March 2006
Monthly Archive
Posted by Administrator on 19 Mar 2006 10:00 am. Filed under
Work from Home.
To give your home based internet business a chance of survival you need to lay a solid foundation based on sound business principles.
Starting an Internet Business is not really that difficult, however creating an online presence that generates a healthy monthly income stream is a different matter entirely.
Getting the basics right and employing sound business principles will give your business a good chance at success!
For the uninitiated, setting up an online business can be made so much more difficult if the correct path is not followed initially.
To many prospective online entrepreneurs the Internet presents an easy way to achieving a lifestyle of the rich and famous.
Whilst there are a select number of internet businesses that are making preposterous amounts of money, there are also those that are making a mere pittance if not nothing at all.
If you are reading this you obviously want to know how to be in the former category.
Well I can tell you that to be a top internet earner it takes more than merely registering your business, securing a domain name and publishing a site linked up with a few affiliates and then waiting for the money to start rolling in.
In fact most of the online businesses earn paltry amounts and fade away into insignificance in a short amount of time.
Take heart though because if you start off by following these guidelines to starting your own internet business, you will have a solid platform from which to grow your business.
The dismal performance of many home based internet businesses can often be caused by not adhering to one or more of the following;
- A sound Business Plan is essential and it should consist of the following:
- a short term plan (1-3 months)
- a medium term plan (6-12 months)
- and a long term plan (more than 1 year)
In this plan you need to record budgetary items as well as your objectives in terms of what you want to achieve in monetary value as well as lifestyle.
Reducing the above to writing is highly motivating and serves as an excellent source for inspiration when you are feeling flat and demoralized.
Remember: Proper Planning Prevents Poor Performance
- Domain Name - Establish and register an appropriate domain name - not a freebie as it will hurt your search engine rankings for one thing and your credibility for another.
- Web Hosting - Sign up with a reputable web host, not a free one, and ensure that they offer enough web space and bandwidth for your needs and do not host ‘bad neighborhood’ websites on their servers.
This could have a detrimental effect on your site’s rankings and effect server reliability.
- Website Design The image, functionality etc of your website obviously needs to be out of the top drawer. It’s no good having tons of traffic that is not captured and doesn’t result in sales.
- Products and Services - Decide on the products and/or services that you are going to market.
- Affiliate Marketing - If you are going to do affiliate marketing decide on a niche market and promote the appropriate affiliates only.
Promoting many products and affiliates on your site will only serve to confuse the site visitor and result in no sale!
- Advertising - If you are going to spend money on advertising, spend wisely.
You don’t want to spend your budget on non-effective marketing.
- Website Traffic - To establish a high profile for your website you will need to pay a lot of attention to Search Engine Optimization for your site to appear in the SERP’s (Search Engine Results Pages)
- E-Mail List - Establish an opt-in email list to send out newsletters to.
As the list grows so will your business, however if you indulge in spamming practices your business will only go one way…down!
Their are many dubious offers out there that promise to drive huge amounts of instant traffic to your site…beware of wasting your money on them
You will find great inspiration, ideas and tips for your Internet Business at http://www.income.za.net and http://www.internetbusiness.co.za
Finally, remember that even the best laid plans will come to nought if they are not constantly implemented
, monitored and applied with drive and passion.
Posted by Administrator on 17 Mar 2006 10:00 am. Filed under
Work from Home.
Do you know what I think the Internet is? It’s only a tool that we can use to get in contact with other people! It’s not a money machine, it’s not a fast path to millions and it’s not an easy way to earn money!
That’s my opinion.
Don’t get me wrong I think the Internet is a great invention and I love it, but I just don’t like the new trends that marketers are starting to create.
I’m getting sick of SPAM and all the new “make a million overnight” programs that pop up everywhere! So many are marketing the “Get rich quick dream” and leading even more people into false hopes and dreams!I have been marketing my share of programs online, and I see the same thing taking place over and over again!You get an “early notification” in your email so you immediately send it to your list that joins under you. In your first month you are doing pretty good and roughly earning say $400 a month!Then what happens?Next month commission is down to $350 and the next month $300 then $250 until your check is dead and gone!People online today sometimes completely lose focus in all the hype, smoke and mirros and it’s not even their fault! Also sometimes people tend to jump from opportunity to opportunity the second something new comes along.
I really miss a program or company one can focus on and build for years and years to come! I thought I could find it on the internet but now I have serious doubts! When dealing with electronic goods or info-products the competition is just overwhelming! Every day something new comes along and if you want to stay in the game ahead of the crowd you need to be reviewing and looking at most of these things to keep up.
Maybe that’s what Internet Marketing is all about? Learning about new products and services before the crowd and then promote the heck out of it. Once that’s done
, you start looking for the next thing and start again?It’s a tough business.
After spending nearly 4 years doing Internet Marketing I am finding myself on a road that’s splitting up in two directions. One way is going back to work and doing the same things over and over and the other way is a different way that is new and different.
The most important point of everything I have said above is that when starting a Home Based Business on the internet you must find a realiable and established company that you can focus and build to its full potential and then and only then consider another income stream.
Always remember if you maintain focus and dont jump from opportunity to opportunity you will be able to build a strong and consistent income from home.
For more information or to get started today visit:
http://www.thegoldmine.co.uk
Yours TrulyMark Shields
http://www.success-coach.net
Copyright © Mark Shields is a personal development and home based business success coach who specializes in helping people start their very own Home Based Business.
Posted by Administrator on 15 Mar 2006 10:00 am. Filed under
Work from Home.
Coming up with great business ideas can sometimes turn people off of starting a home based business, but there are great home based franchise opportunities that are available through established companies to get you started. Franchises are no long just for fast food or gas stations - they have expanded into your home.
The great thing about purchasing a home based franchise is that you are starting off with an already successful company that will provide you with training to make your business more profitable. That training often means that, even if you do not have any prior experience in certain areas, you can learn the business quickly and effectively.
One popular home based franchise is in bookkeeping/accounting. Companies such as PFO Today and Padgett Business Services offer franchises and training opportunities. If you are a certified accountant, there are a number of franchise opportunities open to you.
Another home based franchise opportunity is in computer repair. Geeks on Call and Rescuecom offer franchise opportunities, so if you always tinkering with your own computer or fixing everyone else’s computer, this may be a great opportunity to make money from your hobby.
Are you a Monica - the compulsive cleaner from Friends? If so, then opening a cleaning franchise may be your dream home based franchise opportunity. Actually, many of the home cleaning businesses around are run out of the owner’s home. Check out some of the cleaning companies to see if they are selling franchises.
Just like cleaning companies, carpet cleaning businesses are almost all run as home based franchises. ServiceMaster and Chem Dry are two of the most well known companies in the carpet cleaning industry, and they offer home based franchise opportunities.
Finally, there are home based franchise opportunities out there in the pet business industry that is thriving. Doggie day care, pet-sitting, pet treats/food are all great businesses to do from your home. There are a number of companies offering home based franchise opportunities. Check out Pet Sitters, International, top dog Daycare and even Three Dog Bakery for great opportunities.
Read the rest of the article here: Great Home Based Franchise Opportunities.
Download the Free Quick Start Workbook (Free $97 Value!) and receive valuable tips, strategies and techniques designed to grow a very successful Home Based Business.
Copyright © Charles Fuchs is an established Six Figure Income earner and one of the top online marketer’s. He specializes in helping people start their very own Work at Home and Home Based Business on the internet.
I grant permission to publish this article, electronically or in print, as long as the bylines are included, with a live link
, and the article is not changed in any way.
Copyright © Charles Fuchs is an established Six Figure Income earner and one of the top online marketer’s. He specializes in helping people start their very own Work at Home and Home Based Business on the internet.
Posted by Administrator on 13 Mar 2006 10:00 am. Filed under
Work from Home.
Clients like it when you can work with them efficiently, and one way to maintain that great customer service is to keep your home based business organized. From a paperless office to a wastepaper basket, there are simple strategies for getting your home based business organized so that things move smoothly.
First, the best method for getting your home based business organized is to become paperless. Yes, there are still circumstances that require paper, but with computers, scanners, portable storage, and disks, you can maintain records without ever having to print anything. So think before your print on paper and make sure that you really need a hard copy of the document.
Another great way to get your home based business organized is to use filing cabinets. Keeping files in stacks on the floor will eventually create chaos. Purchase and use some filing cabinets to get your home based business organized. Also, make sure you use a simple method for organizing your files that you can follow all the time.
Maintaining a schedule of cleaning and organizing is another exceptional method for keeping your home based business organized. Put it in your planner if you have to, but schedule some time each day for putting things away, and schedule a time each month and year to go through records that you may not need anymore.
A wastebasket is a simple and inexpensive way to get your home based business organized. Throwing things away is okay. The statement is a mantra you should recite every day. Get a clear idea of what you need to keep and what you do not need. Purging the unnecessary items in your office will get your home based business organized.
Shelves, shelves, and more shelves are key to keeping your home based business organized. When working from home, your space is limited, and that small space can cause disorganization. Shelves are a great cure for the problem. You can find inexpensive shelving systems to keep your home based business organized.
Read the rest of the article here: Ways to Keep Your Home Based Business Organized.
Download the Free Quick Start Workbook (Free $97 Value!) and receive valuable tips, strategies and techniques designed to grow a very successful Home Based Business.
Copyright © Charles Fuchs is an established Six Figure Income earner and one of the top online marketer’s. He specializes in helping people start their very own Work at Home and Home Based Business on the internet.
I grant permission to publish this article, electronically or in print, as long as the bylines are included, with a live link
, and the article is not changed in any way.
Copyright © Charles Fuchs is an established Six Figure Income earner and one of the top online marketer’s. He specializes in helping people start their very own Work at Home and Home Based Business on the internet.
Posted by Administrator on 11 Mar 2006 8:00 pm. Filed under
Work from Home.
Please note: We jealously guard your email and
private information. We do not share, rent, sell, trade or
in any other way provide your information to outside parties
for any reason. We appreciate the trust you put in us.
============================================================
Market Solutions
Products That Create Income
18:08 3/6/2006
Volume 1, Issue 2
Jim Stone, Publisher admin@theonlinetools.com
============================================================
Welcome to Market Solutions,
In this issue, we look at an area that can make or break our
online efforts. That area is online credibility.
The non-personal nature of the Internet makes it all too
easy to become sloppy in our written communication. While we
don’t need to be a Pulitzer Prize winner to communicate
effectively, there are keys to help us develop a winning
image in our email, on our websites and more.
I hope you enjoy today’s edition. Your feedback is always
welcome.
Thank you for your time.
Jim Stone
===================================
Ten Inner Secrets of Internet Success
By Jim Stone
10 Reasons why you should join LGT http://www.leadgeneratingtools.net/mb/freeinfopack/whyjoin.html
===================================
Making Money through Product Resell Rights
Resell rights come in many forms and sizes. They can come in large packages with many products bundled together and offered for an almost suspiciously low price. Or they can be offered on a single product for a four-figure sum. There are also different types of rights offered allowing you to do different things.
Basic resell rights only give you the right to sell the product. You cannot claim the product is your own and you do not have permission to offer the resell rights to anyone else. Basic resell rights are usually the cheapest, so it may be easier to make a profit. Check the terms for how much you can charge for the product or if it can be given away, perhaps as a bonus with something else. There may also be conditions for distributing the product from membership and auction sites. If you are buying rights to software make sure you know the product well enough to deal with any troubleshooting enquiries. Some software rights sellers are prepared to deal with enquiries themselves. The product may also come with a web sales page that you can use, but check for any restrictions.
Master resell rights often include a web page with the product. They give you the right to sell the product and you can also pass on this right to your customers. However that is as far as it goes. Your customers cannot give the resell rights for the product to their customers. The best master resell rights packages will include a zip file containing everything you need to put on your download page.
There are two types of resell rights that may be referred to as private label rights. One type is where you are given the resell rights for a finished product and you are also allowed to put your name on the product as the author. This type of product is a ready-to-sell information or software product. You cannot change it other than put your name on it.
The second type of private label rights is also known as source code rights. The product is not a finished ready-to-sell item. Instead it will be the raw source material that you can use to produce a finished item. Programs will be in the source code format; information products will be in a word processor format, like MS Word.
You can change the product in any way you want. You can add your name as author, add more content, omit parts or split it into several products. You may also be able to sell resell rights and even master resell rights. Terms and conditions should be posted, so check them carefully. Most private label rights packages also come with a web page and graphics that you can use for selling.
If you have found a resell rights product that you think you can sell you need to do some basic market research before purchasing. How many people are searching for this type of product? How many competing products are there? Have you seen the product available elsewhere?
If you are going to sell on the internet you need to have access to the following skills. You must be able to edit web pages, create payment links and upload the product and web pages to a server. If you are buying private label rights you must also be able to edit the product. This is especially important if you are buying rights for software.
There are many ways you can sell products on the internet. You can usually set up your own website or add the sales page to your existing site. You could invest in pay per click ads or ezine ads. You could write articles. If you have private label rights to a book you can use some of the content to produce articles or even a free report for viral marketing.
Resell rights offer the advantage of not having to produce your own material. However, you need to be sure the product is good quality and that you have a good marketing plan.
======================================================
Source: High Quality Article Database - 365Articles.com
Posted by Administrator on 11 Mar 2006 10:00 am. Filed under
Work from Home.
How to profit by submitting articles to E-zines and build your home business gaining massive exposure online.
1. You’ll brand your web site, business and yourself by submitting articles to e-zines. You could include
your name, business name, your credentials, web site address and e-mail address in your resource box.
2. You will become known as an expert on the topics you write about. This will give you and your business
extra credibility which will help you compete against your competition.
3. Your article might also be placed on the publisher’s home page. If they publish each issue on their home
page this will give you some extra exposure.
4. You might get extra exposure if the e-zine publisher archives their e-zine on their site. People might want
to read the back issues before they make the decision to subscribe.
5. You will get free advertising. This will allow you to spend your profits on other forms of advertising. You
could buy advertisements in other e-zines that don’t publish your articles.
6. You might get extra income from people wanting to hire you to write other articles, books, or even ask to
speak at seminars. This is a great way to multiply your income.
7. You could allow e-zine publishers to publish your articles in their free e-books. Since people give them
away, your advertising could multiply all over the internet.
8. You will get your article published all over the web when you submit it to an e-zine publisher that has a
free content directory on their web site. They’ll allow their visitors to republish your article.
9. You’ll gain people’s trust. If they read your article and like it, they won’t be as hesitant to buy your
product or service. You will then be able to increase your profits.
10. You could get your article guaranteed to run in an e-zine. You could agree to run one of their articles in your e-zine if, in exchange
, they run yours in their
e-zine. It’s a win/win situation.
Stone Evans Will Personally Build A Money Making Website Just For You That’s 100% Ready To Take Orders And Pull In Massive Residual Profits. Get Details And Signup Today At:
http://www.endlessincomeforlife.com/pips
Posted by Administrator on 10 Mar 2006 8:00 pm. Filed under
Work from Home.
The more you understand about any subject, the more interesting it becomes. As you read this article you’ll find that the subject of traffic is certainly no exception.
The following paragraphs summarize the effort of traffic experts who are completely familiar with all the aspects of traffic. Heed their advice to avoid any traffic surprises.
Occasionally the most significant aspects of a subject are not immediately obvious. Keep reading to get the complete depiction.
There is one undeniable and fast rule in generating profit for your website: A continuous flow of website traffic. If no one goes to your site, it doesn’t stand a chance of generating a profit. Innumerable sites have tried and failed in doing so, and this results in the sites’ demise. It takes money to maintain a profit generating website; it also takes money to make money.
BUT, it doesn’t take a lot of money to generate traffic for your website.
Ever wonder how big hit sites drive traffic to their website? Most of them are spending tons of money to drive the traffic to their sites, investing in numerous advertising campaigns and different forms of marketing schemes and gimmicks. This is all fruitful because, adequately, they are what they are now, high earning, big hitting websites. You don’t have to do this if you don’t really possess their resources.
There are innumerable ways to generate inexpensive website traffic without having to spend money that you don’t have or can’t afford. Many individuals have banked on expensive methods and have ended up losing their shirt over it.
Here are the top five inexpensive ways to generate traffic to your website. Even if you only get a small percentage of successful visitors. To client ratio it still works, especially if you get a high number of website visitors.
Exchange Links
This is a sure and proven method. Rarely do you see a website where there is no link to another site. Many webmasters are willing to exchange links with one another so that they could produce more public awareness about their websites. In good time, you’ll see and experience the immediate upsurge of the traffic coming in to your website from other websites. A major prerequisite in exchanging links with other websites is having the same niche or content as the other site. They should share a common theme so that there is continuity in the providing of service and information to what is interesting to your target traffic.
Exchanging links also boosts your probability of getting a high ranking in search engine results. It’s common knowledge that search engines rank high websites that have inbound and outbound theme-related links. With a good ranking stance in the search engines, you will generate more traffic in your website without the high expenditure.
Traffic Exchanges
This is similar exchanging links but on a higher level. This may cost a bit more than exchanging or trading links but could be made less expensive because you get to earn credits. You can use those credits when viewing other websites, while you earn credits when someone views yours.
Traffic exchange services are the viewing of another’s website or page. You both benefit from each other’s efforts to generate traffic. The other website’s visitors can go to your pages and know more about your site as well as theirs. Once again the public awareness of your website’s existence is boosted.
Is everything making sense so far? If not, I’m sure that with just a little more reading, all the facts will fall into place.
Write and Submit Articles
There are innumerable ezines and online encyclopedias on the internet which contribute free space for articles to be submitted. If you want to save costs, you can do the articles yourself. There are many freelance writers who are willing to write for you, for a small fee, but to save money, it would be sensible to do those articles yourself.
Write articles that are themed along with the niche of your site. Write something that you have expertise on so that when people read it, they can feel that you are knowledge about the subject and will be eager to go to your website. Write articles that produce tips and guidelines of the subject or niche your site has. Include a resource box at the end of your article that can link them to your website. Write a little about yourself and your website. If you provide a light, information-laden and interesting article, they will go to your website for more.
Newsletters
This may sound like hard work because of all the articles you may need to use to construct a newsletter, but on the contrary, this isn’t true. There are many writers and websites that are willing to provide free articles as long as they can get their name in your newsletter. This will also provide free advertising for them as well. As your newsletter gets passed around, you can widen your public awareness and build an opt-in list that can regularly visit your website.
Join Online Communities and Forums
This only requires your time and nothing else. You can share your knowledge and expertise with many online communities as well as your website. You can get free advertising when you go to forums that have the same subject or niche with your site. Ask a question or reply to someone else’s question and they will soon identify you as being knowledgeable with the subject. As you build your reputation, you also build the reputation of your website, making it a reputable and honest business that could be frequented and trusted by many people.
Now you can be a confident authority on traffic. OK, maybe not an expert. But you should have something to take to the table next time you join a conversation on traffic.
That’s how things stand right now. Keep in mind that any subject can change over time, so be sure you keep up with the latest news.
About the Author
Shelby Carr is a 25 year veteran Bookkeeper and has been active on the Internet since 1996. Due to company down-sizing she turned her interests to marketing. Shelby has written articles on affiliate marketing and website promotion. She is the publisher of “The Profit Shack” newsletter and owner of http://www.theprofitshack.com.
Source: High Quality Article Database - 365Articles.com
Posted by Administrator on 9 Mar 2006 8:00 pm. Filed under
Work from Home.
One of the more time consuming tasks of maintaining a website is having continuously to update it with new products and other relevant content. Wouldn’t it be nice therefore if you had a website that was self maintaining with automatically renewing content and the possibility of it earning a nice income for you?
There are a lot of savvy netpreneurs who are quietly raking in thousands of dollars each month by joining the ebay affiliate program and building niche websites based on the hottest selling products presently listed on ebay. Others add permanently updating content to their existing website to create more interest.
The first thing to do is to sign up to the ebay affiliate program, by going to Commission Junction.com who administer ebay’s affiliate program in America and the UK. You will be sent a user name and password. An important point here is never disclose your log in details to ebay or Commission Junction. Scam emails are still doing their rounds on the web purporting to be from ebay and asking you to confirm your log in details. Always ignore these emails and delete them straight away.
What you will receive from ebay is a welcoming email with links to the various tools and resources that will allow you to build an ebay listing of your chosen subject. The three main tools to create listings are the flexible destination tool, the ebay editor kit and the API Tool.
The flexible destination tool allows you to create links to specific pages on ebay. Simply enter your Commission Junction PID (do not get this mixed up with your Commission Junction account number), the ebay page you want to link to, give your link a title and then generate your link to copy and paste into your web page.
By using the ebay editor kit you can build a whole page of listings of your chosen niche, anything from 1 to 200 listings, although 15 to 25 is a good size page to have. Let’s say that you want an ebay page that deals with cars, you could generate a whole page of cars of any make or model or you could narrow it down to a particular make and model, the options are there for you to choose from.
The API Tool is designed for the more adventurous webmaster and allows you to take the ebay affiliate program to greater heights. Unless you have a penchant for developing it is best avoided and left to those that have the necessary experience to use it.
If you cannot think of a subject to build a website about, just visit any ebay home page and click “Advanced Search” at the top right of the page and choose a category from the menu to the right of the search box. From here tick “Completed Listings Only” and press to continue. If you want to be more specific and narrow down your search, add a description into the box. On the next page select “Price, Highest First” from the menu and you will get all the highest ticket items sold in the past few weeks. This is an excellent exercise to conduct if you are not too sure what you want to promote from ebay.
So there you have it, the above process will add updated clickable links to eBay auction listings for whatever you decide to promote. The process makes it simple for you to add future and updated content on your site relating to whatever your site is about and you can add as many pages of auction listings as you like.
Ian Simpson reviews software and informational products on the internet for their value and usefulness. Subscribe to his free tips newsletter at http://www.information4income.com
Source: High Quality Article Database - 365Articles.com
Posted by Administrator on 9 Mar 2006 10:00 am. Filed under
Work from Home.
Have you ever been shopping and the salesperson ignored you? How did it make you feel to receive such poor customer service? Most people would say that they would never return to the store. Poor customer service can cost you more than clients, but it can cost you money in your home based business. Yet there are ways to provide good customer service in your home based business that work to keep customers happy and coming back for more.
First, find your niche. Good customer service begins with offering your customers something that they cannot get anywhere else. Find that one customer service area that separates you from the rest and use it to provide great customer service in your home based business.
Another way to provide impeccable customer service is to not waste time on tasks that can be done via computer or in another automated way. Use templates for correspondence or an automated money management program to save time, thus moving your energies over to providing great customer service to your clientele. Also, don’t waste time doing small tasks that are unproductive. Streamlining your filing method or having junk mail automatically filtered will again allow you to have more ability to provide better customer service in your home based business.
Focusing your advertising on those that need your services allows you to provide great customer service in your home based business. If your advertising method is not working to support your consumers, then provide better customer service in your home based business by changing the way you market your products.
Being prompt in responding to consumer needs and following up are absolutely key to providing great customer service in your home based business. Clients like to know you care about their needs, and they do not like to wait for an answer or an order. Follow up is also important, as great customer service in your home based business begins by not making the client feel ignored.
One area that is highly debated in the area of providing excellent customer service in your home based business is the refund policy. Some of the most successful businesses do all that they can to provide excellent customer service, and they will offer refunds or exchanges with no questions asked. Be willing to work with your consumers to provide great customer service in your home based business.
Read the rest of the article here: Customer Service in Your Home Based Business.
Download the Free Quick Start Workbook (Free $97 Value!) and receive valuable tips, strategies and techniques designed to grow a very successful Home Based Business.
Copyright © Charles Fuchs is an established online marketer who specializes in helping people start their very own Home Based Business. He has also created dozens of articles such as MLM Leads and Make Money Online.
I grant permission to publish this article, electronically or in print, as long as the bylines are included, with a live link
, and the article is not changed in any way.
Copyright © Charles Fuchs is an established Six Figure Income earner and one of the top online marketer’s. He specializes in helping people start their very own Work at Home and Home Based Business on the internet.
Posted by Administrator on 9 Mar 2006 6:00 am. Filed under
Work from Home.
Do you have a passion, something you love and enjoy talking about with others? Here is a home business opportunity that will allow you to make money from your passion by starting a home-based newsletter business.
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Do you have a passion, something you love and enjoy talking about with others? You have heard people say that you should do what you love, sometimes what we do is not necessarily, what we love but we do it because it pays the bills. Here is a home business opportunity to change that and to make some money from something that is dear to you by starting a home-based newsletter business.
The newsletter business is a huge business in of itself. Many newsletters are distributed by a variety of organizations, from for-profits to not-for-profits such as schools or charities. For this reason, newsletters can be an easy sell since your audience is not only accustomed to receiving newsletters but many people look forward to receiving a short 4-page booklet about something they find interesting and useful.
To get started, find a niche topic that you think others in your community may find interesting and would like to hear about on a periodic basis. Your topics could range from local bird populations and species to bikes and bike trails. The topics to select can be endless, but may be a product of your local community and what the community finds interesting.
After you have decided on a topic, consider the frequency of distribution, weekly/monthly/bi-annually. The period you select may also depend on the amount of research you will have to conduct. Even though you consider yourself an expert on the topic, you may find yourself conducting research more often than your first thought in order to keep the newsletters content fresh and unique. You may even try to find a guest columnist or conduct an interview with a local who knows something about the topic. Lastly, you need time to sell a few advertisements to offset the production costs of the newsletter.
To make your newsletters interesting consider a seasonal flare, where the colors for instance of the newsletter match with the upcoming seasons, bright reds, yellows and green for spring and browns, grey and purple for autumn. Whatever you decide, make it fun.
When it comes to pricing, the simplest method is to take your production costs and add 20% to those costs. You may have to absorb much of the initial costs if you do not have many subscribers, which you should account for during the earliest stages of launching your newsletter. If you have a computer and a good laser printer, you can cut your costs dramatically.
Now that you have started up and are producing a quality product, you have to distribute the newsletter. The quickest way to get new subscribers is by word of mouth, which is when people begin telling or referring others to your newsletter. You can start by giving free copies to friends and family and ask them to pass them around to their friends. You can drop off a few copies at the local hair salon, dentist and doctor’s office.
To create a buzz, you can run a price promotion, half off for the first six months. Yet even better, you can run a combined promotion with another complimentary business. Let us say that your newsletter is about migratory birds, why not ask the local pet store if you can include a coupon in the newsletter for something free, such as a sampling of new birdseed. The store manager may have birdseed that the birdseed manufacturer’s representative dropped off. This is a real win-win situation for all parties involved as you get to provide your subscribers with something free, the pet store gets traffic into the store
, and the birdseed manufacturer gets customers using their brand of birdseed compared with that of the competitors.
I hope that you will have fun starting up your new business and that it will be a wonderful chapter of your life.
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Peter Engelbrecht is President of Diagonal Street Business Services. The company offers practical advice and business ideas to stay at home moms. If you are planning or thinking of starting a home-based business, you can obtain a FREE copy of Starting a Home Business: Internet Guide.
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