Dan Kennedy Marketing Offers Hope
I recently received an email from Dan Kennedy that I found very encouraging. He explained that even though our economy is dazed, battered and bruised as it limps toward the New Year, he hears from many of his members that they are optimistic. Many report sales and profit growth are up this year, or at least staying steady, while all around them, bigger competitors, national chains and peers are seeing sales and profits plummet.
These optimistic people are the people you should want to associate with! Their optimism is well grounded because they know how to do things others do not. And that is the only way to insure that you can stand strong and prosper while this troubled and confused economy sorts itself out over the entire coming year and beyond.
Those who give in to fear and anxiety….those who are cowed and paralyzed by uncertainty and confusion ….those who pull back and withdraw and wait….are GUARANTEED to see their worst fears realized. Waiting for things to change is a losing proposition. Making things change for you is the only way to win. That’s not “Pollyanna,” that’s fact.
Dan knows what it takes - mentally and practically - to do well when the going gets tough. He also knows a lot about finding big, new, exciting opportunities in such times as these. The opportunity to grow and grab market share and “steal” good customers from competitors - precisely because so many other business owners pull in their claws, hide under the covers, or even wave the white flag of surrender. Dan knows from personal experience that these are the conditions when fortune most favors the bold! Fortunately, Dan is willing to share his experience with you.
If you are not familiar with Dan Kennedy marketing you should definitely take advantage of his FREE GIFT to start learning why so many of us are optimistic and looking forward to growth in 2009. As one of Dan’s Independent Business Advisors I’d be happy to answer any questions you may have. Feel free to leave your comments and questions below.
Click HERE to learn more about Dan Kennedy Marketing and to take advantage of his FREE GIFT.
Use Holiday Promotions To Grab Attention
A famous copywriter by the name of Robert Collier once said, “you should try to enter the conversation with something already occurring in your prospects’ or customers’ minds.” Holiday promotions can be one of the most effective ways to achieve that goal. The Christmas season is an excellent example. During the month of December people frequently talk, or think about Christmas. It’s easy to write copy relating in some way to Christmas.
People have come to expect promotions around Christmas, but what about the rest of the year. There are numerous other holidays through out the year that you can use to get into the minds of people with your copy based on the holiday they are thinking about. In fact, every month of the year has something you could use.For instance, February (Valentines Day), March (St Patrick’s Day), April (Easter) and on and on.
If you are not aware of all the holidays available around which you could build a promotion, feel free to let me know with a comment below and I will be happy to send you a partial list of monthly holidays you can use.
Why Work From Home?
Rick Armstrong
Have you ever stopped to consider the reasons why you would want to work from home? For those of you that have been following one of my blogs you probably already know that after 30+ years in sales and marketing and having owned several different businesses, I’ve retired and now work part time from home.
There are many good reasons to work from home which could include flexibility, lower auto expenses (gas, wear and tear, maintenance, insurance), reduced office stress, tax advantages, time saved commuting, etc. However, what some people don’t seem to recognize, is that to run a business from home it still needs to be run as a business, just like any business run outside the home. Your business will suffer and/or fail when you have no business plan.
Unfortunately many people decide to start a home based business as a result of unrealistic promises, or skillfully written sales letters on the Internet. The web is chocked full of garbage business opportunities. Even the most reasonable people will ignore their common sense in favor of Instant, Now, or Guaranteed income.
My suggestion is that you not quit your day job until you have a vision for a business and a written PLAN. One with systems and processes that explain how the daily business will be run. What you plan to sell to whom and for how much. How you will go about attracting prospects and turning them into customers, and how much you plan to spend on this activity. Once you have this type of plan you will be in a much better position to determine whether of not your reasons to work from home outweigh the benefits of continuing with a job outside the home.
EZ Ways To Create Articles
There has been a lot written regarding the importance of writing articles if you plan on having a presence on the Internet. But what type of article content should you create? No matter what niche you are in you can easily create articles if you concentrate on the following five types of articles.
How To Articles: This type of article is an explanation of how to accomplish a particular task and will often contain step by step instructions. For instance, how to increase the number of visitors to your web site, or how to easily publish a video on your web site.
Tip Articles: This type of article is similar to the how to, but without the step by step detail. It’s frequently a list of items such as tips on writing a sales letter, or tips on using a particular piece of software. This blog post is a tip article.
Interview Articles: With this type of article you can simply interview experts in your niche, customers, or anyone with information that would be of value. Record the interview and then have the recording transcribed… there is your article.
News Articles: You need to be aware of what is happening in your niche as well as the world around you. When you find news about your industry, or niche, you can simply rewrite it, expand upon it, or comment on it. For instance a new product release, or special events that are coming up.
Product Articles: This type of article is good to explain recent changes to a product such as improvements, new accessories, etc. It also allows you a way to promote your specific product or service.
There are of course many other types of articles you can write, but the five types listed here are some of the easiest for most people to create. Give it a try!
A Tip For Marketing From Home
Over 90% of people marketing from home with a home based online business are doing it on a part-time basis. In other words, they have a regular 9-5 JOB and then try to run their online business in their spare time. The trouble is, most people find it very difficult to juggle the time they have to spend on their business, with the time they need to spend with their families or their other commitments.
This can be very frustrating for the average marketer and most people simply can’t find the right balance - and in the end - they give up. So, here’s my tip for anyone marketing from home on a part time basis. The secret to finding the right balance is FOCUS.
While you may have more time than money, and as a result you’re prepared to do things yourself rather than pay someone to do it for you, your time is extremely valuable to you. You need to be as efficient as possible to ensure you are getting a high return on your time investment. The most effective way to do this is to allocate a set amount of time each day to concentrate on ONE specific component of your business. Once your allotted time is up, you should move on to your next task.
I have found that allocating a maximum of 45 - 50 minutes for eack task is most effective. Anything longer than this and you begin to lose concentration and you become less efficient with your time. Start today by determining what tasks need to be carried out in your own business. Then develop a weekly time schedule, or plan to complete each task. Do this and you’ll be surprised at the huge improvement with your results.
Copywriting Secret For World-Class Results
Whether you sell a service or a product, you must first market your product or service. People don’t want to be sold. But, everyone wants to buy. So the first copywriting secret is that you must always keep in mind that first and formost you are a marketer.
No matter what your product or service, the most basic marketing starts with marketing yourself. You do this by building relationships. Think of it as a dating relationship. When you are in a dating relationship you cannot market yourself enough. However, you can not expect your date to buy everything you are offering.
Just like dating, copywriting (marketing) is all about building that intimate relationship with your target. There are many things that you would not do on a first date, right? Well, writing a sales letter is no different. Don’t be pushy, be kind, considerate, have some great conversation, enjoy each other’s company. That’s the type of activity that leads to building a relationship.
Relationships lead to sales. Always be marketing!
Why Create RSS Feeds?
You have probably heard of RSS (Really Simple Syndication), but do you create RSS feeds? I’ve been aware of RSS for ages, but until I recently read an article by Paul Colligan in Stompernet’s monthly magazine I didn’t pay much attention to it.
The article explained how much time can be saved by using RSS and that in itself was a big motivator for me. Then he went on to explain how RSS technology allows you to leverage your marketing with PUSH communications. What this means is that instead of trying to PULL people to your website by trying to create a reason for them to take action and visit your site, you simply use RSS feeds to PUSH your communications to them.
If you are confused by how this works a good place to start is with the following video:
The Best Web Traffic Tool
I frequently receive emails proclaiming that I can have all the traffic I want to my web site if I utilize this or that web traffic tool. Personally, I’ve never found one tool that does it all. It’s really about getting the word out about your site and to do this you need to use effective advertising methods. Preferably methods that other marketers have proven to be successful so you can begin earning an online income.
If you’ve been following the “gurus” you would have noticed that they use a combination of the following advertising methods:
- Writing and submitting articles
- Viral marketing
- Joint ventures
- Pay per click marketing
- Co-registration leads
- Offline ads
Let’s face it. Advertising is the life blood of your internet business and if you don’t advertise correctly
you’ll never generate online revenue. Now some of your advertising can be done for free, however
other forms you will have to pay for. That’s just a part of doing business. Sometimes to make money, you have to spend money.
The key to make sure that your advertising provides a net return for your efforts by testing and tracking your results. Also, it’s important to make sure you have an advertising budget that fits within your comfort zone. You need to be able to sleep at night, so don’t go out on a limb by placing extra undue stress in your life.
If you consistently advertise using a combination of the above techniques, then you should be able to make money online and have a business you can be proud of for years to come.
Don’t Fret About Taxes For Small Business
As a small business owner you have a lot to think about, but the one thing with the potential to keep you up at night are taxes for small business. Its a fact of life that owning a small business often feels like working for the government because of your tax burden. I discovered a little survey recently and found that most small business owners face similar issues when it comes to taxes. Here are the top 5 most frequently asked questions:
**How do I avoid trouble with the IRS?**
**What is and what isn’t a tax deductible business expense?**
**How much can I write off if I use my car for business?**
**Can I claim a deduction for business-related entertainment?**
**What types of business supplies and equipment are deductible?**
Knowing the answers to these types of questions will help you sleep well at night.To obtain the answers you can go to the IRS website at http://www.irs.gov/businesses/small/index.html, or simply ask me to send you the answers.
Rick Armstrong
The Power Of Positive Thinking
If you are one of those individuals that has read “The Secret” or some of the self-help books that teach the power of positive thinking, I hope this won’t offend you. However, I think there are a lot of frustrated business people that have been confused and disappointed by what is being taught with respect to the concept of positive thinking.
I strongly believe in the importance of maintaining a positive attitude. Furthermore, thinking positively is important if it has a sound basis. But, many people have the impression that all they need to do is think positive thoughts and they will achieve the success they want. I’m convinced that you could sit down in your kitchen surrounded by food and think positive thoughts until you starve to death without achieving what you want.
However, if you do some homework and apply proven concepts to what you want to achieve, then there is a solid basis for your expectancy and your positive thoughts have a foundation for success.
I’ve seen many bright people sit around and think about “things” and never implement anything and they fail. Thinking is important, but without doing it’s not worth much.That is why a coach, or a mastermind group, or even just a good friend can be very helpful. They can help you with the foundation such as finding a hungry crowd that wants what you have to offer. Helping with your marketing plans to reach that crowd with the right message using the most effective media. That’s how you put power into positive thinking.
If you disagree, feel free to let me know why.
Rick Armstrong
