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Do You Make These 7 Mistakes In Your Business?
Mistakes. Nobody likes to make them. But when we do we try to learn from them, survive them and then value the 'experience' that we now have because of them. As a internet marketing consultant having worked with many different businesses I've seen...
How to Build a Business Website
A recent report done by Yankee Group, a Boston-based market research company, states that at the end of 2004 around 34 percent of small and medium sized businesses in North America are selling goods and services on the Internet and another 25 ...
Real Estate Post Card Marketing; Million Dollar Mailings
Real Estate Post Card Marketing is an underutilized real estate
marketing strategy known by many, but used by few. The test? How
many agents do you know market real estate with postcards. Not
many - that's what I thought!
Yet, those that do...
Want More Money & Less Stress? Set Some Boundaries!
At 2pm last Wednesday, I got a call from one of my clients. Before I could barely utter my "hello," she launched headlong into her story - "I am so frustrated! I have this client who has been dragging her feet at every stage of our project. I'm...
Why "Free Agent Thinking" Is Good For Your Company
It's no secret! Day after day the news is riddled with companies who are moving operations to other countries or completely closing their doors. Those who remain must transform themselves to lean, mean, businesses with a constant eye on...
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How To Brand Your Home Based Web Business
"A coke and a smile!"
I would be willing to bet that just about everyone today
recognizes this slogan.
Branding is the process by which you associate in peoples minds a
name, slogan, or logo with a product. Included in the association
are all of the ideologies for which your business stands for. For
instance, suppose you own a publishing company called "The Writer
Writes", with a particular type of fountain pen and paper as your
logo. You focus all of your efforts only on resources for writers
who want to develop a strong literary style writing only about
what they know as fact. Over time, your logo and name will
automatically conjure up images of a place to go to publish your
informative writing. You have "branded" your business. The power
is now simply in the logo and name. Simply plastering your logo
everywhere you can find is advertisement enough.
So, how can you brand your business?
(1) Try giving away free reports and articles. Because everyone
is looking for content, and everyone will take something that is
free, you really can't lose here. Better yet, this technique is
viral, meaning that your articles and reports will frequently be
passed from person to person.
(2) Stick with a slogan, logo, and theme. Don't keep changing
things around. Remember, branding involves memory. You want
people to remember you and your site. Don't make them work for
it.
(3) Hold contests for free giveaways. We all live our life to
some degree on hope. By holding contest, with no strings
attached, people will flock to sign up and at the same time will
be exposed to your business name and logo.
(4) Target a niche. Pay attention to what type of visitors are
arriving at your site. Are they doctors, lawyers, stay at home
moms, high school students, or other online marketers? This will
provide insight into what type of brand you should strive for.
The easiest way to brand your business is to narrow your field of
view
and reach a very specific target that is relatively
untouched by the competition. This way the only thing that people
see is you.
(5) Create a new category. If you can create a new category
around your home based business your "brand" will be catapulted
into an advertising frenzy. The hardest thing about search engine
marketing these days is the competition. By placing yourself in a
category that is untouched you eliminate any competion, at least
for a while. By the time the competition arrives, your
business, not theirs will be lodged in peoples minds.
(6) Newspaper and magazine advertisements can be used to create a
brand. Each is always looking for fresh new content. If you are
truly standing out from the competition, even with just a new
angle on an old product, exposure in newspapers and magazines
will really help lock your business into the minds of consumers.
If making millions on the internet were really as easy as many
preach we would all be living in Tahiti drinking frozen drinks
all day. The reality of the matter is that it takes time,
creativity, and perseverance. Branding will not necessarily
happen overnight. But the payoffs can be huge. At the beginning
of your online ventures come up with a plan. Think big. Think
about how your business will grow, new markets you may be able to
target, and what you would like people to remember when they hear
your name or see your logo. Then fit all of these things in a
little at a time.
About the Author
Dan J. Fry is an independent researcher and owner of
e-Kinetic.com, a site devoted to providing resources for small
budget home businesses. He has a PhD in Physics and is married
with two daughters and two cats. Subscribe to his free E-Zine on
home business resources at mailto:e-kinetic@GetResponse.com or by
visiting his Infopreneur Home
Based Business Resources and Tips site. He can be reached at
mailto:comp@e-kinetic.com .
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