The Power of More Than One

Featured

Posted on 06/15/2012 by Arne Bush

History gives us many fine examples of what individuals can accomplish. It also shows us that working together, we can accomplish much more in a much shorter time. Where online marketing is concerned, going solo is a tough proposition. For that reason, Small Biz Incubator has initiated a team-oriented approach to business building. We are currently testing this strategy by jointly promoting various projects.

To date we have generated thousands of unique visitors to our blog site, and attained high rankings on the first page of Google for all of our primary keywords. We have accomplished this through a lot of hard work including content generation, on and offsite SEO, bookmarking and use of Web2.0 properties like Facebook, LinkedIn and Posterous.

Small Biz Incubator has been teaching these strategies to be used in individual business building for some time now. Our small groups, called Affinity Groups, have been primarily used for mutual support and encouragement, and to reinforce the training given through our live webinars. This is the first time we have employed all of our teachings in a group scenario, and are very impressed with the results! The level of participation has never been higher, nor the commitment to each other greater. Speaking of commitment, this seems to be one of the biggest factors that is driving participation! As people commit to one another, their level of participation and performance increases.

Doing business online has always been a challenge, particularly for individuals without a tremendous knowledge of the more technical aspects. By working in small teams (affinity groups), many technical weaknesses can be overcome. We find people are more able to learn from their group leaders and fellow members better, sometimes, than from the principal instructors! We love this, and know this is perfectly normal! Finding someone you can easily relate to is so critical to success in any endeavor. Most successful people attribute much of their accomplishment to their mentors.

One of the most difficult things about starting something is to have the courage and resolve to actually see something through to completion. For a lot of people (about 95% according to the statistics) this is almost impossible to do. Having a mentor, or mentors, is almost a necessity for most people. We are very social, after-all, and having someone you know to encourage you when the going gets tough is the thing many of us can point to as the primary reason we actually stuck our project out to completion.

Small Biz Incubator was founded with this in mind. After many years of struggling on our own, we discovered the Power of More Than One! This is particularly important in today’s online business environment that finds large groups of business owners jointly promoting each others’ endeavors. This creates a business environment that is difficult to penetrate. These groups of knowledgeable entrepreneurs have banned together to dominate the Google rankings, and attract most of the “buyer” traffic to themselves.

Small Biz Incubator Unleashes the Power of More Than One!

Small Biz Incubator is determined to make this same advantage available to other business owners through mutual promotion, mutual assistance and a suite of tools that anyone can quickly master.

What Do Profitable Business Ideas Really Require?

Posted on 10/13/2011 by Corinne.Floyd

Another Profitable Business Idea?

You do not feel like looking at yet another so called profitable business idea. Right?

You have downloaded so many, free and paid, ebooks, videos, business programs, and plans you do not even remember all the names.

I bet you have looked at about half of them, filed some away – who knows where – and started a few of them. Then you likely got frustrated, quit, and went back to searching. It is an addictive pattern.

What if I told you, believe it or not, that the struggle is all part of the process?

Why? Because with each “download” you have the renewed hope that you will finally discover how to create a successful online business.

In truth, you do learn something from each “download”. You learn:

What does not work
A few new skills
That there is more you need to learn
What appeals to you
What you do not want to do
And that you cannot do it all alone

Is there a secret to developing profitable business ideas into successful online businesses?

Yes, I believe there are two secrets.

The first secret is belief. You have to reach a point where you truly believe in your own success. You arrive at your own understanding that nothing will stop you from achieving your goals.

The second secret is being open to change. Do not marry an idea and refuse to change! It can be tricky because there are so many choices on the Internet.

Develop your own strategy to cope with change.

Narrow down your distractions choose one ebook, video, group, or forum and stay with it until you have learned skills you can implement. This can be a balancing act because all of a sudden another offer will come along and you have to decide whether to ignore it, ask for more information, or go ahead and download it.

Make a list of activities that become your daily, weekly, and monthly routine. Every week review your list – things do change rapidly and you will have to adapt your list. It is a paradox – I am suggesting two opposite things: change and stay focused at the same time.

Building an online business is a journey.

If you are reading this post then you are looking for profitable business ideas and how to implement them. By committing to your own financial success you are helping yourself, your family and even your country.

I would like to congratulate you on beginning your journey to build your own online business. I sincerely appreciate all people who take an interest in improving themselves and taking the responsibility for their own success.

Every great success is the result of a strong and sustained effort. I believe in giving people the information they need so they can make their own choices for building their businesses.

Where are you in your online business journey?

Are you determined to keep going?

If you are, then you may be ready for Small Biz Incubator. Small Biz Incubator and its Affinity Groups provide weekly meetings and trainings for its members. Working with a group, like the Affinity Groups, is so much more powerful than struggling along on your own. There is just too much for one person to effectively comprehend and put into practice.

The Affinity Groups is where the fun begins. Affinity Groups are Small Biz Incubator’s unique advantage. You will have the opportunity to ask questions, build new friendships, and most importantly get on track for building your own online business.

Join me for the 30 day trial run – after 30 days you can evaluate your progress and decide just how successful you choose to be!

Here’s to your profitable business ideas!

Corinne Floyd

Facebook’s Role In Business

Posted on 10/03/2011 by Arne Bush

Arne Bush

No one can deny that Facebook is an important player in the Online Marketing arena. When considering what role Facebook Business Pages should play in an overall marketing strategy, however, several factors should be considered.

The Facebook Fan Page Gold Rush – Is It Worth It?

With nearly a billion people already enrolled as members, and nearly half of them regularly active, it’s not hard to understand why marketers are rushing to build Business Pages in record numbers. Who wouldn’t jump at an opportunity to get their products and service in front of a billion people just waiting to snap up their offerings?

But, are fans really waiting, or even interested in doing business on Facebook? The facts might indicate otherwise. It could be argued that celebrities attract better interaction than most business opportunities, products or services. A recent study by Market Sentinal showed that even the most popular of them, however, are only able to get a minuscule number of their rabid fans to actually engage with them on their Fan Pages.

Eminem, for example, with more than 41 million fans, have only 575 who are considered “core” fans; fans who interact more than the page average. This amounts to 0.0001%. While business or fan pages may be a significant source of leads for some brands, interaction for most is virtually non-existent.

Other Facebook Facts

You do not own the traffic you generate
You have little control over who sees your updates – many will not appear on your “fans” walls at all
Facebook can change things without your permission and with little or no warning
Interaction is slow, even with “core” fans
Facebook can eliminate your Business Page at any time for Terms of Service violations.

Should Your Business Be On Facebook?

The answer to this is, of course! Liken it to the rush for business owners to have web sites in pre-Facebook days. It was commonly, and justifiably agreed, that if a business was to be credible it had to have an online presence. Well, if a business wants to be credible today, it needs a Facebook Business Page. It makes a business “relevant”.

There are also very attractive advertising opportunities on Facebook that have the potential to dramatically increase the value of a business page. So engagement, although a great thing to strive for, is not the sole reason for a business to be online.

Contests, giveaways and other strategies can increase your “fan” count. What you do with your fans once you have them is what determines their value to your business. By using an opt-in “app” that offers Facebook sign in, you can generate a fully validated email marketing list. This could be huge for your follow-on marketing efforts where false, or never used email addresses are becoming the norm.

Should Facebook Be Your Business’ Hub?

Not a chance! Never put your business under the control of another entity. This applies to any web 2.0 property, not just Facebook. You need to control and own your business, your customers and your leads. For this purpose, blogs fit the bill nicely. Using a self-hosted blogging service like WordPress is an inexpensive and highly visible solution that puts you in total control.

Your business definitely belongs on Facebook. Just don’t make it the hub or core of your business. Your blog is where you should strive to build your community and engage with your audience. Use Facebook for exposure, and to drive traffic to your blog.

Arne Bush

http://smallbizincubator.com

Should My MLM Business Have A Blog?

Posted on 10/02/2011 by Claire.Newell

A blog is an essential piece of the business toolkit for any network marketer. You blog will allow you to create an online presence where you can position yourself as the expert and build a following of people who are interested in your chosen niche. Another major benefit is that you have the opportunity to spread your message across the entire globe.

But I already have a company website?

Perhaps your MLM company provided you with your “own” website. This is NOT the same as having your own blog. Your MLM company website will not rank in the search engines because it is the same as all the hundreds or thousands of websites dished out to other distributers in your company. You must create your own blog or website with your own personal touch to rank in search engines.

Why should I have my own blog?

Your own blog will position YOU as the expert and the “go to” person. Done well, your blog will attract targeted visitors and ultimately convert these people into customers and/or business builders.

You blog should be focused on a niche that will attract people who ultimately will buy the products of your MLM company or the MLM business itself. For example, if your MLM company sells multi-vitamins, the subject of your blog might be senior citizens health or pregnancy health.

So what are the benefits of a blog for the Network Marketer?

1) Cheap To Run. Blogs cost little to set up and easy to maintain. They are a great way to build a presence online.

2) Become The Expert. You can brand yourself as the expert in your chosen niche by posting valuable content on your blog. Your content helps build your credibility and trust with your readers.

3) The “Go To” Person. You can become to problem solver – the “go to” person for people.

4) Build Relationships. You can build relationships with readers through your blog through the comments section and social media. This helps build trust and familiarity which is important when you present them with an offer.

5) Create A Warm Market. You are reaching out to a “warm” market of people who are already interested in the topic you are writing about. Yahoo – this means cold calling and badgering your friends and family are GONE!!!

6) Free Online Traffic. Free online traffic to your blog from the search engines. Your rankings will increase as you build up more unique content on your blog (preferably at least once a week), you will build up a “library” of valuable content which will help improve your the search engine ranking of your blog and traffic. This should ultimately lead to people signing up for your products or network marketing business.

7) Traffic From Social Media. You can get extra traffic back to your blog by linking to it from social media such as Facebook, Youtube, and Twitter.

8) Build Your Email List. “Free” or “find out more” offers on your blog able you to build a list – one of the most sought-after commodities of any network marketer. The valuable content on your blog helps build trust with your readers and increases the likelihood that they will sign up for more information.

9) Global exposure. A blog enables you to market to the world not just your immediate sphere of influence.

Be sure to put your personal stamp on your blog. You don’t need to be formal. Be informative, but also be “you”. Write as though you’re talking to friends and if you have a sense of humour add that in as well! The key is to provide unique and quality content that will help create a relationship with your visitors that will ultimately make your readers take action.

To Your Success!

Beginning Market Research Made Easy

Posted on 09/30/2011 by Tom.Renfro

Beginning market research made easy, sounds almost like an oxymoron, right? Market research can be a very complicated and involve subject, so the point of this post is to provide you with a simple ‘technique’ that you can apply on an ongoing basis.

Getting a Feel for Your Market

The easiest place to start, and to get a ‘feel for your market,’ is to ‘check out’ the competition, go to their websites, look at their sales pages and find out what keywords they are using.

Pay close attention to what they’re doing, what did you like, what drew your attention, what turned you off, etc. Look and see, especially if you have your own product or you already have an affiliate product, how many of these sites are purely money sites, sniper or money blog sites and not content sites.

If you haven’t found or decided on a product, look and see what is being sold on those top tier websites. Look in Amazon, what problems are the authors in your niche addressing? Search product names and look for related keywords.

What you are looking for?

Here are some things you should be looking for:

The type of website

How many, especially in the top ten, are sales pages? What do they look like and what action are they asking for? Do they have a ‘free giveaway’ to get your email (opt in) or is there an order button right on the page? Are they content driven, are they a blog or done in a ‘blog style?’

Visuals

How to the sites look, are they appealing, in other words, do they draw you in or do you want to run screaming from the page, what make you feel either way? What are the graphic like and what and how are they using their fonts?

Type of Media

What type of media is predominant on these top tier sites? Is it mostly text or text with images? Do they use video or audio, and how are they using them? Pay close attention to the copywriting and their use of ‘triggers,’ and what writing style do they used. In their videos, how did they deliver their information?

Look at the Offers or Ethical Bribes

What are the ‘ethical bribes’ being offered, are there free eBooks, newsletters or other incentives? What and how much is being offered?

Losing the Overwhelm

Keep in mind that many of the business behind these websites or sales pages are making money. Of course, not all of the sites you will review are profitable; however, if they are in the top ten there is a good chance that they are turning at least a small profit for their owner(s).

So the question you need to ask yourself is could you do the same thing, and more importantly, could you do better? Nothing that they are doing is magic, and if they haven’t built a site using real, unique and valuable content, then can you?

These are the key questions, because if you can see what the other marketers are doing in your niche and you can do that or better, then you’ve got an opportunity to make a profit. If you find that the competition is too stiff then move on to different keywords, a different niche or product and be happy that you discovered that information before you wasted time and money.

This is beginning market research made easy, be forewarned, the research may be easy, but finding profitable keywords, niches or products will take some work and when you think you found one, dig a little deeper before you truly commit. Once you’re satisfied, though, follow the working blueprint, improve it and then build it!

To your success,

Tom

Internet Network Marketing – An Economic Recovery Plan For Boomers and Seniors

Posted on 09/30/2011 by Bob Young

Internet Network Marketing – An Economic Recovery Plan For Boomers and Seniors

By Robert L. Young

You may not be as old as you think. Wait, I take that back. Actually, you are as old as you think. Where does our concept of age and aging come from anyway? Remember turning 30? Traumatic mostly for women. How about 40? This is the one that hits most men between the eyes and some experience “middle age crazy” and “mid-life crises.”

And then there is the dreaded big 5-0 when you become eligible to join the American Association of Retired Persons. You have been getting their literature in the mail for awhile but now you can actually join. Then there is 55 when you become eligible in some restaurants to order from the senior menu or get the Senior Citizen discount, which you have to ask for because restaurant employees have learned the hard way that it’s bad form to offer a senior discount to someone who just “looks” like they deserve one. I could go on but you get the idea.

I became a grandfather at 42. I had taken a few days off and returning to work I found my office chair had been replaced by a rocker with a brass plate that read “Bob ‘Gramps’ Young.” Draped over the arm and seat of the chair was a shawl. On my desk was a corn-cob pipe, a copy of the Senior Citizens Gazette and several brochures featuring various housing options for the elderly.

There are many things in our lives that shape our concept of age and aging. I had lost my father when he was 56. I was 25 and that may have been the reason I never expected to live as long as I have. My mother lived to be 89. Maybe I have more of her genes. But the other thing we have to consider are the advances in medical technology. I’ve often wondered how long my father would have lived had he been in my generation.

The reality is that you may live a lot longer than you think but there is another reality… you are as old as you think.

What is “old thinking?”

You can’t teach an old dog new tricks.
We have always done it this way.
If I start this now I’ll be xx years old when I finish.
I don’t want to start over at my age.
Computers scare me.

Let me offer a rebuttal.

You’re not an old dog. Opportunities for learning new things are greater than ever before. You can do it from the comfort of your home and much of it is free.
“If you do what you have always done, you’ll get what you have always gotten.” – source unknown If you’re happy with this, God bless you. Keep doing it. But keep an open mind and prepare yourself for a time when it doesn’t work anymore or doesn’t satisfy.
But I’ll be xx years old when I finish. You’ll be xx years old anyway. Why not be xx years old and have the benefits of the successfully completed effort.
You’re not starting over. You have the education, wisdom and experience of the life you have lived thus far. It’s a new adventure. Embrace it. Feel the exhilaration of moving beyond your comfort zone and into uncharted waters. “Life begins at the edge of your comfort zone.” – source unknown.
If you are intimidated by computers and high technology, you’re not alone. A lot of people are. Fear of the unknown is a human quality so don’t be too hard on yourself. A lot of people using computers today were dragged kicking and screaming into it from the comfort of their typewriters, calculators, and even their pencil and paper. For many, it was assimilate to the new technology or lose their job. Computers today are a lot more user friendly than they used to be and, in many cases, help is as close as your nearest child or grandchild. More on this subject later.

So what’s my point? You may be living a lot longer than you planned and that has ramifications in many areas. You may need to work longer. You may need a bigger nest egg for retirement. You may need a second or new career. There will be health issues and you will need resources to deal with them.

What to do, what to do? That’s the dilemma faced by so many today. The economic downturn has forced the issue on those who had not heretofore given it much thought. For some, it has meant job loss and threat of foreclosure. For others, it has been a wake up call to reassess their situation and consider a Plan B.

If your situation is desperate, you’re in survival mode. Your focus has to be on generating enough income to pay the necessities. Get a job, any job to stay afloat. Work your network and let them know your situation and let them help you. Cut expenses. Be creative. If you can’t find a job, deliver pizzas, cut yards, use your skills and abilities that will generate immediate cash flow.

Here are some “don’ts.” Don’t wait for things to get better. They will but you can’t afford to wait. Don’t waste time and energy blaming others for your predicament. Don’t look to the government to bail you out. You’re not a big financial institution or an automaker. As soon as you have things under control start thinking about a Plan B.

If you’re among the fortunate who are still employed, you need a Plan B and the best time to get started on a Plan B is before you need it. I recommend a home-based business. Here are my top 10 reasons for owning a home-based business:

Additional income
More time with family
Residual income for retirement
Time freedom
You can start part-time
Save more, give more, spend more
Tax benefits
Become debt free
Low start up cost
Dream vacations (perhaps deductible)

What kind of home-based business? Remember the movie City Slickers? Curly (played by Jack Palance) tells Mitch (played by Billy Crystal that the secret to success is “one thing.” “What’s the one thing?” asks Mitch. “That’s for you to find out.” answers Curly.

As much as I would like to tell you I have the “magic bullet,” I don’t. You’ll find plenty of people out there that claim they do and they are willing to share it with you. Go ahead and check them out but be very careful. More important than finding a home-base business right now is educating yourself. In the process of educating yourself you are likely to find a business that is a good fit for you.

Start with the “free stuff. There is a lot of it out there and you will learn quickly how to tell the good from the bad. Look for value! In most cases, you will have to trade your contact information for something free. That will get you on a list but if you get on the right ones… the ones that provide value, you’ll learn even more and you will begin to weed out those who are trying to make a fast buck from those who want to build a long-term mutually beneficial relationship. You can always opt out of the bad ones… the ones who offer little value.

The Internet has become the platform for most home-based businesses today. If computers and the Internet scare you I have three words for you, “Get over it!” There is excellent training available. You can learn as you go with click-by-click instruction and whole communities of people with like interests to help and encourage you.

You’ve heard it said to “live life like there is no tomorrow.” I say “live life like there are lots of tomorrows.” Boomers, seniors, don’t give up on your dreams. The rocking chair will give you a sense of movement but it will not take you anywhere. If you are comfortable in your retirement, good for you, but is that what you want for your legacy. If you had more, could you give more, bless more? Take control of your own economic recovery plan. Educate yourself. Develop multiple streams of income.

Learn how. Then do it!

Bob Young retired from regional management in the computer service industry and is now redeployed as an Internet marketing and home business consultant specializing in attraction marketing principles. Learn more at Small Biz Incubator

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Robert_L._Young
http://EzineArticles.com/?Internet-Network-Marketing—An-Economic-Recovery-Plan-For-Boomers-and-Seniors&id=2232050

Are Niche Markets A Challenge For You?

Posted on 09/28/2011 by Corinne.Floyd

There’s a big problem with niches!!

The more you think about your niche idea.

The more you like it….

The more you like it, the more you think others will like it!

And so you go ahead and buy a domain name, build a blog, and then look for keywords.

Oops!! There is the big problem!

You did things in the wrong order.

Finding profitable niche website ideas is a challenge for new online marketers. They tend to hurry through keyword research; then settle on an idea that is not a profitable niche.

Does this sound like something you have done? I know I am guilty of rushing ahead to later discover that I am a teeny, weeny guppie in an enormous ocean.

The first website I built I am sure Google never even found it!

Guess what I named it!! Health and Total Wellness.com! Now guess how many competing websites are represented in Google. There are 23,300,000 competitors. That is definitely not a niche market.

At the time, I did not know and the tutorials that came with building the website did not explain niche marketing. Their advice was to choose a domain name that was easy to remember and represented the products on the website.

So I hummed and hawed for a few days and came up with health and total wellness. The only reason I added the word total is because health and wellness was already taken!! Dah! Does that sound like keyword research to you?

I wish that I knew then, what I know now.

Don’t we all wish that?

Well, this is what I have learned and would like to share with you.

There are big markets and then there are humongous markets like the health and wellness industry. Anything over 30,000 competitors is considered a full-fledged market. To find ideas for a niche market you must begin by looking for under 30,000 competitors. And to discover a profitable micro niche you are looking for under 13,000 competitors.

Go to Google and in the search window type in the words Health and Wellness you will see the number 51,900,000 underneath the search window by the word Search. This number means that for those words a Broad Match search brings that many competitors. Now put quotes around the words like this: “Health and Wellness” the quotes narrow your search down to a Phrase Match search. In this case you now have 43,000,000 competitors.

Next brainstorm for a smaller piece of the health and wellness pie; try searching Digestive System. You will see that there are 17,500,000 competitors. You are still a long way off from a niche market, but do not give up!! Put the quotes around “Digestive System” and you will see the number drop to 13,400,000.

Brainstorm your product – what ingredients are in your products that people could possibly be searching for? Here is an example: Slippery elm bark is an herb that is known for being beneficial for the digestive system. Is anyone searching for slippery elm, slippery elm bark, or slippery elm bark benefits?

Remember to check out both Broad and Phrase Match.

Take a look at these results:

Slippery elm - Broad Match is 1,220,000 and Phrase Match is 1,120,000
Slippery elm bark - Broad Match is 528,000 and Phrase Match is 42,000
Slippery elm bark benefits - Broad Match is 31,700 and Phrase Match is 6,410

By taking a look at the number of competitors there is a possibility that slippery elm bark benefits would make a niche market product.

Keep in mind that this is only the beginning of your research. You know how many competitors you have; now you need to know how many people are searching for slippery elm bark benefits.

Also, you want to find one good primary keyword and up to 10 secondary keywords. Secondary keywords are keywords that provide synonyms for your main keyword.

Now do you understand why doing the keyword research is much more professional and business-like than humming and hawing for a few days and picking a name out of the air? (like I did!!)

Sharing what I have learned is fun for me. Please leave questions or comments below. I will be sure to answer you.

Corinne Floyd

How Do You Really Discover Top Niche Markets?

Posted on 09/27/2011 by Corinne.Floyd

Imagine I asked you one question

- a straight forward yes or no question.

If you answer yes, you are given the key to top niche markets.

What do you think the question would be?

Ta- daaa “ Do you know how to do effective keyword research?” That’s the question!!

Struggling online marketers have difficulties getting customers to their sites. And of course without customers they have no business and remain struggling online marketers.

New marketers spend a lot of either time or money building a beautiful site. They include interesting articles, beautiful pictures, and a professional looking header. Their doors are open for business, but no one shows up. What is going wrong?

By learning more about how search engines operate the newbie marketers can discover how to draw customers to their sites. This involves using a keyword traffic estimator and finding the keywords that have enough daily searches to make a business viable.

The first step is to open a Google adwords account

Go to Google and either sign in to your current account or create a new account. Now in your Adwords account click on Reporting and Tools. A drop down menu comes up and you then click on Keyword Tool. In the middle of the page you will see: “Specify a website, word or phrase, or category to get started.”

In the box above this message where it says – Website- type in the address of a competitor with similar products to you. Click search. Adwords will then generate up to 800 keywords in connection with your topic.

Another way to generate up to 800 keywords is to leave the Website box blank; and then type in keywords that you like in the box that has Word or phrase above it.

Now that you have generated 800 keywords, what do they mean?

Well, you are now ready to analyze your search results. The global column gives you the number of people who have searched for each keyword in one month. The local column is set as the United States as the default, but you can easily change that to a different country.

What are you looking for?

You are looking for keywords that have 3000 searches or more per month. Why 3000? This number means that 3000 people are looking for information on that keyword every month. This breaks down to 100 searches per day (30 days x 100). This is a good number to aim for as a new online marketer.

Think about it this way: If you have 100 visitors visiting your site every day and 2 people out of the 100 choose to purchase your product, then you are in business!

If your product provides you with a $50.00 profit then you just made $100.00. Now multiply $100.00 by 30 and your potential earnings are $3000.00 for the month.

Many online marketing gurus lead people to believe that they can go from zero earnings to $30,000 in just 3 days!! But stop and give your head a shake! You need to get “on the board” first. Wouldn’t it be great to make a profit and be learning how to grow your business?

Now back to your keyword research.

You can now fine tune your search in several ways. One way is to take the first 100 words of your 800 words and re-enter them into the Word or phrase and click Search again. Google adwords will now generate more keywords for you to study.

Another way to fine tune your search is to be more specific with your keywords. Look over to the left – under Match Types you will see the words Broad, Phrase and Exact. Unclick the Broad Match and click the Phrase Match. Google adwords will now search for keywords that are more specific to your keywords and, in fact, include your keywords in the keyword phrase.

As a new online marketer your first goal is to understand keyword research and average 100 daily visitors to your site. Make this your focus and avoid being sidetracked by the shiny advertisements that offer to sell you methods to create $30,000 in 3 days!

Leave a comment or question. I will be sure to answer you.

Corinne Floyd

Are You Avoiding Keyword Research?

Posted on 09/26/2011 by Corinne.Floyd

Does keyword research scare you?

What if I told you keyword research will get you more buying customers to your site?

Would you still avoid keyword research?

Why avoid learning about the best way to bring visitors to your blog?

Ninety percent of online marketers struggle to get traffic to their sites. Why? They hurry past keyword research which is the very foundation of all online business. Research is the foundation, plan, and blueprint of online businesses. Whatever you want to call it, you must learn how to do it.

Too many new marketers gloss over keyword research and start building a business blog. Slow down do not jump immediately to building a business blog!

Creating a blog for your business is a fun project. However, in order to make your blog profitable, take the time to research and plan before beginning. A dressmaker does not cut material and start sewing before laying out the pattern; a carpenter does not build a house without studying the blueprint.

Researching your keywords is your pattern or blueprint for your online business. Without the research you will not be able to define your top niche markets and your customers will not find your site. Customers are what business is all about.

What four things will keyword research tell you?

Relevancy: You will know if your keywords are relevant to your product. Relevant keywords are words that accurately represent your product. For example say you chose the keywords silver guard to promote one of your products. Now do you mean:

Silver guard – a solution for the storage of silverware?
Silver guard – a membership site for masterminding?
Silver guard – a video game?
Silver guard – a silver solution for an antibiotic mouthwash?

You want your customers to find your site without having to dig through a bunch or useless information. Relevant keywords make it easy for your customer to find you.

Traffic: You will know how many people are actually searching for your product. You need to know two things: 1) is anyone searching for your product and 2) how many people search for your product every month.

Competition: You will know if your competition is strong or weak. You do not want hundreds of thousands of competing websites; on the other hand, you do need some competition. If there is no competition, then your product is not in demand.

Money: You will know if people are buying your product online. Do your keywords have value? Are your keywords buyer keywords? Are your visitors interested enough to buy?

By taking the time to do keyword research you will know the answers to these questions before building your site.

So where do you begin?

You begin by brainstorming your products to find top niche markets. Take a look at the following examples of niche products.

The health and wellness industry is a huge market, not a niche market. People with digestive issues are part of the target market for the health and wellness industry, but still not a niche market. Break it down further by looking at the ingredients in your product.

Then research one of the ingredients. For example if slippery elm is one of the ingredients, find out how many people are searching for slippery elm supplements. It may be a good micro niche market for you. But you won’t know unless you do the research.

Arthritis is another huge market in the health and wellness industry. So now brainstorm all the things people may be searching: joint pain, sore knuckles, and inflamed joints. This is part of the research process. You keep going until you find the best words for your products.

Next take all your keywords to Adwords, the Google keyword tool. This tool is free to use and will give you a good idea of how many searches are done each month on your keywords. Also it will let you know about the strength of your competition.

Going through this process is vital for the success of your online business.

Online entrepreneurs struggle to get traffic to their websites and blogs; however, by taking the time to do keyword research before building a site you can be in the top ten percent of online marketers.

Still feel like avoiding keyword research?

I can help to take away your pain and guide you toward top niche markets.

Corinne Floyd

Baby Boomers Retire Now What?

Posted on 09/21/2011 by Corinne.Floyd

Boomers Retire And Transition

As Baby Boomers retire and transition into a new life many Boomers wonder what they will do with the 2000 plus hours per year they used to give to a job, business, or career.

Feeling lost and even depressed many join numerous clubs and activities just to keep busy. Have you ever heard a retired person state, I am busier now than I ever was before?

The other extreme is the retiree who sits around wondering what to do with all of their time. Do you identify with either of these scenarios?

Benefits Of Being Productive In Retirement

Recent studies show that continuing to be productive in retirement benefits you, the economy, and society. Following are four tips to help you make the choices that best benefit you.

1) First of all, anticipate the stress of retirement. What stress can there be in retirement? Retirement changes life dramatically.

One week you are working and the next, no matter how well you planned, you are no longer going to work. Your sense of belonging to a group, your financial situation, your self-image, and your leisure time are all affected. Preparing for this transition by understanding and accepting it is a start, but not always easy.

Realize when you retire, your life is not over. You now have an opportunity to do something new, different, and productive. It is never too late to begin something new. All it takes is the desire to learn and the willingness to take action.

2) Retirement for Baby Boomers can be the perfect time to give back value, discover your true purpose, and make a contribution to the world. Now is the time to take action on your dreams. What have you always wanted to do? What have you put off doing due to work and family commitments?

3) Have you considered the possibility of a second career? You might expand a hobby or become a consultant in the field of your expertise. Have you thought about starting your own business or going back to school?

4) Next, take time to update your goals and set new ones. Review how you have spent your life so far. What makes you happy?
If you are having difficulty, choose from the following activities:

Choose a challenging activity; build a blog to share your ideas. Blogs are great for building a business, journaling about what is important to you, or getting the word out about a product, service, or even a charity or non-profit organization. Baby Boomers and blogging do go together very well.

Study a new subject. Learning new things is great for longevity; and is definitely good for your brain cells and happiness.

Talk to others every day, build relationships. You can build relationships locally and with the Internet you can connect with interesting people all over the world.

Stay focused in the moment. Dale Carnegie stated it best. He said, “live in day tight compartments.” Use your senses to bring you joy. Use your eyes to notice other people. How can you help or be of service? Use your sense of smell to enjoy dinner cooking or the damp earth after a rain. Use your ears to listen to the wind, the water, your family or a dog barking. Taste your food. Savour every bite. Notice the texture, sweetness or sourness. Touch a velvety rose, hug your family and friends, or stroke a kitten.

Be thankful you are able to experience and share all of these things.

Transitioning To Retirement Can Leave You Feeling Lost

When you have worked for many years transitioning to retirement can leave you feeling lost, even depressed. Many retirees keep themselves overly busy to avoid the pain of loss or they have too much time on their hands and do not know what to do.

It is up to you to reach out to others, develop new skills, build a business, blog about your experiences, and keep yourself excited to be here now.

Remember that continuing to be productive in retirement gives you great benefits, as well as, benefiting the economy and society.

As Baby Boomers retire each boomer has over 2000 plus hours a year to reinvent their lives. What are your plans? How are you reinventing yourself?

Corinne Floyd