entrepreneurship tips

Social Media is the term used for the tools and platforms people use to publish, communicate, and share content on-line. These tools include blogs, wikis, podcasts, and sites to share photos and bookmark. So let’s take a look at these media and understand what they all mean.

Blogging – what is a blog?
It is a frequently updated website involving reverse-chronological ‘posts’ or short opinions, news, or gossip updates, with a collaborative interface…websites with dated items of content in reverse-chronological order, self-published by bloggers. Sample websites, or developer-hosted platforms are WordPress and Blogger. More platforms are listed below.

Blogs can also run using blog software or on regular web hosting services.

Developer-hosted platforms
Software services operated by the developer, requiring no software installation for the weblog author:

* Blogger; Gandi; LiveJournal; MySpace; Open Diary; Skyrock; Tumblr; TypePad; Typo; Vox; Windows Live Spaces; WordPress.com; Xanga

I would recommend setting up an account with either Blogger or WordPress. Blogger has a simple to use format and structure and great for promoting your business. WordPress is great for the beginner and allows a lot of flexibility with its themes and plugins. One word of CAUTION – Do not deliberately promote your business or product as they will delete your blog.

The wiki definition is as follows…
A blog (a contraction of the term “weblog”) is a type of website, usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in reverse-chronological order. “Blog” can also be used as a verb, meaning to maintain or add content to a blog.

Many blogs provide commentary or news on a particular subject; others function as more personal online diaries. A typical blog combines text, images, and links to other blogs, Web pages, and other media related to its topic. The ability for readers to leave comments in an interactive format is an important part of many blogs. Most blogs are primarily textual, although some focus on art (artlog), photographs (photoblog), sketches (sketchblog), videos (vlog), music (MP3 blog), and audio (podcasting). Micro-blogging is another type of blogging, featuring very short posts.

Types of Blogs
Personal – private reflection of your dreams, your goals, your experiences
Corporate – internal corporate communication or external corporate marketing, branding and public relation purposes
By Genre – political, travel, fashion, art, music…to name a few
By Media Type – video=vlog, comprised of links=linklog
By Device – PDA = moblog

Do’s and Don’ts of Blog Posting- Whether for Business or Personal

* Ensure you provide value to your blogs. It should not be a full-fledged sales pitch.
* Use the 80/20 rule – 80% content, 20% sales pitch
* No plagiarism
* Provide Fresh Content
* Be original
* Do share your opinion
* Always be yourself
* Don’t be afraid to debate ideas with people and back up your opinion with evidence
* Don’t be defensive if people post opinionated comments on your blog. Be open to joining the conversation and backing up your opinion in an intelligent way.
* Always respond to your readers. If someone makes a comment, say “Thanks! Come back soon!”
* Not all of your posts need to be 100% grammatically correct. Sometimes your post is just about getting your quick thoughts down.
* When sharing opinions, always frame things as if you COULD be wrong. For example, “Here’s what I’m thinking right now” sounds much more friendly and open than “I am right, you are wrong.”
* One of the best ways to get an idea of the style of writing that works on blogs, is to checkout other peoples’ blogs.
* Do include a photo of yourself in the my profile set-up
* Do include information of your business in the my profile set-up

Blogger’s Code of Conduct
Proposed by Tim O’Reilly for bloggers to enforce civility on their blogs.Take responsibility not just for your own words, but for the comments you allow on your blog.

1. Label your tolerance level for abusive comments.
2. Consider eliminating anonymous comments.
3. Ignore the trolls.
4. Take the conversation offline, and talk directly, or find an intermediary who can do so.
5. If you know someone who is behaving badly, tell them so.
6. Don’t say anything online that you wouldn’t say in person.

Step-By-Step Account Setup

I. Sign up for WordPress and/or Blogger and following the directions on-site. There is a difference between WordPress.com and WordPress.org.

a. WordPress.com hosts the blogs for you, it is simple, quick and easy but has less flexibility
b. WordPress.org is for the more advanced business owner looking to drive traffic

II. Make A Blog Post

III. Ping It!

When you “ping” your blog, you are notifying the search engines that you have new content on your blog.
* Go to http://www.pingomatic.com
* Enter the name of your blog and the proper URL
* Click all blog services to Ping
* Make sure you ping every time you enter content.

Make sure you have a way for your readers to subscribe to your blog. The most common way to do this is to have a Subscribe feature on your blog (Technorati is a favorite here). It comes standard on Blogger, and you can add it to your WordPress.com blog with little problem. Once people subscribe to your blog, they can get notification of new posts and become loyal followers.

Let your fingers do the blogging….GOOD LUCK!

About the Author

Holding several senior management positions, and with over 15 years experience in the pharmaceutical industry, Wendy brings a wealth of knowledge to her business relationships.
Progressive roles in project management, advertising services, medical education, facilitation, supplier negotiations, account management, and new business development gave way to develop new skills in navigating the internet.

Making money online isn’t easy when you don’t know or understand how to market online. Before you can ever make money online from home you have to retrain yourself and learn from the experts. I must have spent a small fortune on various courses that professed to teach me the ins and outs of online marketing. Many of those courses also usually failed to mention at least one key point necessary to succeeding online. I’ve bought so many that I have managed to piece together all the good points and now understand how to market.

First and foremost, you need to become a student of marketing to succeed online. Forget the product to start with. Even the most fantastic product in the world will not sell itself unless you know how to approach your market.

Having a really cool website does not guarantee that that you will make money online unless you know what to do with it to get it in front of the eyeballs of your potential market.

So what does it take to be successful with an online business?

In short, patience, education and time. I don’t mean to sound harsh, but if you’re serious about wanting to make money online from home then you need to be aware that the reason why the majority of budding online entrepreneurs fail is because they quit before they have taken time to learn. There are too many testimonials out there saying how easy it is to earn thousands in a short period of time that when the average wannabe entrepreneur gets started and isn’t earning those thousands straight way, like yesterday, they quit! Most people have unrealistic expectations of what is possible with an online business. Online businesses are much the same as offline businesses. They aren’t about instant gratification. They take a while to be successful before you turn a profit. If anyone tells you they were in profit from day one, find out exactly what they were doing before they started in that venture. In the majority of cases they are not complete novices. They’ve already had similar success elsewhere.

And the second reason for failing is trying to do it all by yourself. I’ve been there and done that, and it’s hard. Internet marketing is easier when you have the support of a coach or mentor, or access to a group of people who can teach you what works and what doesn’t, or what marketing method works more effectively than another. They’ll also be there to give you that reality check when you’re kidding yourself that you’re doing all you can to get your business off the ground.

Likewise, you’ll find it easier to make money online if you use a tried and tested, proven system. One that is already working for others. You may have heard the saying “Systems work, people fail”. Why is the franchise business model so successful the world over? Because people are buying into a proven systematic business model. Sure, some franchises fail, but that isn’t because of the system, otherwise everyone would be failing. No, most franchises or systematic businesses fail because of other variables brought to the table by the business owner.

After years of disappointment, searching and thousands of dollars spent, I have found what I believe to be the ideal solution. You’ll have access to a system and coach who has your best interests at heart. If you have a good work ethic and you’re serious about wanting to make money online from home, then you owe it to yourself to at least take a look at something that does work.

About the Author

Sue Parker has coached and mentored budding entrepreneurs since embarking on her very successful network marketing career since 2002. A former million dollar producer with a very well known MLM company, Sue now specializes in teaching entrepreneurs how to achieve financial freedom and the lifestyle of their dreams with their own online business. You can achieve success with Sue by visiting http://www.YourBlueprintForWealth.com/?t=go

Website flipping is becoming one of the most lucrative businesses on the internet today. There is no doubt that website flipping can be done professionally and it can result in some big profits, even if you begin with little or no investment. Eminent site owners that flip sites as a living make a five figure earning.

Numerous people are amazed when they listen about these sorts of earnings but it is true. The majority of sites are sold for less than one hundred dollars so how do they make a five figure earning? Because the pros know the formula to set up sites quickly and they know how to deal a site at a higher price than most folks. The more they make and deal, the more they earn.

There are several ways to flip sites for profit. You could either start a site from the very beginning or get an already running site that is under performing. Buy it, improve it and sell it or buy it, keep it and sell it, there are just too many ways to go about it.

When you want to make money flipping websites, whether you want to flip social networking sites, forum-based site or blogs, you have to do a lot of research. You first of all have to choose a niche. This is really important since a lot of customers will just buy a website if it is in a market that is able to generate traffic. Next you have to pick a good and relevant domain name. The domain name is crucial because you want it to be applicable to your site’s topic. Get a good Template. Then replete it up with select content and monetize the site. It can be that simple.

Now all you have to do is to sell your site, I am going some tips to do so. To deal your site at a bigger price, add more value to it by acquiring a high page rank, getting a good template and maybe doing some extra search engine optimization. You should also monetize it so you can ask for a bigger price when you sell it and when you do that, be sure you set a right price for your site. Pricing can be tricky. Setting your cost too high will get you buyers who won’t even give you a second look. Set it too low and buyers will suppose you’re a scammer. You may want to sell your site on Ebay, Digitalpoint forums, Warrior forum, Sitepoint, etc., these are some of the major selling sites you will find.

About the Author

What are you waiting for? No one will take hold of your financial future but yourself. http://www.website-flipping-secrets-exposed.com/ can provide you with a professionally written, 42 page eBook.

If you’d like to read more about flipping websites and setting your financial dreams in motion visit http://ezinearticles.com/?Making-Money-Online-Tips-That-Will-Set-You-Free&id=2117300

When you ask people what the one thing is that is holding them back from leaving their jobs and starting a home business, the most common answer is that they have no money to invest in going into business for themselves. A lack of funding doesn’t have to stand in the way if you truly want to work from home. All you really need is a bit of creativity and ingenuity, and you’ll be on your way.

You can find ways to make money in some of the most unusual places. Take a look at your favorite hobbies and pastimes. You might have a serious moneymaking venture under your nose. If you enjoy playing poker, fantasy sports, or other gaming outlets, you could have a new career with a bit of luck on your site.

There are a number of internet sales opportunities that require relatively little up-front investment, as well. Using affiliate and referral programs can earn you commissions when you find ways to drive business to a company’s website and that traffic results in purchases. Internet marketers who use these programs are finding great success in today’s online marketplace. All they need is the right system and they soon learn how to get people onto their sites and clicking through their links to buy.

Your personal talents can also result in a very lucrative home based business, as well. Those who have talents in the creative arts or even who can offer unique services stand to earn a significant amount of money through starting their own business. Whether you have a knack for organizing, a flair for the written word, or artistic talents, these are all very marketable skills and you can use them to work from home.

Now that you know how to work from home with a minimal investment, the next step is to put your plan in motion. Get your home business set up in your spare time, then once the profits begin rolling in, you can give your boss your notice and kiss your old nine to five life goodbye. You will then be able to enjoy the freedoms that only those who have discovered the excitement of working for themselves have been able to enjoy.

About the Author

Are you ready to learn even more about work from home opportunities?

If you’re interested in making money online (and who isn’t?), there’s only one site you need to visit.

Right now, you’re one mouseclick away from the opportunity you’ve always wanted:

http://www.globalcashmaverick.com

Creating money on-line has never been more confusing than in today’s world. I remember back to 2003 when on the web opportunities were plentiful, the choices easy and everyone may create a decent living with some hard work, determination and learning the ropes of on the web marketing. Back them, we were looking for ways in which to work from home, build income on the web and call it a perfect home based business.

Those days have changed, one would argue for the worse, but not really, people are savvier these days and more determined to have a long term answer they can count on. Previously, making money on the web was a brief lived experienced, filled with get wealthy quick schemes, mlm and pyramid schemes. Fortunately we have caught on and we tend to know what we expect in a good program. We have seen the swindlers pitch their home based business ideas and ways to make money online in the short run, make them income that is, not you.

The times have changed, we tend to know we cannot rely on anyone else but ourselves to make it work, to put food on the table, and if we are going to create a alternative to work from home, make income on the web to fulfill our dreams and call it our own home based business, then we are going to be smart concerning it, not dependant on anyone else to make those dreams come true.

I have found that opportunity to create money on the internet, where I don’t have to rely on anyone but my own efforts and smarts to establish my home based business and rest assured that I don’t have to get up every morning to a job that I hate, or employment that takes me away from my family, I can proudly say that I’ve got my own home based business that I’m proud of.

With 100KWorx.com you have an independent opportunity to work from home. You answer to nobody, and create all the cash that you deserve directly. To make income online has never been easier with a reputable, top quality product that so much outweighs what you paid for it. The marketing education that 100KWorx.com gives you is worth thousands of dollars in education and learning and is part of the tools for your home based business.

I’m happy I went with this opportunity to create money on the internet and be an independent breadwinner. I hope you join me and establish your home based business today.

As a last note, nowhere else will you be able to obtain a top quality business with high returns and learning such as what 100KWorx.com offers, and nowhere will you have an Executive Team help and train you to be the best in your field. Everything aside, I have found the education worth thousands of dollars in practical executable knowledge on doing anything I wished.

About the Author

If you liked this article, and want a team approach to making a 100K Power Income online with Executive help, then visit us at 100KWorx.com

Is your business blooming and growing?

Are you seeing regular increases in income or customer base?

Do customers and clients come looking for you?

If you answered “no” to these questions — if you are working overtime looking for new clients and customers — you may have a stale or ineffective marketing funnel.

And this is something that you can easily fix.

The first step is to thoroughly know your target market. You can’t build a magnetic marketing funnel without this information. And, I can’t stress this concept enough. It is critical to building a sustainable business.

Think about it, would you choose an outfit before knowing where you were going to wear it? Would you rent a care without knowing where you were going to drive it? Would you pack for a trip without know where you were going?

Then why would you develop a marketing plan without knowing who you were going to market to?

You are building your marketing funnel to help solve the problems of your ideal clients or customers. It may sound counterintuitive, but the tighter you focus on your target market, the easier it is to attract them and market to them.

When you market to broad, general categories of people, it is hard to develop a compelling message they will respond to. So, you need to clearly define your target market and find out as much about them as you can. Here are some questions you’ll want the answers to:

* What is your target market’s common thread? Is it age? Career choice? Industry? Gender? Hobby?

* Where does your target market live? Locally? Nationally? Globally?

* What types of publications does your target market read?

* What is your target market’s typical salary range?

* Is your target market single? Married? Have children?

These are just a small sampling of the things you need to know. Basically, you’re trying to get at what makes your target market tick so that you can develop messages that will resonate with them.

About the Author

If you liked the information in this article, you might want to get a copy of my special report “5 Ways to Turbo-Charge Your Marketing” at www.marketingturbocharge.com. This report shows you five ways you can use to improve your marketing effectiveness.

Taking steps to starting a small business will certainly be determined by your readiness and your willingness to take the risks involved. The most important thing here is to know the kind of business you are venturing into and how much capital is involved in the starting-off processes. Some of the essential steps to starting a small business are highlighted below;

1 Have a thorough research on the business you are going into. There are several tools and resources which can help you in getting an adequate knowledge of the business you are about to get into. Adequate knowledge of the business will equip you and guide you along the path to success

2 Get business training and assistance. There are lots to gain from training and counseling services. From trainings and, you can make a better business plan, learn how you can grow and expand your business, finance it and relocate it if you wish. Business training will offer you the hands-on experience you require to start-off, operate and maintain a healthy business marketing strategy.

3 Choose the best suitable business location. A business location that is close to your desired market is the most ideal location you can have. Your business should be located where you can have access to raw materials as well as your targeted market.

4 Make plans for your business financing; You can search for government loans, grants, as well as ventured capitals that can get you started on your business

5 Ascertain the legal structure of your business; this Is one of the essential steps to starting a small business which most people often neglect. It is ideal to determine whether you are into a sole proprietorship of your business or you are forming a partnership. This will help you in getting a legal seal on your businesses-this will be a form of protection in times of business conflicts.

6 Register your business name – This is one of the steps to starting a small business you cannot ignore. Registering your business with your regional government will make you stay at the right side of the law and at the same time you will qualify for several grants and incentives offered by the government. Aside the registration of your company, you need to register for a tax identification number from your state revenue agency and IRS. It is also critical for you to get the necessary permits and licenses that are applicable to your business.

7 Upgrade and monitor your business strategies; One thing that keeps you going is the monitoring of all the components of your business strategies. This includes your marketing strategies as well as revenue generation strategies. It also includes your public relation efforts, customer support services and several others. It is your responsibility to keep track with the market trends with the view of making amendments in areas that are not effectively productive. You must be sensitive to every aspect of your business running to avoid its collapse.

I hope these tiny tips will become good steps to starting a small business.

About the Author

Chukwuemeka Fred Agbata is a Serial Entrepreneur, Coach, Internet and Network Marketer. He uses his past experiences to teach people how to lead a more fulfilled life and creates awareness on the importance of going Green. For more tips and training visit Creating Fresh Awareness.

Definition of Rainmaker: An employee, producer or entrepreneur who creates a remarkable amount of new business for a company or institution. This term is often used in the context of the financial services, marketing/ advertising, and various other industries.

The decision to become a rainmaker is one of choice and not made by accident. Today, that decision can be timely and important given the climate of the economy and the hungry need of business for new sales. The list could be long as to why one would want to (or not) consider this road.

Clearly, the rewards outnumber the liabilities, but rainmakers know nothing in life is achieved without sacrifice [a price] to achieve extraordinary results.

Simply put, rainmakers generally have the following four traits in common.

1. They identify the problems. That means the buyer’s problems, the market’s problems, the economic climate problems, the product and service problems, the competition’s problems…in all; they are keenly sensitive and driven by the need of the problems and what it will take to solve them (even their own).

2. They are world class examples of commitment. In every sense of the word, they are committed to a solid work ethic, committed to integrity, committed to service, committed to excellence, committed to deliver results (even when excuses are common). In all, they are committed to “whatever it takes.”

3. They sell solutions. Products, services, plans, guides, webinars, graphics, books, magazines, mailings, digital apps…etc. are not stand alone objects. They are solutions to a problem. The rainmaker knows how to match the right solution to fit the correctly identified problem (due diligence and suitability). It is truly that simple, but how many really qualify for this rare membership?

4. They are driven into action. They realize that all the fantasies of success in this or any other field will not happen without specific, dedicated and focused action. They know the difference between the activity of the clown with the spinning plates versus closing the deal, collecting the money and leveraging that success to the next one.

In this economy, rainmakers are in hot demand.

Their results are their resume.’

Additional “Zillion Dollar Thoughts” of Rainmakers:

They know that it universally costs $420 to make a selling call. They know how many attempts (based on their product/service costs) that will invert profitability.

They dollarize everything.

They understand the maxim of “penny wise and pound foolish.”

They are married to a model (a transferable, repeatable and pre-planned format or system).

About the Author

BOOK Author: Zillion Dollar Thinking
BLOG Author: http://www.zilliondollarthinking.com

Personal branding is the overall effect that you have on others. It’s what they remember about you or your organization after they have left your company or clicked away from your website. Many people have misconceptions concerning personal branding and are led by various personal branding myths that, in effect, are costing them a lot of money in the long run. The foundations for modern business success are based dominantly on effective branding efforts. Let’s look of some myths concerning branding:

Four personal branding myths:

1) Not everybody is able to become successful.

a. This is untrue. No matter who you are, what disadvantages you are experiencing, where you’re from, the color of your skin, or anything else – in this modern and wired world, you have every bit as much of a chance of succeeding as anybody else on the planet.

2) Personal branding has only to do with you.

a. This is completely false. In fact, personal branding has everything to do with everybody, especially those that encounter you. Your personal brand is totally reliant upon what you make other people think about you. It’s how you impact them. Without other people, your personal brand would not exist.

3) Some people just do not have personal brands.

a. Again untrue. Everybody on the planet has a personal brand. Think about anybody that you know right now. Certain things about that person will come to mind first. That is their brand. They have branded themselves in your mind in a particular manner. Everybody has a personal brand.

4) A person’s personal brand is simply how they manage their image.

a. Guess what – that’s false as well. While your image certainly does count, there are loads of other personal attributes to consider. Your personal brand is the overall representation of your thoughts, core competencies, experiences, beliefs, values and actions. It is what you say. It is the look in your eyes. It’s everything about you put together.

Assessing personal branding effectiveness:

➢ Make a list of your personal attributes and then ask yourself which of those you would like to improve.
➢ Think about how your friends describe you to others. Better yet, ask your friends how they describe you to others. Tell them to be honest.
➢ Think about the things that you like to do the most in your free time. What excites you? What do you truly enjoy?
➢ Think about the subjects that you have always enjoyed studying. Which type of topics to you find easy to delve into?
➢ What is your personal definition of success during this life? What is it that you feel that you’re actually here to accomplish?

Remember that everything you do is contributing to the development of your personal brand. By avoiding personal branding myths and taking the time to regularly access your branding effectiveness, you will increase your overall happiness in life – and your ability to generate appreciable revenue streams. Personal branding affects everybody. It is the comprehensive summation of how you cause other people to feel about you.

About the Author

Demetrios Tzortzis is a social media expert whose systematic approach to online marketing has effectively helped thousands of people across the globe grow their business. Demetrios works as a coach and mentor to help businesses maximize their Internet presence through strategic online marketing and brand maximization.

Demetrios Tzortzis

Blog Site
Mastery Website

Are you a college student or teenager who wants to earn money in your spare time? Do you need extra cash for school, clothes, and fun? Read on and learn how walking dogs can be a great job for teenagers.

Jobs for teens are becoming tougher to locate in the current economy. There are no movie ushers any longer and adults delivering newspapers and mowing lawns. So where can you find teen jobs these days? You can create a job for yourself and be your own boss if you are an expert dog walker.

Why You can Earn Money Walking Dogs

Men and women nowadays are busier than ever. They work all day long and they commute farther on jam packed freeways. That means their dogs are alone at home all day every day and need somebody to tend to their needs. And when Mr. or Ms. Dog Owner do finally get home at the end of a long day, they’re probably tired from working all day. The last thing they’re interested in doing is taking the dog for a walk.

Mr. Jones has a new puppy that isn’t house broken yet and should really be taken out just about every 4 hours. Mrs. Johnson works ten hours per day, too long for her dog to hold it. Scruffy is an active little dog and a walk before Ms. Jackson arrives home will mellow him out. Mr. James has difficulty walking and can’t take his dog out everyday.

There are plenty of reasons why men and women hire someone to walk their dog and they pay good money. It’s not unusual for a person just like you to earn as much as one to two hundred dollars a day walking dogs. You can set your own hours. Schedule yourself around school, friends and other activities you engage in. It’s flexible, it’s not hard, and it pays well.

Don’t you like dogs? Would you like to get paid for helping people around you? Can you carve out one or two free hours inside the afternoon for an excellent teenager job? Then you really need to find out a lot more about starting a dog walking business.

About the Author

Learn how you can earn a real income as a dog walker. Click http://www.squidoo.com/dog_walking_business now and check it out. You’ll learn how people like you are earning money and there’s a short video, too.