We've launched a newsletter

Hello all!

Just a quick shameless promotion here :-)

I just wanted to let everyone know we've started a newsletter and are accepting subscriptions at our website now.  It'll be loaded with all kinds of goodies on SEO, internet marketing, article writing, content creation, blogging, business growth and success, wesite design and the like.  you also get a free set of articles when you subscribe.

http://www.advantageadvertisingandmarketing.com

Please visit the site to subscribe today.

Also, as always, we welcome your input.  For those who subscribe and have something relevant to say, we welcome contributors.  We'll have a section for contributions with links and so on.  Details later.  Please join us and let's build a great resource for everyone to share in!

Optimize Your Homepage For The Best First Impression

Did you know that the average attention span of someone visiting your homepage is about 8 seconds? It’s not that they will only stay on your website for 8 seconds. It means that when you drive traffic to your website using articles, blogs, pay per click ads, social media, and SEO they will give your website about 8 seconds to let them know what it’s about. So the real question is: when you built your website did you do so in a way that would immediately let the visitor know who you were and what you were about? This is critical. In my opinion, if you have something to sell me, then sell it to me. If I have to figure it out, I’ll go somewhere else. And the statistics show that we’re all pretty much like that.

So a couple of good little tips you might find useful.

1. Make your logo and tagline clear and highly visible at the top of your page
2. use your welcome text wisely. Make it clear and concise as well as search engine friendly
3. Don’t force feed your visitors with unnecessary content. Nobody wants to have to watch a video or a long slideshow of images. Keep that stuff short and poignant.
4. Make your navigation easy to use and understand. The more they have to figure out, the less patient they’ll be

Just a couple of little tidbits for you to think about. What are your thoughts on this? What have your experiences been? Please let us know.

A great back link exchange website

Happy Saturday, everyone,

I was thinking about back links and how important they are to our websites' success in both traffic and search rankings.  You hear a lot these days about link building, and I thought i'd throw out a helpful hint.

There are many link exchange sites out there.  I have been using one called LinkMarket for a few months now and really like it.  Not only do they offer a wide variety of website categories to search, they also offrer a good and active interface.

one of the best features, it seems, is that the site constantly checks all active member websites to ensure that exchanged links are still active.  if it discoveres that a site that hosts your links is no longer up, or they have taken your links down, Linkmarket will notify you and ask you to remove the other website's link from your link page.  I think that's a great feature.  It ensures you're not hosting a bunch of broken links, or at the very least, not helping someone else out who's not helping you.

So why not go and check them out.  There URL is:
http://www.linkmarket.com

Checking on your website's rank

hello everyone! Have you ever wondered how to check on your website's search rank? We all have, and do often, I'm sure. I myself use several methods to determine how my website is doing. I thought I'd share them with you and see if you all had any suggestions or tips on this. Where we stand and how to improve that is always important. One of the places I go is alexa.com. I check my website's rankings there as well as how many other sites are linked to me. This can be a useful but frustrating tool. Alexa often changes and sometimes your rank will even disappear and return. Also, they may not list every back linked website. Alexa only shows data that has been compiled by those web surfers who use their dashboard. However, it's still a good benchmark. Another thing I do is use analytics. You can use Google's of course. But I also have a very good built-in analytic system provided by my web host. This is where you can get up to the day website traffic information and see how you are doing over time. Arguably, this is the best measure of where you stand because it shows how many people actually went to your website and what pages they viewed, etc. Another good idea is to use Google itself. Go to Google and type in link: www.yourdomain.com and this will show you a long list of sites that have links to yours. This is a bit more accurate than Alexa's list of links, which, BTW, they no longer show the whole list unless you subscribe to their paid program. One final tip, it is worthwhile to do a SEO audit on your website. There are many places to do this and all of them gives slightly different results. But it never hurts to know where improvements can be made. I hope this has been of some use and I look forward to seeing your thoughts on it.

some more food for thought

Hello everyone, here is a great article I think you'll really enjoy. If so, there are many more articles for review at our website.

How to Use Networking to Add Power and Profit to Your Growing Business - Online and Offline Strategy

By David C. Lucas

Metcalfe's law states that the economic power of a business is the square of the number in its network. Not only is this how you can gather new customers, but it also explains how wealth is created. For example, if you have a network of 4 associates, your economic power is 16. If you double your network to 8 individuals or businesses, your economic power is 64. As you can see just by this simple example, building and maintaining a network, or several networks will have a very large and positive impact on your success.

In this article, we will show you why it is so vital to create a network around you and your business, and how to do this effectively. As our opening example of Metcalfe's law shows, just by doubling the number of people or companies with whom you share common interests, you can quadruple the effectiveness of that network. That is a very exciting concept to consider, isn't it?

What is a network?

This is an obvious question, to be sure. In its most basic form, and for this article, a network is a group of people who are associated with one another because of a common interest or goal. They share a mutual interest or understanding as well as a mutual respect. Because of this, the network can and most often does look for ways to help everyone in the network improve their circumstances. It's actually a very basic human desire.

Why build networks?

Aside from our economic example above, there are many good reasons to actively construct and nurture a network, or even multiple networks. For one, you will interact with like-minded people. This has the obvious benefit of providing you opportunities to sell your products and services as well as find trusted resources. Interacting with like-minded people also opens up your mind and helps generate new ideas and creates a sense of excitement in you.

By networking with others, you build a web of trust. You become a trusted member and have access to other trusted members. This gives you credibility both within the network and without. People buy and do business with those they trust.

How to build an online network

In this article, we'll discuss the two broad areas of networking, online and offline. In today's business world, it's necessary to build both. In many cases, in fact, you will have little choice, as these two seemingly disparate forms of networking have become interconnected.

When it comes to online networking, the first things that come to mind are Facebook and LinkedIn. Of course, there are many other social networking websites out there such as Twitter, FourSquare, Pinterest and even YouTube. But of all of the networking websites, Facebook and LinkedIn offer the most powerful and real networking opportunities. They each provide an extensive profile creation system for businesses and the opportunity to share information and associate with groups within the social site's framework.

Social networking online is vital, not only to your ability to associate but for search engine traffic and online marketing as well. Social networking is a very effective means for business people to share information and knowledge. Links and useful content can be passed through a virtual online network at amazing, almost instantaneous speeds. And with the power of computers, tablets and smart phones, these networks can be monitored with ease and efficiency.

As for how to build these, it's very simple. You can upload your email contact lists and the systems will represent you with people you know and people they know. You can search for friends, family and business associates very quickly and you can always trade social media contacts with those you see in person. You'll be amazed at how fast and how large a network can grow. Of course, this doesn't always immediately translate into economic power. It's the opinion of this author that Metcalfe's law does not apply to the virtual social media networking. Does this mean it's not worth doing? Not at all, it's only that the multiplicative effect is much smaller. Is there an exact formula? This is hard to say. But it's a safe bet that to get an economic power of 64, as in our opening example, it would take more than 64 Facebook friends or fans. Perhaps it would take 640. While this might sound daunting, you will be amazed at how fast you can get 640 FB or LinkedIn contacts.

How to build an offline network

This is where Metcalfe's law really comes into play. The very best form of networking is that which is built face to face. This is where real trust, camaraderie and power is created. It's why employees join a union or entrepreneurs join associations.

The best way to build a solid network in this fashion is to find at least one local association or local chapter of a national association that is directly related to you and what you do. A niche group is a great place to start building relationships. You may not have quite the number of sales opportunities here, but if nothing else you will build strong and lasting friendships and business relationships that will pay off one way or another.

The next step is to join a business networking mixer group. This is an organization made up of entrepreneurs and small business people from all genres of business. This is an opportunity to meet new faces and to make contacts that may become customers. Of course, everyone in these groups is trying to do the same, so be prepared to be on the receiving end of the sales pitch.

A final note on this, there are many forms of "real world" networking options. Each one will have its own dynamic and a way to profit from it. Some of the best are groups that form around a central goal. Though the members might be from diverging categories of business, they all come together for a single reason. Perhaps a seminar or educational program or to share similar experiences. These are great because they foster a greater spirit of cooperation than a simple social networking event at a restaurant, for example.

Keep in mind that these offline networking options are also great places to link together online. You make a lot of Facebook and LinkedIn friends here as well. You will also probably find a great number of people to follow on Twitter, as well as followers of your own Twitter account, if applicable.

As a final point on this topic, here is a short list of Do's and Don'ts's to follow when networking, both online and off:

DO - Make yourself a valuable resource. When presenting yourself online or at a meeting, do so in a casual and unassuming way. Let those around you know you have something to say and are willing to share it for their benefit.

DON'T - Be a constant sales person. If your only goal is to sell your products, services, your company or yourself you will turn people off and they will not want to associate with you. Nobody likes a pushy sales person. Even pushy sales people.

DO - Show interest in others. When talking to them, ask about them. Become interested in what they do. You'll be amazed at what you can find out by just listening and asking strategic questions. Often people will tell you what they need and ask you to fill that need.

DON'T - Be a big mouth. Those that go to networking meetings and only want to tell you all about them are boring and annoying. Further, when interacting online, don't just post updates about you and what you offer. Publish information that is generally interesting and useful. Its okay to self-promote, but do so about twenty or thirty percent of the time.

Although this article has only touched on this topic, you can see that by actively building a network, you can virtually ensure your own success. Entrepreneurs and small business people who have built and maintain strong and growing social and business networks will never have to worry about where the next job is coming from or if they will be able to make payroll. Aside from ensuring your economic power, networks can also buffer against economic down times.

David has built a thriving IT consulting firm providing quality Infor Lawson and Kronos consulting and training services. He has done so by a constant sales and networking program as well as online marketing. Come and see his website and how he offers the best affordable services for his current and potential clients.
http://www.forte-corp.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=David_C._Lucas
http://EzineArticles.com/?How-to-Use-Networking-to-Add-Power-and-Profit-to-Your-Growing-Business---Online-and-Offline-Strategy&id=7870766

A great business article on selling

   

How To Sell - 3 Essentials For An Effective Salesperson
By David C. Lucas

   

Even in this day and age, when the internet has become a powerful and effective marketing tool, the ability to sell yourself and your products and services is still very much a necessary skill. Not only is it vital that you become an effective sales person, you must also know how to spot and hire them as well.

Sales can be a scary topic for some. Many people think that sales, like musical talent or the ability to sculpt is some kind of inborn skill. While there may be some truth to this, you don't have to be a natural to be a good sales person. The real key to sales is repetition and practice. Not unlike music or sculpting, for that matter.

If you are shy, or feel you're not charismatic enough, you can overcome this. You do the uncomfortable until it becomes comfortable. Believe it or not, after a very short time of making cold calls, approaching prospects or networking, you will find that little lump of trepidation in your stomach will vanish. It really doesn't take long. It just takes consistent and persistent effort.

The truth of the matter is, especially for entrepreneurs, you have to be able to sell yourself. In the beginning, when money is tight and you have more time than funs, you must be able to convince others that you are worth their time and money. So in that regard, let's now discuss 3 core essentials for being an effective sales person.

Essential #1: Develop Your prospect List

This is vital in the beginning, but never forget about this. No matter how successful you become, a list of prospects will always be a valuable tool.

There are many ways to create and maintain your prospect lists. In the very beginning, you start with a list of people and companies to whom you already have a connection. And list them all, no matter who. You can always pear down later. The act of thinking of this list and writing down names will jog other names from your memory, so don't' skip anyone, even your family.

From this first list, you will weed out those who will not or cannot be customers. You will then contact the potentials and make your pitch, which we'll go into later. It is from this list that you can often develop a secondary list from referrals of those who hire you or buy from you, as well as from those who are not interested but might know someone who is. Referral lists are very powerful.

Once done, you will now have to seek out potential clients. This is where you can go online and do some research to find companies who are probable customers as well as individuals. There are many ways to do this, and it can be very effective.

At any given moment in time, your list will probably have at least three classifications of prospects. The A list, which are those who are most likely to buy immediately, the B list of those who are somewhat interested but for one reason or another, cannot act now. The final will be the C list. These are cold prospects or those on the fringes. They may even be a No thanks list, but for different reasons, you may want to go back to them later.

Essential #2 - Prospect Farming

This may seem like it belongs in the last tip, but really, this is a separate idea. Because what we're referring to here is how you cultivate your crop of prospects. Once you've gotten that list, your seeds, you must plant them, water them and take care of them.

Sales is not always a one shot deal. In so many cases, especially after you get past the list of your best possibles and their referrals, you have to cold contact people. This means making initial contact with secretaries, receptionists, administrative assistants and so forth.

You may have to do some direct mailing and cold calling. You mail a piece, then call a little while later, perhaps after the second or third time the prospect has received your mail. This creates an awareness in their minds so that when you call, they know who you are and what you represent.

Think of it as peeling an onion. Each layer you remove is one step closer to the sale. This might seem very tedious, but in the process you will build some relationships that can be very helpful. When you finally get to the principle, you may have an advocate in the form of his or her assistant, a fellow employee and so on.

Essential #3 - Offer Value

This one sounds almost too obvious, doesn't it? You might be thinking, 'Well, of course I'm offering something of value." And no doubt your product or service is good, but we need to take it a little further.

Remember that everyone is an individual. And what are individuals concerned with more than anything? Themselves and their prosperity. People buy because they believe it's good for them to. They hire you because you can do them some good.

This is a vital key to sales. When you can show your prospect how working with you will profit them, you will have crossed a huge hurtle. Show them why you, your company, your product or your service is the right choice. Show them how you can make them money, save them money, save them time, and make them look good or feel important. You are what they need and want. If you can demonstrate this, you will be far ahead of the game.

Of course, there are many sales tips. They fill volumes. Tips like make a customer a sales person, mostly by following essential #3. Don't be overly pushy, don't be too passive. Make the prospect feel important. The customer of my customer is my friend. On and on.

With just these three simple tips, you can have a great deal of success in your sales efforts. And use this as a starting point. Go forward and gather as much info as you can. And don't forget to simply ask your prospects or your customers what they think of you and how you sell. Good luck!

In the process of building his Lawson ERP Software consulting firm, David has become a master sales person. He knows how to tune into a potential customer and match solutions to their needs. To see examples of this, please visit his website:
http://www.forte-corp.com

 

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=David_C._Lucas  
http://EzineArticles.com/?How-To-Sell---3-Essentials-For-An-Effective-Salesperson&id=7832494  
 

 

here is what will shortly become a highly valuable SEO, website traffic and page ranking resource

I just thought I'd throw this link up here today.  I started a post on a terrific internet marketing and promotional forum.  My thread is about people's best practices for SEO, website traffic, etc.  Since a huge number of internet marketers like myself utilize this forum, you will probably find that over the next few weeks, this one link becomes very valuable.  Hope you enjoy it!

https://forums.digitalpoint.com/threads/your-best-tecniques-for-driving-traffic-increasing-page-rank-and-improving-website-performance.2668127/

A great little article writing resource

Hello everyone.  I hope you all had a great weekend.  I do a lot of writing about writing because I think it's one of the most important and effective ways of promoting yourself, your business and creating good SEO content.

I wanted to let you guys in on this thread about writing tips.  I think it's useful and not a bad forum site either, if you're interested.

https://forums.digitalpoint.com/threads/tips-on-writing-an-effective-article.2664305/

This is your financial independance day!

Yesterday was Independence Day for the US. There were lots of cook outs and block parties and fireworks shows. A wonderful summertime celebration of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. it got me thinking about those things. How so many of us don't have near enough of one or all of those three things. for entrepreneurs, there is something of a light at the end of the tunnel. Because as business owners, we do have some control over our own destinies. We can take action to better our lives and those of our friends and families, and even improve the state of our communities if we sho choose. is this easy? Not at all. It's hard, very hard in fact. Probably a lot harder than just going and getting a job and a steady paycheck. But for those with that entrepreneurial spirit, that's not enough. we want more, we need more. We won't rest until we achieve our goals and then make new ones to attain. So in that vein, I'd like to challenge all the entrepreneurs, small business people and anyone else who'd like more from life to make today the their personal and financial independence day. At the very least, make today the day you declared war on the status quo, the day you proclaimed your freedom from the oppression of mediocrity. to put a practical spin on this, sit down and create a plan of action. A marketing plan to get more of what you want and deserve in your business. if you need help, get with a marketer like myself, or sit down with a team, or ask your spouse to brainstorm. But create that plan. Do whatever it takes to end this year with more than you started out with and with a brighter next one to come. if you will forgive this shameless promotion, here is an article I just published on a guide to making money online with your company's website. Give it a read, you might find some great ideas. And if you'd like, visit our resources library for more ideas. Good luck and happy independence day! How To Make Money Online: A Small Business Guide To Improved Traffic, Search Rank And More Cash Flow