A Passion Based Business Strategy

Posted on July 25, 2011 by Brian

Ever wonder why you went into business and just what the heck are you doing all this for? Sometimes it helps to go right back to the beginning of your business journey. What prompted you to go into business? This trip back in time to the roots of your entrepreneurial seizure is illuminating.

Your business strategy should start with a purpose statement. The why of  how you came to be in business. This is the very beginning of it all. As they say – “If the why is strong enough, the how will present itself”.

Many people start businesses to make a lot of money, others because of a passion for a particular idea or philosophy. Either way there was a drive within to express yourself through business.

Running your own business can be one of the most challenging and rewarding things you may ever do in your life. It helps if you keep in touch with that little flame that started it all.

If, through introspection, you can still feel the burning desire to achieve your highest ideal through business, then fan that flame through visualizing once again your cherished outcomes. Even better, write down your goals and aspirations and commit to them in your business plan.

Go back to the beginning of what you wanted from your business such as financial freedom, creative expression, a fantastic lifestyle or all this plus lots of time with family and friends. By focusing on what it was that initially put you in the position you are now in, you can gauge whether you are on track or not.

Be brave about what you want from your business and life. Don’t settle for less than your ideal. When we come to the end of our days we will all ask ourselves pretty much the same questions; “Did I Live?’  “Did I Love?” “Did I Make A Difference?” I am sure you have been told that life is short, so make the most of the opportunities you have now to make your business everything it can be.

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Your Marketing Mix – Reduce Your Risk

Posted on July 11, 2011 by Brian

Is your business too reliant, and therefore vulnerable, because it relies on one form of marketing? Or do you have an effective and tested marketing mix? These are important questions to ask yourself when it comes to your business longevity. A high percentage of businesses take a passive approach to their marketing.

They wait for their existing clients to tell other people about their business (referral marketing or word-of-mouth). Whilst this is a powerful way to generate business, it also makes you totally reliant on something you can’t control – your clients comments about your services.

You need to become proactive when it comes to marketing your business, and you need to have more than one leg on your marketing structure to create a stable and consistent revenue stream. Now, I can’t show you one way to generate 100 clients, but I can show you 100 ways to generate one client.

This is the concept behind your marketing mix. By employing multiple approaches to how you generate leads and prospects, you not only create a more consistent stream of income, you reduce the risk to your business of only having one strategy working for you.

By all means have word-of-mouth marketing working for you. To increase its effectiveness though, implement a proactive referral campaign. To then add more legs to your marketing base you could then  include networking events, public speaking, article writing, promotions, and advertising.

The message here is simple, reduce your risk and increase your business by developing a low-cost marketing mix to build revenues.

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Creating A Low Cost Website

Posted on June 24, 2011 by Brian

When you first starting out in business you want to keep your costs low, right?

Well, one way of reducing outlays when it comes to website creation is to use WordPress for your first website. Many small businesses spend a small fortune on developing websites that in no way contribute to growing their revenue. Unless you’re very web savvy, or have the budget to pay someone who is, conserve your precious capital when initially establishing your presence on the Internet.

By using a WordPress website/blog you achieve the following objectives:

  • Establish a web presence at the lowest cost.
  • Dramatically slash the lead time to have your website up and running.
  • Dramatically reduce your ongoing maintenance costs.
  • Establish your business marketing collateral and credibility quickly.
  • Put a lead generation mechanism in place in half the time of a traditional website

Now, I’m not saying that you should never have a professionally written website created. What I am saying is that in the beginning of your business journey you need to consider preserving your capital. Many small business owners delay the development of a website until such time as they have sufficient funds.

Even when they have the funds, the process of selecting a competent web designer, developing and refining the website and copy as well as images and graphics, can take many weeks, even months. A WordPress blog/website can be created and functional within a few days.

All you need is the domain name, a hosting company account, and perhaps access to a graphic designer to create headers and images. The domain name will cost you anywhere between $9 and $15, whilst hosting can be obtained for as little as $7-$10 per month. There are many free WordPress themes and plug-ins, allowing you to tailor your website for low-cost.

Once you get the hang of WordPress you can add your own content such as text and images quite easily. I would suggest that you self host rather than use the free WordPress hosting as this allows you more freedom and flexibility to manage your website as you see fit.

Consider choosing a hosting company that utilises Cpanel (content management system) and Fantastico (allows you to create your own WordPress blog in around two minutes). Check out YouTube videos to see how easy it is to create a blog site and have a site to send leads and prospects to – quickly.

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4 Small Business Article Marketing Tips

Posted on June 21, 2011 by Brian

Do you have a website that is not getting an awful lot of traffic? Article marketing can be a very effective way to drive eyes to your site, if conducted with the following in mind.

Keyword Research

You must identify the keywords visitors, to sites like yours, are entering into the search engines (Google, Yahoo, Bing). If there is enough local  search volume (say more than one thousand per month) then obtain a list of 5-10 main keywords to use in your article titles and body.

Quality Information

This is where many article writers fall down. Don’t write a pushy sales letter – write a value packed relevant article. The aim is to present your self as an authority on the subject of the article. If you provide great content readers will be more likely to follow your links back to your site. Softly, softly,  try not to scare them away with a screaming sales pitch!

Call To Action

You have the facility in most article directories to include a small promotion for your website or business. Use this area at the end of the article to offer an irresistible offer of free reports, white papers, sample services or product. Tell them what you want them to do, say – “click on this link and go to my website to download your free report now”.

Anchor Text

This is your prime keyword/s entered in the resource box area of your article. Readers can click on these links and be taken to your website. The other benefit is that Google will recognize the keywords in the links and associate these with your website. By doing this you will have more backlinks – this equals more ranking in the search engines.

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How To Create A Low Cost Website

Posted on June 14, 2011 by Brian

When you first starting out in business you want to keep your costs low, right?

Well, one way of reducing outlays when it comes to website creation is to use WordPress for your first website. Many small businesses spend a small fortune on developing websites that in no way contribute to growing their revenue. Unless you’re very web savvy, or have the budget to pay someone who is, conserve your precious capital when initially establishing your presence on the Internet.

By using a WordPress website/blog you achieve the following objectives:

  • Establish a web presence at the lowest cost.
  • Dramatically slash the lead time to have your website up and running.
  • Dramatically reduce your ongoing maintenance costs.
  • Establish your business marketing collateral and credibility quickly.
  • Put a lead generation mechanism in place in half the time of a traditional website

Now, I’m not saying that you should never have a professionally written website created. What I am saying is that in the beginning of your business journey you need to consider preserving your capital. Many small business owners delay the development of a website until such time as they have sufficient funds.

Even when they have the funds, the process of selecting a competent web designer, developing and refining the website and copy as well as images and graphics, can take many weeks, even months. A WordPress blog/website can be created and functional within a few days.

All you need is the domain name, a hosting company account, and perhaps access to a graphic designer to create headers and images. The domain name will cost you anywhere between $9 and $15, whilst hosting can be obtained for as little as $7-$10 per month. There are many free WordPress themes and plug-ins, allowing you to tailor your website for low-cost.

Once you get the hang of WordPress you can add your own content such as text and images quite easily. I would suggest that you self host rather than use the free WordPress hosting as this allows you more freedom and flexibility to manage your website as you see fit.

Consider choosing a hosting company that utilises Cpanel (content management system) and Fantastico (allows you to create your own WordPress blog in around two minutes). Check out the YouTube video below to see how easy it is to create a blog site and have a site to send leads and prospects to – quickly.

 

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