Answer You - Internet and Businesses Online

Spreading Like Wildfire
Home based businesses have become widely accepted all over the world and are spreading like wildfire. They have become the most desirable businesses for a number of reasons. Imagine how it would feel to get up at your own sweet time and not hurry to office in the regular chaos of snarling traffic all the while getting choked on pollution. And then, to begin the day as though you are fresh from home and nothing has happened. Listen to the Boss ordering you around and giving you the grind for deadlines.If you are willing

, or how professional your staff photo looks. Your company info will only matter to your prospects as they compare you to alternatives, after you have already gotten their attention with a message that relates directly to them.

3. Weak calls to action

Design, Design, Design
You need only one card, but make it noticeable. Make sure it says the right thing.I mentioned before that you can make some cards using your computer. However, I would suggest that you take time to have them designed in order to look professional. A good designer will cost at the beginning of the process but, over time, the cost will be negligible compared to the amount of business you can generate by simply using a business card. Your main card should have a simple and clear design that makes it easy for the recipients to con

You see them every day—self serving marketing messages, clich?-riddled business cards, and sales letters that do little more than ramble on about a company that you couldn’t care less about. This marketing dead weight doesn’t compel you to respond or buy, but instead just bores you with meaningless babble.

Why is so much marketing so pointless? The short answer is time and effort. The easier it is for businesses to rely on filler, the less they have to actually think about what the customer really cares about. Unfortunately for them, the less they think about the customer, the less relevant their marketing becomes.

Your own marketing doesn’t make the same mistake, does it? Of course not! But just to be safe, here are some examples of marketing dead weight to keep an eye out for. If you find any of these in your own marketing, eliminate them without mercy.

1. Clich?s

The business clich? is the most popular form of dead weight thanks to lazy corporate marketers and the small business owners and self-employed professionals who follow their poor examples of “professional” writing for their own material. Here are the worst offenders:

• “Premiere provider”, “Number 1”, “The Best”. It’s amazing how many businesses all happen to be the best in their industries. If you are going to claim to be the best in any particular area, back it up with measurable facts, preferably from a reputable 3rd party. Also keep in mind that being “the best” probably means more to you than to a prospect who is simply looking for “good enough”.

• “Committed to Excellence”, “Customer Focused”, “Results Oriented”, “Win-Win”, “Integrity”, “Value-Add”. These clich?s attempt to take credit for basic business skills. Of course you’re customer focused, committed to excellence and results oriented! If you weren’t, you’d be out of business. These types of statements are simply empty promises of value. Instead, demonstrate your excellence with samples, case studies and testimonials that let others brag for you.

2. Focusing too much on the company, not the customer

No one cares about your company, how long you’ve been around, or how professional your staff photo looks. Your company info will only matter to your prospects as they compare you to alternatives, after you have already gotten their attention with a message that relates directly to them.

3. Weak calls to action

Secret Shoppers
Secret Shoppers are people hired by companies to evaluate the quality of work and customer service in a particular industry. A secret shopper works freelance and anonymously, posing as a normal everyday shopper, and submit a report to the management at the end of the day. Secret Shoppers are usually employed by large retail, department stores, restaurants, manufacturers and theaters etc.The most important key to a successful business setup is customer satisfaction. The profit of a company that produces consumer goods significa

hem, the less they think about the customer, the less relevant their marketing becomes.

1. Clich?s

2. Focusing too much on the company, not the customer

3. Weak calls to action

robots.txt, An Online Marketers Friend or Foe?
Robots.txt is possibly the most miss understood file that a website can contain.Many people think that by using a Robots.txt file on their website they are protecting pages and folders from thieves and hackers. In fact it is totally the opposite! Robots.txt opens up an enormous security hole that hackers and thieves will use to easily gain access to the parts of your website that you don't want them to.What is Robots.txt?Robots.txt is a file that you create and upload to your websites root directory that

xamples of “professional” writing for their own material. Here are the worst offenders:

2. Focusing too much on the company, not the customer

3. Weak calls to action

Big Dreams Can Lead To Big Disappointment
When you think about the goals you have for your online business, do you think big? Do you release that new ebook with dreams of selling thousands of copies or create an affiliate program landing page with the goal of being a top-10 affiliate for that product?That's what many in this industry will tell you to do. They will tell you to set big goals, bigger than you can ever imagine happening. They will tell you that those big goals will inspire you to even bigger success.They're wrong.Thinking small is the singl

Results Oriented”, “Win-Win”, “Integrity”, “Value-Add”. These clich?s attempt to take credit for basic business skills. Of course you’re customer focused, committed to excellence and results oriented! If you weren’t, you’d be out of business. These types of statements are simply empty promises of value. Instead, demonstrate your excellence with samples, case studies and testimonials that let others brag for you.

2. Focusing too much on the company, not the customer

3. Weak calls to action

Public Relations and Party Supply Companies
Public Relations Programs and such for Party Supply Companies are not tough due to the number of events they are involved with and yet often sometimes something unique in nature also makes sense because this means a little innovation bonus in the minds of the community. Consider if you will that a Party Supply Company can receive community goodwill thru participation in a Neighborhood Business Mobile Watch Program. What you ask; Why? Well think about the Party Supply business model for a second;PARTY SUPPLY COMPANIES: These pe

3. Weak calls to action

Imagine writing a brilliant sales letter, free of clich?s and puffery. From the first sentence your readers are captivated by your thorough understanding of their needs and your clear solutions to their problems. So how do you end it? With a weak “Give me a call any time to discuss your needs”. After all that build up, don’t go limp at the end when a strong call to action is needed to pull prospects through to the next step. Tell them what to do and why.

4. Silly clip art

Here are 3 stock photos that are guaranteed to add excess tonnage of dead weight to your marketing, web site and business cards:

a. Two hands shaking (intended message: Done deal, let’s do business together, partnership. Real message: I needed a colorful picture on my web site and I had no idea what else to use.)

b. Skyscrapers (random or city specific, intended message: Big, strong, important. Actual message: We are a tiny business trying to look bigger and more important than we really are.)

c. 2-4 models/executives all huddled around a computer screen and smiling like they just had a group lobotomy. (intended message: ???)

If you want to dress up your website or brochure with pretty pictures, use photographs that are at least mildly original, differentiate you from your competition and communicate something relevant to your market.

5. Too many words

Every part of your marketing arsenal has a word budget—the exact number of words that it will take to get your prospects to take action. The more unnecessary words you use, the fewer people will maintain interest and finish reading. Be brutal in your editing and get rid of every letter that doesn’t support your core message and offer.

The sooner you rid your marketing of dead weight, the sooner you can refocus on why you are in business and what will motivate prospects to hire you.

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The choice of a domain name can be pivotal to the success of your business. Much like choosing a name for your business, the goal of choosing a domain name is to make it easy to remember. If potential customers can’t remember your domain name, they won't be able to visit your site and check out your business. Chances are, they won't take the time to find refresh their memories on your domain name; they'll just look elsewhere. That results in a loss of potential income for you. Another consideration in choosing a domain name is the effect your chosen name will have on your site's ranking by search engines. Most ....

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