Marketing Your Home Business For Big Profits

Marketing Your Home Business For Big Profits

by: Jim Noel

Marketing your home business for big profits takes some due diligence and the right resources.

In 1999 I started a home based business, and I submitted my website to every search engine that would take it from here to the North Pole.

I submitted classified ads; I had more links on my website, than Carter has pills.

I bought the submission software’s, the top ads on classified ad sites, the linking programs and so on.

I had about $500 to spend on this venture and I spent it all on marketing.

Yes I got a few hits, and some replies. But after a year of not really getting off the ground, I closed down shop and stuck my tail between my legs and just took the loss and figured this home business stuff was not to done.

Jan 2004 I wanted to try this home business venture again, only this time I was going to some research on home business and how people succeed in it.

I read news articles on the internet, went into forums to see what others were doing, and so on. Found out quickly everyone has an opinion on what works and what doesn’t.

Well I did learn quite a bit, like on my first venture I was linking to every website that would take my link. I found out, it is not the amount of links; it is the quality of websites you link to.

That was one mistake. Found out also that these submission software’s and programs are not all that great either.

After about 6 months of research and reading, I reopened a new home business in July 2004. I applied what I had learned to this business.

To my surprise after about 2 weeks I started getting some affiliates, had a couple sales, and things were off and running.

A little over a month went buy and I was continuing to make progress, and then I stumbled on to what I consider is one of the best business tools out there.

It was an organization that had all the proven tools, resources, experts, materials, books you name it on how to get make big profits on your home business.

Well I signed up, and for once that was the best money I spent, a low monthly fee for all of there resources. Well let’s just say, that in 1 month my profits doubled.

The next month they doubled again! All this buy just having the right resources and tools at my disposal, is what made the difference in 2004, compared to my flop in 1999.

I turn 45 years old in 2005, and have planned on retiring from my full time job in the aerospace industry. My home business as gotten so big and so profitable that I know longer need my other job.

You know what J.O.B. stands for (Just over Broke). Well I know longer need to worry about that, now that I have the financial freedom to support my family for years to come.

Copyright 2004 Jim Noel

About The Author

Jim Noel

If you like more information go to http://www.moreinfo247.com/8772985.81/IAHBE

This article was posted on September 24, 2004

by Jim Noel

The Internet FWord

The Internet FWord

by: Judy (Wogoman) Cox

For the last several months Iกve been collecting and organizing links for the free Christian Resource Center. Now that the public area is up and the members’ area is well under construction, Iกm running into one problem: the Internet Fword.

One of the most popular search terms in the world. One of the Webกs biggest search term lies in the wrong hands. It’s so controversial that I can’t put it in the subject line of an email. (Thanks to those selfappointed email guardians who have done such a commendable job of protecting the sanctity of our email inboxes by eliminating the fword, thus leaving more storage space for Viagra ads, adult sites, and really personal growth secrets.) It’s still one of the best magnets to draw targeted traffic.

So, what if I have to advertise that my กMembers Areaก will have links to over 25,000 fr^e resources? Or that my public area has links to over 1,000 fr^e resources. Or that my ezine will feature fr^e resources in every issue.

Itกs all part of life on the new frontier, keeping up with the changing rules, avoiding misdirected vigilante กjustice.ก

No, I don’t like the stupid email filters that filter out the ezines I subscribed to while apparently laying out the welcome mat for the scammers, spammers, smut merchants, and gamblers. I could gripe to my family and friends or change my domain name to keep my URL from triggering somebodyกs spam filter. But, hey, I live in the land of the fr^e and the home of the br@ve. Think Iกll keep my domain name and post the ezine on the Web site for those who can’t get it by email.

If I can’t figure out some way to let people know my site is out there, then Iกm just not a good enough promoter. If I can piggyback that ontosay, an article that (I hope) advances the cause of exposing the Spamnazis and ISPs for their meddling, ineffective and intrusive (non)solution to ‘the problem of spam,ก so much the better.

Maybe I could even come up with a title that piques the readerกs curiosity while illustrating the woeful inadequacy of กfilters.ก After all, Iกm fr^e to submit fr^e articles to fr^e content sites and fr^e ezines all over the Internet to advertise my fr^e resources. I just can’t use the fword in the subject line.

Note to self: add กfr^eก to metatags on Web site before the Googlebotกs next visit 😉

About The Author

copyright, Judy (Wogoman) Cox,CFO (chief freebiegatherer & organizer)From the early writings of the prophets to end times prophecythe Gutenberg Bible to Christian video gamesall free:

http://www.freechristianresourcecenter.com/

mailto:[email protected]

[email protected]

This article was posted on May 05, 2004

by Judy (Wogoman) Cox

Resources For Staying Current of IT Advancements F

Resources For Staying Current of IT Advancements For Online Business Owners

by: Dan J. Fry

The internet and associated technology changes at a relatively fast pace. For anyone working in fields that make extensive use of IT technology, it is crucial to always stay one step ahead of the game. Keeping up the pace can be challenging and seem utterly impossible at times without the help of resources to pull from.
For instance, small online home business owners frequently rely heavily on search engines to produce quality traffic to their site. Because all major search engines strive to deliver highly relevant search results to surfers, index algorithms are in a stage of continual evolution. Resources for staying abreast of changes is a must.
(1) ClickZ News is one of the primary online resources for internet marketers. Part of Jupitermedia Corporation, ClickZ provides highly insightful news articles on topics ranging from search engine marketing, web host providers, email marketing, web site design, current spam laws, idea branding and consumer spending habits across a broad range of IT and electronic devices. Signing up for their newsletter entitles you to receive the latest news right to your inbox.
(2) Search Engine Watch is undoubtedly the top site regarding new evolutions in search engine algorithms. I highly recommend frequenting this site if you are like me and performing all search engine optimization (SEO) yourself. Search Engine Watch is also owned by Jupertermedia, Inc. The lead editor is Danny Sullivan, well known throughout the SEO community as an expert on search engines and ranking. He and associate editor Chris Sherman conduct interviews with sources at search engines on a regular basis and analyze SE news across the web.
(3) Search Engine Optimization, Inc (seoinc.com) is another leader in search engine placement. Founded by CEO Garry Grant, a leader with years of experience in web development, internet communications and search engine optimization. They offer a free periodic newsletter, InSites, packed with optimization strategies and current developments in search engine technology.
(4) Tech Review is the online version of MITกs Magazine of Innovation Technology. Covering a broad range of new innovations in the field of information technology from software to major hardware platforms, this is geared more towards big business systems rather than small business owners. They do however, offer a free newsletter, discussing new advancements and applications, making this resource relevant to online businesses.
(5) Useit is the site owned by Jakob Nielsen of the Nielsen Norman Group, providing resources regarding humancentered IT development. Highly insightful, this site is wonderful as it addresses IT development from the perspective of the people who will use it. Useit also contains a nice compilation of other IT related resources.
What is crucial without a doubt is to keep current on ideas and ideologies that exist throughout the IT corridor. It is not necessary to know the explicit details or กinกs and outกsก. If you have the correct resources at your disposal, you will stay one step ahead of the game of current online trends. Use these resources to stay ahead of your fellow online home business owners. Striving for new and better ways to reach your target market will ensure that your business stays on top.
by Dan J. Fry, c. 20032004, All rights reserved.

About The Author

Dan J. Fry is an independent researcher and owner of eKinetic.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 EZine on home business resources at mailto:[email protected] or by visiting his Infopreneur site at http://www.ekinetic.com. He can be reached at mailto:[email protected].

This article was posted on June 01, 2004

by Dan J. Fry

Plug and Play Resource Allocation

Plug and Play Resource Allocation

by: Stephen Bucaro

Your computer has many devices connected to it. Your key board is a device. Your mouse is a device. Your modem is a device. Even a port, like a USB port, is a device. You can add a device to your computer by installing it into an expansion connector on the the motherboard of the computer. In order to operate, resources need to be allocated to the device.

One of the most important resources a device needs is an Interrupt Request (IRQ) line. An IRQ signals the processor that the device needs attention. For example, each time you press a key on your keyboard, an IRQ is sent to let the processor know that the keyboard needs attention. A device also needs to be allocated a set of memory addresses where commands can be sent to it and it can send responses.

Many devices need to be allocated an area of memory to store data and/or a Direct Memory Access (DMA) channel. A DMA channel allows a device to create a data stream directly between it and the computers memory without passing through the processor.

One of the most important structures in a computer is the system bus located on the motherbord. The processor, chipset, memory, and expansion slot devices communicate over the bus. Early PCs used a bus called Industry Standard Architecture (ISA). When you installed an expansion card into the ISA bus, you had to set IRQs and other resources with jumpers and/or DIP switches on the card. ISA devices cannot share resources, each ISA device must have its own IRQ.

You can have more than one ISA device configured for the same IRQ, as long as only one of the device drivers is loaded at any one time; otherwise, youกll get an IRQ conflict.

Since a computer has only a limited amount of resources, the number of devices that a computer could support is limited. One of the most limited resources is IRQ lines. A PC has only 16 IRQs. Common devices such as the keyboard, mouse, floppy drive, and hard drive use a standard set of resources.

Standard IRQ aassignments

IRQ DEVICE

0 System Timer

1 Keyboard

2 IRQ Controller 2

3 COM2

4 COM1

5 LPT2

6 Floppy Drive

7 LPT1

8 RealTime Clock

9 ACPI

10 unallocated

11 IRQ Holder

12 Mouse

13 Math Coprocessor

14 Primary IDE

15 Secondary IDE

In 1993, Microsoft and Intel developed Plug and Play (PnP) to solve this problem. One of the main structures supporting PnP is the Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) bus. Along with a PCI bus, the computers BIOS, operating system, and hardware devices must be PnP compliant. One of the key features of PnP is that when installing a PCI card, you do not need to use jumpers of DIP switches to set the IRQ or I/O address for the card, the PCI bus controller does this for you.

The Windows 2000/XP operating system component responsible for PnP is the Advanced Configuration and Power Interface (ACPI). ACPI allows devices to be controlled by the operating system to perform power management. ACPI may put a device in a power saving state such as Standby, Suspend or Off. ACPI also allows dynamic handling of events like the addition or removal of a USB device.

During the boot process, the BIOS builds a table to record which IRQs have been used by legacy ISA devices and then assigns the unused ones to the PCI bus controller. The PCI bus controller, which is part of the motherboard chip set, manages the PCI bus and the expansion slots.

Each PCI device communicates its resource requirements to ACPI. Based on the resource requests that each device makes, ACPI assigns resources such as IRQs, I/O addresses, and memory locations, and DMA channels. ACPI can reconfigure resource assignments when needed, for example, when a device is added to the system.

The PCI bus overcomes the limitation in available IRQกs with a feature called กPCI steeringก. PCI steering makes it possible for several devices to use the same IRQ. PCI steering allocates an IRQ called the กIRQ Holderก for PCI steering. The PCI controller steers that IRQ to its own interrupt systems on the PCI bus. These interrupts are called A, B, C, D, and so on to avoid confusion with the numbered system IRQs. One interrupt is assigned to each PCI expansion slot.

To see which IRQ has been assigned to the IRQ Holder for PCI steering, open the Control Panel กSystemก utility. In the กSystem Propertiesก dialog box, select the กHardwareก tab and click on the กDevice Manager…ก button. In Device Managerกs กViewก menu select ‘resources by typeก, then open the กInterrupt request IRQก branch.

pcirq.bmp

Note that Windows 2000 uses IRQ 9 for PCI Steering, so never set a device to IRQ 9.

PnP resource allocation removes the need to use jumpers of DIP switches to set the IRQ and other resources for devices. But PnP involves a complex interaction between the computers BIOS, chipset, PCI bus, operating system, and PnP devices.

Copyright(C)2004 Bucaro TecHelp.

Permission is granted for the below article to forward, reprint, distribute, use for ezine, newsletter, website, offer as free bonus or part of a product for sale as long as no changes are made and the byline, copyright, and the resource box below is included.

About The Author

Stephen Bucaro

To learn how to maintain your computer and use it more effectively to design a Web site and make money on the Web visit bucarotechelp.com. To subscribe to Bucaro TecHelp Newsletter visit http://bucarotechelp.com/search/000800.asp.

This article was posted on December 21, 2004

by Stephen Bucaro

Computer Security What Exactly Is It?

Computer Security What Exactly Is It?

by: Ciontescu Molie

Although the term กcomputer securityก is used a lot, the content of a computer is actually vulnerable to only a few risks unless the computer is connected to others on a network. As the use of computer networks (especially the Internet) has increased dramatically during the past few years, the term computer security is now used to describe issues referring to the networked use of computers and their resources.

The major technical areas of computer security are confidentiality, integrity and authentication/availability.

Confidentiality, also known as secrecy or privacy, means that the information you own cannot be accessed by unauthorized parties. Breaches of confidentiality range from the embarrassing to the disastrous.

Integrity means that your information is protected against unauthorized changes that are undetectable to authorized users. The integrity of databases and other resources are usually compromised through hacking.

Authentication means that an user is who he claims to be.

Availability means that the resources are accessible by authorized parties. Examples of availability attacks are the กdenial of serviceก attacks.

Other important things that the computer security professionals are concerned about are access control and nonrepudiation. Access control refer not only to the fact that users can only access the resources and services they are entitled to, but also to the fact that they can’t be denied to access the resources they legitimately expect. Nonrepudiation means that a person who sends a message cannot deny he sent it and vice versa.

In addition to these technical aspects, the concept of computer security is very large. Computer securityกs roots are drawn from disciplines like ethics and risk analysis and the major topics that are concerning it are computer crime (tries to prevent, detect and remedy attacks) and identity/anonymity in cyberspace.

Although confidentiality, integrity and authenticity are the most important things when it comes to computer security in general, for everyday internet users, privacy is the most important one, because many people think that they have nothing to hide or the information they give doesn’t seem sensitive when they register with an internet service/site.

But remember that, on the internet, information is very easily shared among companies and small pieces of related information from different sources can be linked together to form something alot more complex about a person. Because of this, nowadays, the ability to maintain control over what information is collected about them, who may use it and how it can be used is extremely important.

About The Author

Ciontescu Molie

For information and resources on network, computer security, hackers, vulnerabilities, patches, advisories, and more visit http://www.itfreaks.com

[email protected]

This article was posted on April 25

by Ciontescu Molie

Why Resources Added to a Web site Increase Revenue

Why Resources Added to a Web site Increase Revenue!

by: Vishal P. Rao

There are literally billions of Web sites online now offering all types of products and services. Some succeed brilliantly, while others fail miserably.

There can be many reasons for the failure of some Web sites: poor marketing, poor planning, a weak knowledge of the target market, or just an overall lack of knowledge of business principles by the Web site owner.

One shared trait of successful Web sites, however, is the ability and drive to provide good resources to its visitors. This is a tactic that increases traffic, keeps visitors engaged and coming back, and lends authenticity and reliability to a site. Yet many new (and sometimes กnot so newก) Web masters neglect this very important facet of Web site development and Internet marketing.

Why? There are many reasons, however, here are the กmostก common:

1. A Web master may be unaware that resources when added to a Web site can add value and increase sales. Adding resources, especially those that are Affiliate links to other products or services, is a great way to กbackendก sales, by offering visitors more than the main product or service to buy.

2. A Web master may feel (wrongly) that offering other products or services, or including great informational resources may กcompeteก with their own product or service. They may be reluctant to expose others to resources or products and services that are the กsameก as theirs, feeling that the competitor will end up with the sale. This may be true to some extent.

However, the benefits of providing other resources and products or services besides the main product or service greatly outweigh the negatives. Studies have shown that Web sites containing great resources have more return visitors, and greater sales numbers overall.

3. A Web master may not feel comfortable assuming the liability for other products and services, or other resources that are added to a site. Of course, the more that a site contains, the greater the maintenance and cost associated with a site. However, again, the benefits of a resourceladen site far outweigh the liabilities.

4. A Web master may have no idea how to find good resources or make a judgment about what to add and what to omit.

All of the above seems to account for the reluctance of some to add additional products and services or resources to their sites. Since adding additional products and services are beneficial to almost all Web sites, here are a few guidelines when choosing which resources to add, which to omit, and the approximate amount of resources to add.

1. Resources should always reflect the main theme of a Web site and be complimentary to the main Web site, as well as the other products, services, and resources that already exist. E. G. An Internet Marketing site should, in all probability, only contain links to products, services, and resources that reflect Internet Marketing.

2. Resources should always be กcontent richก and interesting to the visitor. A smattering of lackluster, กsame old, same oldก type resources does the Web master little good, and may even hurt the Web site, by reducing its sales effectiveness.

3. Resources should be updated at least monthly, to keep the site กfresh and livelyก for return visitors. Visitors quickly lose interest if a site seems stagnant.

4. Resources should be plentiful enough to fill out a site, however, they should never overshadow the main theme of a site nor should they take away from the main purpose. They should be placed in an orderly fashion, and laid out for easy accessibility and readability. Clutter should be avoided at all costs, and a clean look maintained. There is a fine line here between กjust enoughก and กway too muchก.

5. Avoid gimmicky, poorly written, ethically substandard resources. A Web master must use judgment when choosing resources that are truly an asset to the site. กIf in doubt, don’tก is a good rule of thumb here.

Resources not only add quality and backend sales on a Web site, they enhance Search Engine placement by providing content and incoming links. They give visitors a good feeling about the site, and they set the Web master up as an กexpertก in any given field.

However, quality must always rule over quantity, when placing resources and additional products and services on a site. If prudence is used, resources will enhance sales and traffic, and keep the site กalive and wellก long after other competitive sites have disappeared!

About The Author

Vishal P. Rao is the editor of http://www.homebasedbusinessopportunities.com A website dedicated to opportunities, ideas and resources for starting a home based business. He is also the owner of the http://www.workathomeforum.com an online community of folks who work at home.

This article was posted on August 26, 2004

by Vishal P. Rao

Resources Ensuring You Never Get Scammed

Resources Ensuring You Never Get Scammed

by: Trent Brownrigg

The internet is loaded with SCAMS aimed at taking as much money from you as possible in the shortest amount of time. With so many innocent people trying to find a great opportunity to work at home it’s easy for scam artists to draw you in with the promise of riches.

Fortunately, there are resources available for you to check with to help ensure that you are not helping a scam artist to get rich by throwing away your hard earned money.

There are quite a few of these opportunity ขregulatorsข as I like to call them. Use these resources to investigate an opportunity before you get involved and/or send any money:

1) Federal Trade Commission (http://www.ftc.gov):

The FTC has a lot of information for businesses and consumers. You can check out things such as the top 10 consumer fraud complaints, workathome schemes, your legal rights, and much more. You can also file a complaint if you have already had a problem.

2) Better Business Bureau (http://www.bbb.org):

The BBB is a very well known and reliable resource for checking out businesses. They provide information on over 2 million organizations. You can find reliability reports on organizations as well as a lot of other helpful information. As with the FTC you can also file a complaint at the BBB if you need to.

3) Scambusters (http://www.scambusters.org/):

These guys claim to be the #1 Publication on Internet Fraud. You can find a wealth of information and resources on this site aimed at avoiding scams and fraud. They also offer links to other sites that may be helpful.

4) Internet Trade Bureau (http://www.internettradebureau.com/):

The ITB was formed to help promote fair business practices on the internet. They offer site reviews, and tracking of consumer complaints. They do not retain any members who get complaints.

5) ScamWatch (http://www.scamwatch.com/):

These guys offer a scam directory, a list of things to watch out for, scam reports, most likely scams, and more. There is a lot of information on this site designed to prevent you from being scammed.

You can also check with these organizations:

http://www.ifccfbi.gov/index.asp

http://www.quatloos.com/

http://www.webpolice.org/

http://www.dsa.org/

http://www.fraud.org/

Here’s a list of email addresses for you to report scams, fraud, and spam:

Email the FTC to report กget rich quickก spam email scams: [email protected]

Internet Fraud Center at [email protected]

National Fraud Information Center email: [email protected]

Email address of the US Postal Inspection Service where all กChain Letterก spam email scams should be sent: [email protected] and [email protected]

As you can see there are plenty of resources available to you so you should be able to check out any money making opportunity very thoroughly to ensure your safety. The above list is by no means all the organizations you can check with but they are some very reliable resources. If you find an opportunity listed in the scam or fraud section, of any of the above sites, I would highly recommend staying away from it.

Remember, there are many legitimate opportunities for you to choose from. Working at home has tons of rewards, so don’t give up on your dreams just because you are afraid of getting scammed. Do your homework on any opportunity you are pursuing and you should be fine.

Now, go and find yourself a legitimate business opportunity to secure your financial destiny!

Copyright © 2004

Trent Brownrigg http://workathomejobsiowa.com

About The Author

Trent Brownrigg is a successful home business entrepreneur, webmaster, and author of work at home articles. Learn more at: http://www.workathomejobsiowa.com. Find great products & services for your home, business, and family here: http://quickinfo247.com/8198358

This article was posted on February 11, 2004

by Trent Brownrigg

Ten Free Ways to Promote Your Site

Ten Free Ways to Promote Your Site

by: Marie M. Roker

1. Free Publicity.

You can create a dynamic, free press release at the following sites:

http://www.openpress.com

http://www.prweb.com

http://www.prfree.com

2. Free Tools to Make Your Website Sticky.

Want to keep your visitors interested? A sticky website is a site that gets visitors to stay longer.

http://www.freesticky.com

http://www.findsticky.com/index.html

http://www.hotplugins.com

http://janim.net/index.php

http://www.killerfreebies.com/webmaster.shtml

3. Write Content Rich Articles.

Are you an expert or knowledgable in a particular area? Share your expertise with others through your writing.

Great places to submit articles:

http://www.articlecity.com

http://www.alumbo.com

http://www.ideamarketers.com

http://www.familycontent.com

http://www.goarticles.com

http://www.selfgrowth.com

http://www.amazines.com

http://www.valuablecontent.com

http://www.submityourarticle.com

http://www.bellaonline.com

4. Create a Newsletter or Ezine for Free.

Ok, now youกve written and submitted your articles and you feel ready to start your own newsletters. These resources will get you on your way to being an ezine guru:

http://www.ezinequeen.com/articles.htm

http://www.emailuniverse.com/

http://www.netwoozy.com/ezinebuilder.pdf

5. Got Subscribers?

What use is an ezine or newsletter without subscribers? Who is going to read your ezine? Get your ezine in front of your target audience

Free Resources:

http://www.listcity.com You pay 03 per subscriber for premium listing, otherwise itกs free

http://www.totallyfreenewsletters.com

Also, try swapping ads with other ezine publishers who will reach your target audience.

Email Marketing Resources:

http://www.constantcontact.com

http://www.verticalresponse.com

http://www.intellicontact.com

http://www.topica.com

6. To Blog or Not to Blog

Yes, blogging is important. How else will a potential customer get to know you on an more personal level. How often you blog is up to you, but keep it interesting and incorporate some business tidbits into your blog. You may even opt to have a personal and a business blog.

Resources:

http://www.typepad.com

http://www.blogger.com

http://www.wordpress.com

http://ebloggy.com

http://weblogs.about.com/

http://www.blogexplosion.com

http://www.bloglines.com

http://www.feedburner.com

http://www.pingomatic.com

http://www.technorati.com/ping.html

http://www.daypop.com/info/submit.htm

http://www.feedster.com/add.php

http://www.popdex.com/addsite.php

http://www.boingboing.net/suggest.html

http://www.weblogs.nu/directory/submit.php?add=top www.webworldindex.com/

http://www.blogsearchengine.com/

http://www.blogwise.com/bycountry.php

http://www.bloguniverse.com/

http://www.blogarama.com/index.php?show=add

7. Free Stuff to Give Away

If you don’t have any products, promote other peopleกs stuff.

Free Ebooks:

http://www.freeebooks.net

http://www.supertips.com/101/index.htm

Freebies:

http://www.worldzone.net/ss/antelope/content_freebies.html

Free Email Service:

http://www.bigmailbox.com

8. Promote Your Site & Yourself

You won’t get any business, if no one knows about your site.

Join forums, join Yahoo groups, become a resource to other entrpreneurs. We can all learn from each other. Don’t advertise on these forums, but participate. Include your signature file, so people can find out more about you. Can’t find a forum or group for your niche, start one!

Resources for Forums:

http://www.selfstartersweeklytips.com.forum

http://www.supertips.com/forums/list.htm

http://internetmarketingforums.im4newbies.com/

Promote Your Site for Free:

http://www.selfpromotion.com

http://www.addme.com

Groups:

http://www.topica.com

http://groups.yahoo.com/

9. Exceed Expectations.

Don’t worry about what your competitor is doing, find out what they’re not doing. Make your visitors and customers feel that you are a resource for them. Provide outstanding customer service. If your product or service isn’t appropriate for them, refer them to someone else. It will get you more business in the long run. Find out what they like and give it to them.

10. Give Potential Customers What They Want

Use surveys as a way of communicating with current and future customers. Ask them how you can better serve their needs. Make them feel important by involving them in your business. Surveys are a great resource for getting to know more about your customers. You can get demographic information and more information about why they did or didn’t buy a service or product from you.

Free Surveys:

http://www.votations.com

http://www.zoomerang.com

http://www.surveymonkey.com

About The Author

Marie Magdala Roker is a mother, an Academic and Personal Development Coach, and a Certified Breakthrough Parenting Instructor, and a private tutor with Tutor.com. You can find here on the web at http://www.smartbeecoaching.com or http://www.successfulchild.com

[email protected]

This article was posted on November 27, 2004

by Marie M. Roker

Online Resources for Innovators

Online Resources for Innovators

by: Neil Armand

Small businesses, independent innovators, authors, and artists often find it difficult to locate useful sources of information and services pertaining to intellectual property industry. A number of online forums, including Patentcafe.com, NewIdeaTrade.com, and Inventioncity.com now provide innovators a wide range of free tools and resources.

At http://www.newideatrade.com/inventions.htm innovators can find detailed information on how to obtain a patent and a list of patent/copyright offices and intellectual property associations around the world. They can also review a sample nondisclosure agreement that can be used when someone with an unpatented idea or invention wants to show it to another party, and wants that party to not disclose any of the information. The forum also lists several free tools and resources that help innovators promote their websites.

At http://www.patentcafe.com, innovators can find information on invention evaluation, patent licensing, product development, patent search, and patent software. It also publishes useful articles on various aspects of the intellectual property industry. Innovators can also register their websites on its directory.

InventionCity (http://www.inventioncity.com) offers a host of tools and information including innovation market research, manufacturing, financing, and marketing resources. It also allows innovators to post their intellectual property on its database. In addition, it offers a list of helpful books and articles ranging from mastering the dynamics of innovation to anatomy of a business plan.

About The Author

Neil Armand

Intellectual Property Professional

Global Commerce & Communication

Telephone: 3202500950

Fax: 3202301096

Email: [email protected]

URL: http://www.gcchq.com

This article was posted on August 02, 2003

by Neil Armand

Building Community Websites = Success Online

Building Community Websites = Success Online

by: Martin Lemieux

In this article I will discuss how important is it to build community websites rather than straight forward sales pitches. Selling online is about bringing people together, not about stuffing products down your visitors throwts and expecting them to buy from you.

We have conditioned our minds all of our lives to accept advertising billboards, radio ads, newspaper ads, commercials, and all sorts of other advertising materials wherever we go. The same applies on the internet. This กconditioningก has enabled us to see past all the ads and look directly for the pertinant information that we are seeking.

People who are new to the internet are more likely to click on your ads for no apparent reason but to simply search and keep searching. Others that have beed online for years now, tend not to pay attention to as many ads on a daily basis like they used to.

If you are serious about making money online without having to spend too much of your budget, create a กcommunity onlineก. It is in our nature as human beings to want to belong, or to be involved within a community setting. Communities come in all shapes & sizes and are not limited to gender, race, nationality, or religion. A community can cater to whatever topic you wish and welcome whomever you desire.

Same concept applies to your website!

Building a community within your website is the key to increasing your business, keeping visitors coming back, and keeping your advertising budget in the bank. Show your visitors that you aren’t just here on the internet to sell them something. For example, we (Smartads), we are here to teach what we know about internet marketing. By teaching, we too learn more, gain more business, and attract new visitors.

RESIDUAL TRAFFIC IS THE KEY!

As iกve always mentioned to my clients & readers, getting people to your website is the easy part. Anyone with a $500 credit card can get traffic to their website, itกs keeping them there and getting your visitors to come back on their own time is what makes owning a website a dificult proposition.

Visitors always come back to communities they can relate to!

I always to go back to internet marketing communities online like:

www.webpronews.com

www.sitepronews.com

www.searchenginewatch.com

and so on… There are many internet marketing resources available for business owners. We are fortunate to have access to the vast amount of resources that we do, in order to increase our business & to increase our knowledge.

More resources online also increases competition. There are literally millions of websites out there and many of them might possibly be your competitors. Without building a community, people won’t remember who you are, or what it is that you do. Infact, if you are spending all of your money on banner ads, pay per click advertising, affiliates, and other marketing areas online, and at the same time you aren’t paying attention to increasing your home base, when your advertising budget runs out so too will the bulk of your traffic.

If your website isn’t good enough, your sales won’t be good enough. Granted; building a website can be very time consuming but just remember that you don’t need to create an empire over night. Just a little here, a little there, and before you know it, it all adds up to something you can be proud of. Over time, your website traffic will constantly be increasing.

PLEASE NOTE: If you stop advertising, your traffic won’t grow. Growing your website is all part of the whole plan.

What do we need to create a community website?

You always want to add extras to your site that interest you. By doing so, you will also attract people with similar interests and help to bridge the credibility gap online.

You can always add these to your website:

Personal blog

Helpful tips

Miniebook courses (on how to be a better client for you)

Other peopleกs articles

Chat forum (requires a lot of maintenance & promotion)

Free business directory listings

Family albums for users

Fun online questionnaires

Mind benders

Games

Contests (with actual prizes)

กHow toก articles

Government resources

Local community resources

Support local companies & vice versa

I think we can now get a sense of what building a กcommunityก website means. The key is to take your industry (even if it is boring), and teach someone about what it is that you do. The internet allows us to take in more information than we could ever imagine. There is always someone out there who wants to learn about your industry.

The key is to add on a little at a time. Talk to your web designer. Try and find unique little ways to build a community website online. Ask people what they look for within your industry. After time, you will know what it takes to keep creating more for your company online, and your wallet will love you for it.

Just remember the more you build, the less your advertising budget will be when you get there. Just keep it up until you get there, don’t give up on yourself, your company, or your future.

I hope youกve enjoyed this article!

About The Author

Martin Lemieux

Smartads President

Smartads International: http://www.smartads.info

Internet Marketing Tips: http://webmarketing.smartads.info

Business Resources: http://mindpower.smartads.info

Smartads Canada: http://www.smartads.ca

Canadian SEO Consultants: http://www.seoconsultants.ca

Smart Ad Search: http://www.smartadsearch.ca

Reprint Rights: You may reprint this article within your newsletter or website as long as the entire article remains the same, including the author information.

This article was posted on April 26

by Martin Lemieux

Whatกs Wrong With Your Promotions ?

Whatกs Wrong With Your Promotions ?

by: Larry Johnson

How many times have you been frustrated with your promotion efforts online ?

Letกs face it…most folks working online are amateurs when it comes to promotion. They simply don’t come to the internet prepared with the tools, experience and background in advertising and promotion.

The learning curve can be pretty steep when it comes to learning to promote effectively. There is a wealth of information and resouces availabe. In fact there are some many helpful sites and resources that it is very easy to become confused with the whole process.

Searching the internet for promotion resources provides you with lots of sites and gurus who will promise you the moon in exchange for your hardearned dollars.

Finding a few dependable sites and trusted webmasters who will act as a mentor in your learning process is one good tactic to consider.

Personally, I have developed a small group of allies online with whom I can discuss problems, find answers and bounce my ideas off.

You will discover that the old adage, กNever get in a hurry to buy or sell.ก, is still true today. You can easily run out of money buying this and that amazing promotional gimmick, software, service or product.

There is plenty to buy online, but there are tons of fr*e resources available too.

While the learning curve for learning to promote effectively online is a steep one, you can do it with some determination and with little damage to your pocketbook by being selective in the resources you choose to use.

Where will your promotional efforts be one year from now? Will you still be doing the same olก thing ? Or are you now ready to put into practice a plan of action that will bring you some great results ?

Best of luck with your promotional efforts.

Larry Johnson, (c)Copyright 2004

Biz Site Biz Ezine

http://www.bizsitebiz.com/

GET YOUR PROMOTION OFF TO A QUICK START with this fr*e weekly promotional and marketing ezine. Now in our fifth year of helping others succeed quickly. You will discover tips and new resources with a กHowtodoitก approach. Subscribe: http://www.BizSiteBiz.com/Subscribeform.html

About The Author

Larry Johnson is a webmaster and publisher with over 10 years online. He has a background in radio and TV as well as sales.

[email protected]

This article was posted on January 28, 2004

by Larry Johnson

Can You Build an Online Home Business Without a Mo

Can You Build an Online Home Business Without a Monetary Investment?

by: Craig Binkley

You see it all the time: Ads such as, ขFREE HOME BUSINESSข, ขMAKE A PROFIT WITH NO COST TO YOUข, etc. You see these claims in emails and on websites all over the Internet. You see them in your local newspaper and in magazines. Are all these ads just a bunch of lies, or can you really build a home business without a monetary investment? I believe the answer to this depends on a couple of different factors. 1) Is the person seriously trying to build the business and, 2) What are the resources being used to build it.

Let’s look at the first factor – YOU! (No, I am not picking on you.) What type of person can build a business without investing any money? He will have to be a selfstarter. There will be no boss looking over his shoulder to make sure the job is being done. He also must be dedicated and have a strong commitment to succeed. Trying to build a business this way is going to take much time and patience. There may be many hours of sitting in front of a computer submitting websites or placing ads in his immediate future. He must have ขstickabilityข. He must decide what he is going to try to build and stick with it. He can’t be jumping from one ขsure thingข to another.

The second factor we should look at is the resources being used. Building an online business using free resources can be a very time consuming experience. I have read several testimonials from people who have done it, so I know it is possible. Success mainly boils down to this: having the time to do the research on the many free online resources, and then doing the necessary work required in putting them to good use. Let’s take a look at a few of these free resources and see if they really work.

The Internet offers a wide variety of free resources available to a person trying to build an online business. From free web hosting & html tutorials, to free affiliate programs & advice (some good and some bad).

Websites:

If you are going to have on online business, you are going to need a website. Various companies offer free web hosting. Normally in exchange for this service, you will have to agree to some type of advertising on your site. Many of these sites will also have certain restrictions of what you can and cannot do with your site.

Many of these same free webhosting companies will also offer a website builder. These WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) editors are easy to use but are limited in what you can do with them. They do allow you to get a website up and running without learning html.

HTML: Learning HTML at first will seem almost impossible. What did you think the first time you looked at the source for a webpage? My first thought was ขYou’ve got to be kidding!!ข Actually, there are many sites on the Internet that offer free tutorials that are perfect for the beginner.

Drawbacks: Many free websites are very plain and to be truthful, most people don’t take them serious for a business. Look at it this way: You are given two choices of locations to go out for dinner. The first one is a nice but affordable, sit down restaurant while the other is a guy cooking on a hotplate on a street corner where the only seat is the nearest fire hydrant which one is going to look more professional to you?

Products:

If you are planning to sell some type of product on your site, you are going to have to find a place to get these products. There are a lot of companies that will ขdrop shipข their products for you. It’s really simple: You sell their product on your site, you collect the money from your customer, you place the order for this product from your supplier and they package and ship the product straight to your customer. Most of them will even show your company name as the return address. You pay your supplier the wholesale cost of products sold and you keep the difference between the retail prices you charged your customers.

Affiliate programs go beyond the drop ship companies. You promote their products, the customer clicks on your link to purchase the product and the affiliate company will handle the payment, ship the order, and send you a commission check.

Drawbacks: Making sure your supplier has the product readily available when your customer is ready to purchase.

Advertising:

There are tons of places online that you can place free classified ads. Simply do a search on your favorite search engine and you can spend days submitting ads all over the Internet for your product or service.

Search engines: Getting your site listed in the major search engines is a must. But once you get them listed, will anyone know you’re there? Think about your own search habits. When was the last time you searched through more than a few pages of results to find what you were looking for? Optimizing your website to get high search engine rankings can be a VERY time consuming affair. There are many resources available to help, but it still requires a lot of time.

Traffic Exchanges: You can join one or more of many different free traffic exchange programs. Simply put, you click on other websites to earn credits. When you earn credits, you site is listed on the site and some one else will click on your site to get their credits.

Drawbacks: Free advertising can and does work but it will cost you a lot of time in the process.

In conclusion, I would say that yes, a person can indeed build an online business without a monetary investment. But going into it with some foreknowledge of the necessary personal characteristics, process and time investments can aid you in being successful. Be prepared to spend a considerable amount of time. Search out many free programs and make decisions wisely. Even though the program may not cost you money, it will cost you time.

One last recommendation if you are considering trying this method: when you begin to see a profit, immediately invest a percentage of that money back into your business. You’ll soon start to realize that many of the necessary businessbuilding routes become shorter when you buy resources rather than rely solely on the free ones. Your business will still have not cost you anything ขout of your own pocketข, as you’ll be utilizing your first profits made from your time investments.

Copyright © 2005 – BornAgain Bargains

About The Author

Craig Binkley – husband, father and home business owner assisting in the restoration of the ขtraditionalข family through home business ownership.

http://www.bornagainbargains.com

This article was posted on February 23

by Craig Binkley