Crook,M.A.,CLC
www.consciouslivingconnection.com
http://www.facebook.com/ColleenCrook.ConsciousLivingConnection
https://twitter.com/colleen1mary
Simplifying Your Life with Gladys Anderson
Last week Gladys Anderson, Founder of Coach for Your Dreams and member of my Meetup group gave a presentation about simplifying your life by setting healthy boundaries.
As we work to stay committed to our New Year resolutions in the second month of the year I thought Gladys’ information may help us to keep our promises to ourself by setting healthy boundaries.
I hope you find this free teleseminar recording useful to help you reach your 2010 goals. This podcast is a little over 27 minutes so listen when you have time.
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Seven (7) Marketing Strategies for Your Online Business
Internet marketing can be used to engage your connections, followers and subscribers, while building relationships and converting them to networking partners or clients. It can also introduce new people to your business through having a high page ranking on the search engines, and link with other websites to reach people that are interested in your professional skills. Below are some suggestions on how to use these marketing tools to develop a marketing system that is efficient and produces your desired results.
- Email marketing is a great way to introduce your business, share your professional knowledge, and invite subscribers to interact with you by starting a contest, by offering them an opportunity to send in a photo or video that you will promote in your next newsletter.
- Social media marketing offers you a way to share your newsletter with a larger audience; your connections, friends and followers by sharing your knowledge while building your list. Using social media web programs, such as tweetmeme provides another opportunity to contribute to an ongoing conversation related to your subject.
- Article Marketing helps to build your reputation and attract more traffic to your website by writing an article and submitting it to various marketing directories. This link building activity is an effective way to build your SEO as well. Most importantly people will read your articles and visit your website to learn more about your services.
- Business blogging is another Internet marketing tool to contribute to your online communities by sharing professional knowledge, affiliate information, and benefits of your services. Inviting readers to interact by commenting on your post is another stream of building relationships through network ventures or prospect interaction. Syndicating your blog is another way of reaching more people. Since your blog information is updated regularly some business owners now use blogs as their online store front, which helps with search engine optimization.
- Affiliate marketing can become an additional income stream for you in two ways. One way is by joining an affiliate program that resonates with you and inviting your subscribers to check it out on your blog with a banner ad can mean a percentage of a sale if your subscribers purchase a product or service. Bloggers recommend that you post two to three times per week. One way to reach that blog post minimum easier is to write a post dedicated to your affiliates. Share the companies’ services, why they are the best to use and direct them to click on the banner ad on your website for further details. You can also create an affiliate program for your products and services. Sales closed through an affiliate’s lead can generate income for them and you.
- Mobile marketing is still fairly new but if you enjoy gadgets mobile marketing might be the way for you to contribute to your online communities while building your list and professional reputation. Send a tweet while you are attending an event. Share an announcement that you see at the bookstore, coffee shop or department store. Ask your community if they like a service or product that you are currently considering purchasing and why.
- Commitment, practice and consistency are essential to reap the benefits of Internet marketing. Commit a set amount of time to marketing each day. Until you have regular customers, marketing will be a large part of your work as a business owner, whether you prefer to market online or offline. Now is the time for you to start sending, blogging, posting, and submitting.
If you feel this is overwhelming then consult an Internet marketing assistant. Certified professionals, like me, are available and ready to help you implement a basic plan, consult you on the maintenance of your marketing system, or manage your online marketing activities, as you focus on other areas of your business.
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Email Marketing Success Requires Commitment
Ever received an email newsletter? Whether or not you have an Internet business, you’ve probably heard of, or received an email newsletter in your inbox. Most businesses now use email marketing to build company lists, build relationships with prospects, and keep current clients aware of the latest product, services, offers, and bonuses. However, in order to reach your business/organizational goals for email marketing, consistency and commitment is required.
Business owners often start email marketing campaigns, but they don’t always follow through because:
- they don’t know what to say;
- they need technical assistance to use the web program;
- they are busy and don’t dedicate time to their email marketing activities.
My suggestions this week are to help you get past the mental paralysis and revitalize your email marketing efforts to reach your business goals.
Many business owners will start with a great newsletter, but soon lose interest because they think they’ve run out of things to say or they lack inspiration. Inspiration for writing can be found all around us. Here are some ways to receive inspiration for your email marketing plan:
- Write an article that explains the investment value clients receive from each of your services. Share a story and use a client’s testimonial with their picture. Link the picture to their website, if applicable.
- Share valuable content like web programs that help you in your business, or something you learned at a workshop; explain the benefits (tangible or intangible) from this tool, or acquired knowledge.
- Read blog posts from your favorite industry leaders; they’re a great source of inspiration.
- Carry a small notepad to write down ideas that come to you. Some great ideas come when you are doing nothing but watching the world around you or while watching TV.
- If you read something that you really like – contact the author and ask them to repost their article in your newsletter; it’s a great way to build your professional network.
Other reasons businesses do not maintain their email marketing efforts is because they lack the technical skills, or the patience to use web programs. If you lack the skills, but want to do it yourself, many email marketing companies have resources in the way of articles and video tutorials to help you: AWeber, iContact and Constant Contact are some of the most popular programs. Implement a standard time dedicated for your email marketing and honor this commitment. If you lack the technical skills and the patience to use web programs, a wonderful resource available to you is a virtual assistant (VA), Internet marketing assistant, or social media marketing assistant. They can help you create and implement an email marketing campaign for your weekly online marketing efforts.
If you are in the category of “too busy,” the same information applies to you. If you choose to build your business with Internet marketing activities like email marketing and business blogging, but don’t have the time to dedicate to these tasks, then it’s time to invest in a qualified assistant to help you maintain and reach your online marketing business goals.
Here are resources and statistical information to help you rejuvenate your email marketing efforts.
- iContact’s Best Practices PDF: http://www.icontact.com/pdf/Email_Marketing_Best_Practices_iContact.pdf?utm_nooverride=1
- The link below is a statistic report on email marketing including the financial rewards that are generated through successful email marketing campaigns. http://www.email-marketing-reports.com/iland/2009/08/8-email-statistics-to-use-at-parties.html
- AWeber’s 6 fun Email Ideas to Engage Subscribers: http://www.AWeber.com/blog/email-marketing/engage-subscribers-fun.htm?utm_source=AW&utm_medium=email&utm_content=BL100113&utm_campaign=BU&awt
_l=62eOh&awt_m=Kf_YEJHR8eA
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Essential Support for Small Business
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Last week, we started our new business plans, or revised our current strategy for the new year (you can read the post here). How was it? If you’re still working on it, that’s fine because it will take time, especially if you had to do research before writing your draft or revision. Once the plan has been written, it‘s time move on to support implementation.
Business support implementation is two-fold: the first part of the process is creating the outline and plan for your vision. For your business to work successfully, you have to implement each area of the business, or invest in a support team to help when needed. If you are a business coach, your business is helping your clients reach a specific goal. Coaching is your expertise – it’s what you do. Now, for your business, how will you protect your intellectual property, such as your online programs? Who is your legal resource, if you don’t know the law? Do you know how to use QuickBooks, FreshBooks or other bookkeeping/invoicing software? If not, who will help you keep your bookkeeping and invoicing current? Will you attend networking events or ask for referrals to attract clients? If you decide to do your own Facebook page and/or other social media marketing, do you know what applications to use to promote your business with a professional presence effectively and efficiently? Are you keeping up with some of the Internet marketing experts like Chris Brogan, Mari Smith or the Social Media Examiner to remain current on Internet and social media marketing strategies? If not, who is your Internet marketing assistant?
The right attorney can help you protect your intellectual property, help with unsatisfied clients and review contracts. The right accountant or your local SBA office will offer a QuickBooks tutorial to show you how to maintain your bookkeeping daily so you can send this information to your tax preparer at the end of the year. The right Internet marketing specialist will ask questions to help you implement the appropriate online marketing plan to reach your goals, and monitor this plan to ensure it’s working properly for you.
Even if you’re a sole proprietor your business will requires a support team to help you operate successfully and grow. Your support team can also become your consultants to educate and enable you to be knowledgeable in the other aspects of your small business. Your attorney will share tips to help you be aware of the appropriate way to engage in business ventures or exchanges. Your accountant can setup your Quickbooks and teach you how to maintain it throughout the year. If you’re content with your marketing results your marketing specialist can become your consultant to teach you how to maintain a basic online marketing package. Your support /consultant team is a beneficial investment for the health and success of your business.
The second part of the implementation process is preparing space for your vision. Are you adjusting your spending habits to create a reserve to support your business endeavor? Are you continuing your education in your expert field to offer your clients the current and proven knowledge to help them as you promise in your marketing materials? How are you creating room in your life for your business to come through you into this reality? Below is an interview with Sam Worthington on The View talking about how he prepared space in his life for change to happen. Sam decreased his assets, moved to the United States, and landed a role in the movie Avatar. As you listen to Sam, consider ways you can prepare space in your life for what you want this year.
