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Next Issue is supposed on 11th March 2007.

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Today's Feature Article

For the Busy Entrepreneur : How to Promote Your Company On-Line, Get Noticed, and Not Get Left Behind!
Dr Kevin Nunley

Everywhere you look on the Net, experts are warning you that things have changed. It may have been OK last year to throw up a simple web site supplying readers with some basic info about your company, but that's not nearly enough for today's World Wide Web. The "brochure" web site just doesn't get it anymore.

To be competitive on the Internet--and by now you're probably feeling that you MUST!--you've got to carry out an aggressive on- line promotional campaign.

"But wait a minute!" you shout. I'm already up to my eyeballs in my business. Isn't there a promotions company I can hire to do this for me?

Well, yes and no. There ARE people out there who will mass mail your message to solicited millions, help you develop a razzle- dazzle web site, and see to it that your URL gets on all the search engines. But that's not nearly all that you could or should do to insure your Internet visibility.

Experts admit that really good on-line promotion is time consuming. So much so that it's probably not feasible to hire anyone to do it for you.

This is where you have to think like a pioneer in the days of old. The adventurous trapper moving west on a wagon train couldn' t arrive at the promised land, call a Realtor, and make plans with a residential contractor. He had to be creative.

Here are some creative solutions for the busy business person who simply hasn't got the time to be a promoting dynamo--but also can't afford not to!

1. Don't fall into the trap of lots of graphics and revolving wing-dings, but no informational content. The Net is all about information--FREE information. Your site should be 80% information and 20% sales literature.

This is the most important factor in insuring that readers find your web site interesting, spread the word to friends and associates, and return for repeat visits. For a good example of an information intense web site, check out Nolo Books at http:// www.nolo.com. Nolo specializes in law books for the average person. Their site features article after article of free information on legal issues.

If you or your staff doesn't have time to write lots of helpful articles for your site, look for a moonlighting writer through local writing clubs, small publications, and universities. Show your ghost writer how to find information on your business in trade publications and through interviews with you and others in your industry. A good writer can whip something up for you quickly.

2. Don't miss out on free on-line publicity. There are hundreds of e-mail newsletters looking for good, informative articles. Most will be happy to help you send your web site articles to thousands of their subscribers. Write to me for a list of these publications. Take a paragraph or two from your article and post it on relevant newsgroups where your information would be enthusiastically greeted.

Mining results from newsgroups and free classifieds can be time consuming but worthwhile. There are lots of people looking for after-hours employment working on-line. Hire someone for several hours each week to keep your Internet postings fresh and marching forward.

3. Internet advertising is just now being taken seriously by the ad community. There are some ad agencies popping up that specialize in putting a price on banners and ads and building them into attractive packages for corporate clients.

It will be several years before Internet advertising becomes as controlled and institutionalized as newspaper, television, or radio advertising. Right now it's each person for him or herself. Look for on- line banner and ad opportunities in places that attract lots of people that match the customer description for your company. It's an open market, so negotiate!

And remember, if your site is an interesting one, other sites like yours will want to provide a link from their site to yours. Offer to link their site as well.

4. Finally, NETWORK! There are lots of experts in every field publishing articles in on-line forums, newsgroups, newsletters, and on web sites. Look for their contact information at the bottom of the article. Send the author a note pointing out what you liked about their article. Introduce yourself and your business. Offer your services or products to them and their clients.

We are currently in a phase where your company must be well represented on the Net, but it's still a do-it- yourself proposition. Be creative. Distill your on-line plan down to a workable formula that can be duplicated by hired helpers.

Don't wait for the next phase of the Net, when business promotion will be taken over by large ad and PR agencies. Be aggressive now. This is one party where if you're late, you may miss it all together.

********************************
Kevin Nunley helps small and mid-sized businesses build effective marketing. Reach him at DrNunley at aol.com or at (801)203-4536. Ask for his free marketing report and list of Special Reports and Tapes that make you a marketing whiz in dozens of areas. Also ask how he can help you build your on-line presence. http://www.drnunley.com/

Today's Motivational Reading

Billionaire Shares His Success Secret
Nickolove Lovemore

Bill Bartmann is well qualified to talk about what it takes to be successful. He is a billionaire, about the 25th richest man in the world and has earned the accolade of "Entrepreneur of the Year". However, life for Bill Bartmann started out very differently.

Bartmann was one of eight children. His parents were uneducated and so could not command well-paying jobs. He describes having to move frequently and even being turned out of dwellings because they were deemed not fit for human habitation.

He has been homeless and was once part of a travelling carnival. He's a former high school dropout. He was a teenage alcoholic and a member of a teenage gang called known as the Manor Boys. He was also the smallest member weighing in at just 98lbs. This didn't stop him from picking fights with the 'big' boys. In some ways it's a trait that has stuck with him - not so much picking fights - but there's audaciousness to many of his business ventures that leave many wide-eyed with wonder.

He truly understands the concept of risk and reward. A big risk can result in a huge pay-off, but if it backfires it can leave a large dent in your pocket and bank balance. Bill Bartmann has experienced both extremes. He has been a pauper, a millionaire, bankrupt and a billionaire.

It just shows that it's not your circumstances that make an individual wealthy. It's your mindset. He could lose everything today and tomorrow he would simply start to rebuild his fortune.

In a recent interview for Virtual Seminar Week, Alex Mandosian asked Bill Bartmann what was in his view the key to success. Bartmann replied that he could sum up the key to success to just one thing, something which he had identified at a young age. I held my breath. This is what he said,

"All the successful people I knew in life had high self-esteem and all the losers had low self-esteem."

Why was I expecting this billionaire to say something different, more profound maybe? We often complicate things unnecessarily. The truth is often very simple and staring us in the face as is beautifully and humorously illustrated in Russell Conwell's Acres of Diamonds.

Also to quote Harv Ecker,

"You can have the greatest business strategies in the world but if you don't have the mindset to go along with them you won't use them."

Our self-image drives everything that we do and our self-image is inexorably linked to our self-esteem and self-confidence. Improve your self-esteem and improvements in your life will naturally follow. Having a high self-esteem is indeed the key to success.

When Bartmann was growing up his self-esteem was low. He gives credit to his childhood sweetheart, Kathy, for opening his eyes to this fact. It is as Barbara D'Angelis says,

"Until you're aware of what you're doing you have no choice but to continue doing it."

However, at age 17, Bartmann was not aware that he continually put himself down until one night he was driving with Kathy, just 14 at the time, at his side when she suddenly slapped the dashboard and said,

"Pull over! Stop the car! Let me out!"

Shocked, he obliged. She told him that she never wanted to see him again. She told him that she loved him but that he was always putting himself down. She had had enough.

He was stunned. He had no idea. He loved this young girl and he did not want to lose her. He pleaded with her explaining that it was a habit he did unconsciously. He said he would change. She relented and agreed to stay. While change wasn't easy the alternative didn't bear contemplating. He steadily built his self-esteem. He took the GED exam and put himself through college and law school.

Kathy has been by his side ever since, eventually becoming Bartmann's wife; they've been married now for 33 years. And, as further testament to her how savvy she is, she is his business partner, has been on the cover of Forbes and has been individually listed in the Forbes 400 wealthiest people in America. As you can tell Mrs Bartmann deserves a story of her own but back to Mr Bartmann.

It takes a diamond-hard resolve, an iron-clad self-esteem to endure the ups and downs that he has experienced and earn the respect that he has garnered from individuals as diverse as Mother Theresa, Mohammed Ali and Clarence Thomas (U.S. Supreme Court Justice).

Sure he's been tested. He's had his self-doubts, even bouts of depression - he wouldn't be human otherwise. However, when your self esteem is strong and when you are clear about your core values - the things you stand for and what you are unwilling to compromise on - then you bounce back from these lows. And each time you bounce back just a little bit higher.

Again, reinforcing the role that self-esteem or self-image plays in our ability to grow, one just needs to take a look at the content of Bartmann's seminars. He doesn't teach people about the stock market, real estate or any other way to generate income. His seminars take a different approach, a more fundamental approach. He knows and appreciates the importance of self-esteem and the powerful tools he teaches are equable applicable to life as they are to business.

He promises "no tear-jerking or any tugging at your emotions". Yet, how can you not be emotionally moved by his story and is it not by allowing ourselves to be swept away by the emotional charge of this "rags to riches" tale that gives us hope that we too can achieve great success in our lives?

********************************
Nickolove Lovemore is a Personal Trainer, Life and Success Coach and Speaker who works with individuals and businesses to help them achieve success in their chosen endeavours. Click here!

Today's Subscriber Article

Improve Conversion Rates – Effective Content
Halstatt Pires

Your site is fast and getting traffic, but conversion rates are disappointing. You may have problems with the tone of your content.

Do You Believe?

You must have passion for the product or service you are providing. If you don’t believe in it, why should visitors to your site? A lack of belief will result in weak content and poor conversion rates. If you are selling quality, you are doing the prospect a favor. The tone of your site should reflect this in the content.

To effectively convert prospects, every entry page of your site must tell visitors:

• 1. What you offer,

• 2. How they will benefit, and

• 3. Demand they take action.

Entry Pages

Many sites have conversion problems related to entry pages. Most people automatically envision the home page as the sole entry path to the site. Sweat, blood and tears are spent making the home page just write. Conversely, a fraction of the same effort is applied to internal pages. This is a fundamental mistake.

If server statistics are checked, you may be surprised to find significant amounts of traffic entering your site through internal pages of your site. Yes, a large percentage of visitors are entering the site without seeing the home page. If your “hook” is only on the home page, your conversions will suffer. Make sure you have a concise summary of your service and the benefits on every entry page to the site and conversions will improve.

What You Offer

Tell visitors exactly what you do with the first sentence. Don’t be subtle. You only have a few seconds to get their attention. Don’t waste it. The opening sentence should read something like, “At XYZ, we offer quality tools at wholesale prices.” Bam! The prospect knows exactly what you are offering and if it fills their need.

Benefits

Tell your prospect how they will benefit from doing business with you. Don’t assume they understand it. Again, be blunt with something like, “You save money when you buy from us because we have a low overhead and free shipping.” Bam! Now the visitor knows you sell tools at a low price. This combination should result in shopping activity if they have any need for the tool products.

Demand Action

What do you want prospects to do when they visit your site? At the end of your content, make sure you tell them. “Click here to order” is a perfectly fine statement, but adding a benefit is optimal. “Click here to order with free shipping” is a superior demand. Regardless, make sure you tell them what to do and make it is easy as possible to take the requested action.

If you are offering quality, you are doing clients a favor. Make sure the tone of your site reflects that fact.

********************************
Halstatt Pires is certified as an expert author on Internet marketing articles. Halstatt owns a San Diego based Internet marketing and advertising company and offers flexible services designed to meet your business goals. His Internet marketing firm is a one-stop source providing comprehensive solutions.
http://www.marketingtitan.com/

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