By Jim Galiano –

Most business owners don’t understand the power of implementing (by the way, I hate that word) a blogging platform into their marketing mix. Having a blog is a power way to promote a line of products and services more effectively. If you’re a journalist, writer or publisher – I’m preaching to the choir. If not, listen closely.

Blogs can be a critical component of any successful marketing plan. Blogging helps you to keep your customers updated about the latest specials, offers and buying incentives your company or small business is offering. They enable you to easily connect with customers, conduct surveys and do various kinds of market research – all from one simple platform.

When it comes to SEO, blogs really shine – outclassing the traditional website model more often than not. They provide an “out of the box solution” in more ways than one in the increasingly complex world of online marketing.

Still, like anything else, the tools themselves won’t get the job done without the proper strategy behind them. While blogs can generate traffic and help get your message out to the masses, you have to make sure you have the kind of message that’s able to “seal the deal.”

How do you do that?

MAKE AN OFFER THEY CAN’T REFURSE

In some circles, marketing has become a game of smoke and mirrors. People have been burned so many times by lousy products and poor service; it takes a lot more than it used to win the loyalty of new customers or clients.

One of the ways to do this is by making people an offer they can’t refuse.

A dentist I know does this by offering the first visit for free to all of his new patients. He includes everything for free, including the X-Rays and cleaning.

This is called RISK REVERSAL.

The business takes the risk and the person has nothing to lose. If you’re phone isn’t exactly ringing off the hook and your cash register is quiet – consider creating a risk reversal offer and putting it on your blog.

WORD OF MOUTH ADVERTISING

Word of mouth advertising works. It one of the most powerful forms of advertising there is. This method can be used in conjunction with the “offer they can’t refuse. Add the two to your blog, as one of my friends did, and you can generate a fast blast of cash flow. Here’s how it works –

1. Create an offer
2. Publish it on your blog
3. eMail your friends and associates and ask them to pass along the information to their friends and associates.
4. Make it easy for them. Write out in QUOTES – exactly what you want them to say to their friends, associates, etc. Your friends are busy, so help them help you.
5. Provide them with a link to your blog page.

For example, if I owned a restaurant and business was dangerously slow (off-season, etc.), I would email my closest friends and associates and say –

“Hi, _____. I’m really looking to bring in some new business over the next few weeks, so I’m putting together a special (event, package, offer, etc.). Here’s the info. If you could share this link/text/photo, etc. with a half-dozen people, it could help me tremendouslyJ. Thank you, _______. I really appreciate your help.”

That’s just an example using my personal lingo to illustrate the point. You’d basically say the same thing using your own words.

If people don’t respond to your sales offer – change the offer, add a bonus, modify the sales copy, etc.

DON’T BE – “JUST LIKE EVERYONE ELSE”

Be memorable. How do you do that? Don’t be “just like everyone else.” That goes for your business, too. Blend in and you’re invisible to the masses. Sometimes being memorable is as easy as being personable in a profession where most people are the exact opposite. It can be as easy as being honest and up front with people because – most people aren’t.

The layout of your store could be unique. Different. Your package design or displays could be humorous or off-the-wall. Don’t be afraid to try something new.

LEARN TO WRITE COPY THAT SELLS… OR NOT

A long time ago I was taught – words sell. Whether you’re talking about text, audio or video, words sell. Graphics may get people’s attention, but words close the deal. When I finally digested this fact for myself, I decided to learn how to write copy for my own company. You need to do the same for your own business. If you don’t want to learn and discover you really suck at writing copy, hire someone to do it for you.

Once your sales copy is ready to go, add it to your blog. There are a lot of ways and places to do this. Experiment and track the results. Then…

TEST, TEST, TEST!

I’m assuming you have a good product people want. Some people have a good product in a bad location. In that case, the bad location often supersedes the great deal or great sales copy. All things being equal, you have to test everything you do. I’m talking about offers, price points, sales copy, etc.

The biggest companies in the world and the most successful small businesses in the world all have the same thing in common. They test until they develop the product/service their market wants at the price point that brings in the sales they’re looking for.

DO ALL THE ABOVE ON YOUR OWN BUSINESS BLOGGING SITE

Businesses of all sizes throughout the world are now using blogs to connect with their customers. That, in a nutshell, is what effective marketing is all about. It’s about connecting with people. A blog provides you with the perfect platform to make that connection.

I’ve been using blogs for years now and my company continues to build blogging sites of all shapes and sizes for businesses of all shapes and sizes. That includes online magazines, too.

For me, blogging is an enjoyable part of everyday life. I’ve used this site and others to connect with people from around the world.

This doesn’t mean new business will fall into your lap like ripe cherries off the tree just because you have a blog. Like everything, you get out of it exactly what you put into it. I also invest time communicating with people via email, social media and other simple methods. When the effectiveness of one method begins to wane, I change or tweak it.

Here are a few of the butt-kicking, name-taking, business building blogging sites I’ve built over the past years.

http://mainstreetwebhosting.com (This site was created to market webhosting services)
http://jimgaliano.com (I created this site to put a “face” to Gulf Coast Internet Publishing)
http://mynationalpublicity.com (Getting a message to the national media has never been easier)
http://worldresponders.com (This was my original bulk email service)
http://onlinementormagazine.com (Teaching people how to do business – online)
http://cemeteryplotsforsale.net (One of the largest cemetery plot directories in the world. Uses a simple design I’ve been meaning to change for ages but never get around to.)

Back the days of the Old West, gold was discovered in California by a man named Jim Marshall. The year was 1848. The gold rush had begun. It ended approximately seven years later. During that time, hundreds of thousands of people made the (sometimes) perilous journey to California in search of instant riches. While very few discovered the “instant wealth” they’d hoped to find, some were wise enough to recognize the wealth of opportunities awaiting them in the young, developing country.

These individuals were responsible for building the businesses, companies, towns and cities that changed the face of the country. Their spirit of entrepreneurialism continued on for many years to come.

The Internet, in many ways, is a modern version of the land of opportunity that existed in the 1800’s. Fortunes were made by people who “struck gold” with a variety of ground floor opportunities between 1997-2005.

Things have changed a lot since 2005. Today, the “easy gold” has already been found, gathered and monetized. Like the people who made big money selling shovels, tools and picks to the gold prospectors in the late 1840’s, you could make an easy living in 2000 selling product “shovels” to the gold rush crowd. Today, however, things have changed. The easy-money chasers are basically broke and to a large degree – disillusioned with the overnight riches story-line.

Like the America of the 1870’s, however, the Internet continues offers unlimited potential for those seeking to build real, lasting businesses.

THE TOOLS YOU’LL NEED

The technical tools you’ll need to bring your ideas together are cheaper than ever and the prices continue to fall. The main tools you need, however, aren’t available for immediate download. The most important tools, the ones that can make or break any business, are inside you. I’m talking about the ability to focus upon building a real online business and laying the foundation necessary to do so. Building a business takes a little time, but it’s a lot less time than you’ll waste bouncing from one idea to the next.

When I first started online, I didn’t have the money to outsource anything. I did everything myself. I built my own websites, created my own ads, wrote my own content, etc. During this time I learned what skills were worth developing, at least from my own perspective. These would be skills I wouldn’t have to rely upon others for. For example, if you learn how to write good copy, you won’t have to rely upon others for this service. If you learn how to develop websites, you’ll receive the same benefit in that area.

Either way, you’re making an investment. This kind of investment takes time. On the other hand, hiring someone to write sales letters, develop websites, etc., takes money. Time IS money, as the old saying goes, so you can clearly see… one way or another, you pay. In my case, my investment in time paid off because I wound up developing multiple business sites.

WHAT KIND OF INVESTMENT ARE YOU MAKING?

How about you? Are you still caught in the trap of searching for instant riches that require little to no effort? There are plenty of real opportunities to start, grow or develop a REAL online business in 2012.

All you need is a “get-going” strategy to get started.

For some people that means acknowledging certain distractions and making a decision to cut them off for a certain period of time. For others, it may mean investing in developing a certain skill set – taking your ability in that area to the next level of proficiency.

Some people put off committing to specific plan of action because they’re unsure they’re heading in the right direction, making the best choices. As a result, they follow after a variety of leaders, invest in courses, go to seminars, etc. Eventually, this approach creates a pattern of relying on other “experts” instead of developing your own insights, intuition and personal experiences which you can draw from. You become a lifelong follower instead of a leader in your chosen niche.

Sooner or later, the focus needs to be shifted from what the “herd is doing” to your own individual projects and pursuits. This is the place where creativity can flourish and you can finally leave a path created from your own, unique footprints instead of following the shadow of someone else’s.

The landscape has shifted and the skyline we see in the online world of 2012 is different than that of the past. Adjust and you can prosper from these changes greatly. Keep looking for easy gold, though, and you’ll probably have a very long road ahead of you.

By Jim Galiano –

The ABC’s of any subject give you the basics you need to get started. Basics are very important because that’s the foundation you build upon. In some cases, you don’t have to go far beyond the basics to excel in your chosen field or area. Sports provide many excellent examples of this. There have been standout athletes over the years that excelled far and beyond their contemporaries by mastering and sticking close to the basics.

I’ve watched certain boxers over the years that broke records and achieved tremendous longevity in the sport by mastering the basics. They weren’t big knockout punchers. They didn’t have incredible defenses. They didn’t apply overwhelming pressure against their opponents. Bernard Hopkins and Joe Calzaghe are a few good modern examples. Neither had the flash of an Ali or Leonard. They didn’t have the defense of a Willie Pep or Pernell Whitaker. They didn’t have the punching power of a George Foreman.  Even so, they kept winning and winning and both hold records for most title defenses in their respective divisions.

During their fights, announcers would say, “They don’t do anything great, but they do everything well!”

The same could be said about champion athletes in other sports as well.

At the very least, you have to have the basics under your belt.

The Basics of Information Publishing

Let’s take a quick look at the basics of information publishing. It’s common knowledge that people come online looking for information. Although the model has changed over the years, publishing is a big business that’s only getting bigger. From PDF eBooks to Kindle, Blogs to Membership sites (and don’t forget publishing on-demand services) – there is no end in sight.

1. You have to pick a niche you’re knowledgeable in or in the process of becoming knowledgeable in.
2. You have to have the tools to write and create your finished product (Word, Open Office, Adobe Acrobat, etc.)
3. You have to have a website with a sales letter from which you sell your product from. You also need to secure a payment processor (Paypal, etc.)
4. You have to collect names and build a mailing list.

Those are the basics of the information publishing business. There are other things we could add, but you get the general idea.

If you never did anything else but still managed to do all those things really well, you could make money writing, publishing and marketing information products.

You could do a joint venture here and there to help speed up the sales and the list growing process… but all things being equal, even if you didn’t, you’d still develop a solid business over time if your product was good.

GETTING BEYOND THE BASICS

Now, let’s take a look at what exists “beyond the basics.” I call it the XYZ’s of information publishing. These are things you encounter when you’re in the midst of the process that people don’t always tell you about.

Problem: You discover you’ve picked the wrong niche.

Picking the right niche isn’t as easy as some people would have you believe. When I wrote my first booklets, “Car Buy Secrets” and “How-To Erase Your Poor Credit Rating,” I found out from experience that I didn’t have any follow-ups “in me” to continue in that particular niche profitably.

My Car Buying and Credit Repair booklets were a great way to get started in the publishing business. They become the foundation upon which my reputation was built. I remained in that niche for three years. Afterwards, I began writing in the self-publishing niche for business owners interested in publishing paper and ink booklets to promote their companies, products and services. It wasn’t long before my consulting service (the backend, money-making product) began developing.

I added all kinds of services to that business including SEO services, webhosting, graphic design, etc. It all started with a single booklet title (like a seed) and grew from there. Was that the plan from the beginning? Nope. I flew, basically, by the seat of my pants.

ADVICE

Test several niches if you’re not certain which one is right for you. Sometimes the only way you really learn is by DOING and experiencing all the little ins and outs. Reading about it is great, but doing it is where your education will increase by leaps and bounds.

Problem: You’re A Lousy Marketer.

As it turns out, you write and produce good information products. Heck, they may even be great! Only thing is – your marketing campaign results in “crowds of people” not buying your product. People just don’t respond to your sales copy.

There are plenty of sales letter formulas and examples you can learn from and borrow online as well as offline. There are also plenty mind-map examples you can find, too, showing you how the process works and what you need to do from start to finish.

The problem is, most people take “a little of this” and “a little of that” and splice it all together. The results are something that sounds like an overt sales pitch and I’m sure you already know, “People hate being sold to.”

The best salespeople sell just enough to make it seem as though the buyer is making an informed decision. They give enough information to make the next logical step a “buying decision.”

In person, if you talk to someone who’s a potential client or customer, you can talk to them and find out what they’re looking for and offer them a solution to their problem. You can provide them with a service to meet the need. You share the benefits of doing business with you and if you leave them with a good feeling, they’ll often make a decision to do business with you. That’s a simple business transaction.

That’s what you want to capture in your sales letter and materials.

It takes a little practice to get it right. Okay… it takes a LOT of practice to get it right.

ADVICE

Reverse engineer your publication creation method by writing your sales letter first. List all the benefits your readers will get by purchasing your product. Then, go back and write your publication outline to mirror the sales letter. While this method isn’t practiced by many, those who’ve struggled with creating a more effective sales letter/marketing package swear by this method.

A friend of mine who’s been publishing how-to books for many years told me this method has worked wonders for him (he hates writing sales letters).

MORE TIPS

1. If you don’t know how to make a decent looking website, use WordPress to create your website on your own domain. If you don’t know how to do that and don’t intend on building multiple websites over time, hire someone at fiverr.com to do the job for you. Sites on blogger.com and WordPress.org are not the way to go.
2. If no one or very few people known you exists, give your eBooks to local business owners. This is a simple way promote yourself, provide value to new readers and open the doors to a variety of networking opportunities.
3. If you’re WordPress site isn’t showing up the search engines under your keywords and phrases use the following basic plugins – (All-In-One SEO, Google Sitemap Generator, Maxblogpress-ping-optimizer).
4. If you can’t create a decent looking product box or book graphic, hire someone for $5 at fiverr.com – minimally. You don’t have to invest in software unless you enjoy the cover creation process.
5. Sales flat-line. If you send out a mailing to your list or do a joint venture and get less than satisfying results, don’t give up! There are people who will see you offer who (for whatever reason) can’t or won’t be able to purchase your offer initially. Keep your products out there and continue to market them. Change headlines; tweak the text or the offer, etc.

Is there anything that I know today that I wish I knew about the information publishing business when I started? I’ve learned so much over the course of time that one single thing doesn’t stand out. If anything, I would say to make sure you treat this like a business because that’s exactly what it is. Like any other business, you’ll need patience, organization and the ability to adjust to the changes that inevitably come.

There may be plenty of frustrations and challenges along the way, but the rewards definitely outweigh the effort. The technical methods may change, but the publishing business is here to stay.

By Jim Galiano –

When I was 17, an older woman I knew told me, “If you want to get ahead in this world, you gotta tell people what they wanna hear.” She was an honest person, so I just had to ask, “Have you done that?”

“No,” she said. “I tell them the truth, that’s why no one wants to talk to me anymore!”

Everyone wants something, isn’t that right? Getting ahead, though, can rarely be accomplished with words alone. It takes action. In the business world it requires giving people what they want. Successful online and offline businesses find out what their customers want and give it to them!

Have you ever bought a gift for someone that ended up on the trash heap after a short period of time? Okay, maybe it didn’t end up in the garbage, but they clearly weren’t interested in using, wearing or doing anything of substance with your purchase. We’ve all experienced this at one time or another. One of the reasons this happens is because you purchased them something “you liked” and assumed they would, too. This happens in business, too.

In business, online or otherwise, the question that matters above all others is – what do your customers really want? Invest in a product you “think” they’ll like and you can end up with a bunch of inventory no one wants to buy. Let me tell you, I learned this lesson the hard way when I was only 22-years old.

Back then, I decided to get into the mail order business. I purchased the inventory of a product that I “thought” everyone would want. Guess what? I was wrong. I purchased a product that had sold well “at one time,” but that time had come and gone. Lesson learned.

No, if you’re going to succeed, you have to know what your customers want – today!

If you’re a writer, the most important question is – “What topics will interest my readers?”

If you’re opening a restaurant, the most important question is – “What kind of food do people want in this area/location?”

If you’re an artist, the most important question is – “What kind of artwork do they want to buy?”

It all comes down to giving people what they want. When you meet expectations and flourish. And when you don’t… you don’t.

Sometimes people are looking for the top of the line products. Other times, good enough is good enough. McDonalds makes a fortune selling cheap food that many people consider “good enough.” Many people enjoy eating unhealthy, inexpensive food. You can argue about why all day long and that still won’t change a thing.

You can have a great marketing plan, but if you’re not giving the people what they want, the results will still be lukewarm at best.

WHAT PEOPLE WANT

There are times when finding out what other people want is as easy as asking them. Other times, however, they either won’t or can’t tell you. This is where testing comes in. Hollywood provides good examples of this. Screen plays are written, actors hired, sets created, etc., in an attempt to create the type of entertainment people want.

Sometimes they succeed wildly and other times they fail miserably. There are box office hits and box office bombs. Even so, the studios put out enough “hits” to more than compensate for the flops. The Hollywood machine generates billions of dollars worldwide every year because one way or another, they find a way to give people what they want.

MAKE ADJUSTMENTS AS YOU GO

I use Google’s Keyword Analyzer and Google Trends to keep my finger on the “pulse” of different industries. Just type “Google Keyword Analyzer” or “Google Trends” into the search box and go from there. You can get the data you need including global monthly searches and local monthly searches. This information will show you what people are looking for online.

In the past, I also used magazines to gauge interest in particular topics. Ten years ago there were four boxing magazines found regularly on the shelves of my local Barnes and Noble and Books-A-Million stores. I watched that number dwindle as they were replaced by Mixed Martial Arts magazines.

The magazine shelf was a direct reflection of the public’s changing interests.

COMPETITION

Every industry has competition. Sometimes, however, it’s difficult to tell who’s really the leader of the pack. Larger companies with deeper pockets can move money around and appear to be doing a lot better than is actually the case. “Follow the leader” can be dangerous if, in all reality, the leader is just as lost as the followers are.

If you have very little by the way of competition in your niche, one of two things may be possible. Either you’re on the front end of a positive trend that’s only going to increase in size and interest over the coming years… or you’ve picked a dud.

If you’re going to assess the competition, assess it from top to bottom and everything in between. Don’t assume anything.

DON’T BE AFRAID OF MAKING MISTAKES

No one likes making mistakes. Especially when money is involved. An old businessman once told me that I’d learn more from my mistakes than I did from my successes. He was right. I made a lot of mistakes earlier on. Some were expensive ones, too. At the time, it felt like the end of the world. Life went on, though, and I lived to fight another day.

The point is, don’t be afraid to make mistakes. You’ll never be 100% certain what your customers really want until you put it out there. What works in one area doesn’t work in another and vica-versa. Don’t get caught up with the why’s… just make your adjustments, keep moving forward and learn as you go.

By Jim Galiano –

At the end of the day, having a successful website or web presence means different things to different people. If you’re in the world of advertising, the name of the game is TRAFFIC. If you get a lot of traffic, people will PAY YOU to place their ads on your site. They may not pay a fortune… but they will pay. I have one such site myself. Let me tell you, it took a long time to get a lot of advertisers. I’ve developed a few sites using this business model, but I would hate to have to do it again. It’s a lot of work. There are other business models that I’ve found much easier to develop.

If you asked the people advertising on my site what their definition of success is, you’d get a different answer. For them, success is having people noticing their ads, clicking on them and most importantly – making a purchase.

Many of my clients own “brick and mortar” businesses. For them, success is all about having people coming to their physical locations and making a purchase.

If you’re selling a product that’s downloadable like an eBook or software product, your success is determined by the number of downloads you sell.

If you’re not selling anything and are simply blogging or writing about a topic as a hobby, at the very least you want to know there are more than just a handful of people who are following what you’re doing and looking forward to your updates.

HOW TO “NOT BE” A STATISTIC

Over 90% of online businesses fail. The statistics are really no different than that of offline businesses. I learned from experience what NOT TO DO ONLINE as well as what I needed to do in order to be successful. Was it easy? Nope. I wish I had someone to guide or mentor me through the process. When I started, there wasn’t such a thing as online mentors or coaches! There was only testing, testing and more testing. Here’s a simple outline for you to help you get started in the right direction in the world of Internet marketing. Realize this, no matter what your business, once you step into the online world – you’re an Internet Marketer as well.

1. Make a decision. What do you want to accomplish with your website? If the answer is EVERYTHING, you’re on your way to becoming a negative statistic. In order to get established you have to have focus. In order to have focus, you have to make a decision of who you want to reach… which brings us to the next point.
2. Have an action plan. What kind of plan? If you’re selling a service (as many of my friends do), your plan might involve using your website as a tool for directing people to call and schedule an appointment. People still buy from and connect with other people. Make it easy for them to do so!
3. Network with others who can do what you can’t. I knew of a guy in one community who was very involved in creating community-oriented events and projects. Unfortunately, the projects never went very far because he couldn’t get the cooperation of very many people within the community. Others talked about him as being arrogant and unlikeable. In life, it’s important to be able to work with others, even if you don’t see eye to eye with them on every little thing. Today, perhaps more than ever before, it’s important to network with other people, companies and organizations who can do “what you can’t.” Likewise, there will be others who will come to you for the same reason. Being a part of the right network of people probably won’t happen overnight… but unless you realize its importance… it won’t happen at all.
4. Don’t spend money until you have to. I heard this advice a long time ago. I ignored it. Well, it wasn’t so much that I ignored it… it’s just that there were so many “cool things to buy” I could hardly help myself at the time. That was then. This is now. Some lessons are more expensive than others. Keeping your overhead as low as possible is the kind of strategy that will help you continue to move forward when tough times come. Believe me… sooner or later, tough times come. Even squirrels store up for the winter time when the food supply becomes scarce. If you don’t have something left over at the end of the month, after all the bills are paid, now’s as good a time as any to reevaluate your plan.

Is there more? There is. First, however, you need to make the four steps I’ve mentioned above a part of you. Once you do, the rest of the steps will come a lot easier.

By Jim Galiano –

Marketing your business, yourself or both online is a must if you want reach your clients, customers, fans, etc. EVERYONE markets online, from the big shots to the little shots and everyone in between. Today, just about every niche, industry or market you can identify is SUPER COMPETITIVE.

Now, before you get depressed, let me tell you why you shouldn’t be. It’s fairly simple. Most people haven’t figured out how to market themselves or their businesses effectively online yet. When I say “effective,” I’m talking about achieving ongoing, bankable results. Most businesses are leaving a lot of money on the table because they don’t really understand how online marketing works.

Understand this; marketing isn’t magic. Marketing is about communication. Those who understand direct marketing well have distinct advantages over those who don’t.

Take a closer look at the world today and how businesses are run specifically. People are used to buying lousy products and services that don’t live up to the “hype.” They’re used to getting poor value for their investment. They’d love to believe your “stuff” will be different but experience tells them the odds are against it. Isn’t that true?

Fortunately, there are exceptions. You must be one of the exceptions.

REVERSING THE “RISK”

One of the ways to prove you’re one of the exceptions is by providing “risk reversal” with your offers. This simply means if the person isn’t happy, you’re willing to refund their money.

Another method is to provide samples for a prospective buyer. Groceries stores have done this for years. Instead of purchasing the big package, they provide samples of a new product. If you enjoy the taste, you buy the product. If you don’t, you have zero risk with zero investment and haven’t lost a thing.

Try before you buy. This is possible with some businesses, but not all.

FIND A UNIQUE SELLING POSITION

Another method is to find a unique selling position and promoting. Maybe your product is crafted by Elves in a hidden city deep beneath the arctic? Or maybe not…

Maybe you were trained by an infamous mentor?

Maybe your product is imported from a place known for have the very best of its kind?

You get the idea. Of course, you have the test the different methods to find which one works best for you. Is this easy to do? It’s not as hard as you think. Stand out in the crowd by showing customers you’re different than most others.

TIME & MONEY… WHEN THERE’S NOT A LOT OF EITHER…

One of the problems people commonly face in getting a marketing campaign or message off the ground is time. Most small businesses can’t afford to have an in-house marketing department so they hand the ball off to someone who already has multiple responsibilities on their plate. In other cases, the business owner takes on the responsibility of doing most of the marketing work on top of all the other responsibilities. If you’re already running a business, it can be exhausting adding something as technical as marketing on top of everything else you’re already doing.

HERE’S AN OPTION

If you’re looking to market yourself, your business or anything else, blogging is an option you should seriously consider.

BLOGGING… IT’S EASIER THAN YOU THINK

Why blogging? Blogging gives you a forum to talk about your business, new products, customer concerns, product information, etc.

The list is endless.

The nice thing about business blogging is, you give your readers the information they need to make a buying decision without the high-pressure tactics commonly used by most amateur marketers and advertisers.

Blogs are conversational in nature. A conversational tone makes it much easier to communicate and connect with your intended audience. This is true, regardless of the topic. Good communication IS effective marketing in a nutshell.

GENERATING FREE TRAFFIC USING FACEBOOK

By attaching your blog link to a Facebook page, you can easily create a steady stream of traffic to your blog without spending a dime. Facebook is an excellent source of free traffic. The more friends you have and the more groups you belong to, the more potential exposure your blog will have.

You don’t have to have an elaborate, Facebook business page. You can if you want to, but you really don’t have to. The nice thing about a personal profile is – regular, everyday conversations take place on people’s Facebook walls. Post comments, engage in conversation, offer humorous tidbits from time to time and you will connect with prospective buyers and customers. Most importantly, you’ll do it naturally without take the artificial approach of bombing anyone’s inbox with offers and invitations.

Offers are fine. Just make sure you’re delivering them to people who are interested in what you’re offering. Blasting people with ads and offers indiscriminately will only turn them off and agitate them. When the time comes that they’re actually interested in the type of products or services you offer… they’ll end up taking their business elsewhere because your marketing approach left a bad taste in their mouth.

BE CAREFUL WHO YOU GET MARKETING ADVICE FROM

Can I let you in on a little secret? Most marketing firms and consultants sell their clients packages they DON’T NEED. If you want to be visible in your marketplace, they’ll gladly take your money to promote you on dozens of “must have” sites and networks. Usually, you will be told, “This site gets X-amount of traffic every month. Your ad will be seen by potentially millions of people.”

Of course, millions of people and businesses are all doing the exact same thing. The results most people achieve are usually watered down at best unless they have a really powerful offer. Think about it, you’re a consumer. How many ads do you avoid clicking on when you’re online?

Using the “personal method” I described above, you can separate yourself from the “noise” and stand out in a crowd much easier. It’s about being memorable. How many ads do you remember – even 24-hrs after you’ve seen them? How about the ads that regularly appear on websites you frequent?

Can you name them? Probably not. I’m not saying the ad method is totally ineffective… I’m simply pointing out there are much better, not to mention more cost effective, methods.

Need more? Contact me at Gulf Coast Internet Publishing’s “Hot Line” today – 941-926-5033!

By Jim Galiano –

A lot has been written and debated about SEO [Search Engine Optimization], especially over the last few years. What most business owners fail to realize, however, is that SEO isn’t the end-all to Internet Marketing anymore than having a store on Main Street is an end-all to traditional marketing. In a bad economy, this is doubly so. Most people work hard and endure a significant amount of stress for their money. They’re not parting with it as easily as they were in the past.

In order to prosper in today’s world, a prospective buyer must find more value in parting with their money for what you’re offering then they do keeping it in their wallet. That’s marketing in a nutshell.

I’m sure you’ve heard a lot about the ABC’s of marketing. Now, I want to talk about the part most people avoid, namely… the XYZ’s.

General marketing principles never change because basically, when it comes to the psychology selling, people never do either. The things people value, however, does change. The value of newspapers and magazines is a good example of this. Many businesses are withdrawing their advertising budgets from these mediums and redirecting them online.

Why? Because an increasing number of people now choose to get their news, information and entertainment online. Newspapers and magazines (not to mention the phonebook) are getting thinner because there are fewer pages with fewer advertisements.

There are also hundreds of additional sources of information on the same or similar topics. In most cases, thousands. The options continue to increase. As a result, the value of an individual newspaper or magazine for many people decreases.

Some publications won’t survive this shift.

I’m using newspapers and magazines as an example, but there are many other things right now that would fit just as well as examples.

The point is, marketing and SEO aren’t magic. If you’re in a business that sells items people no longer place the same value on, you have two basic choices.

1. Deal with having a smaller profit margin.
2. Get into a different business.

I’m not saying this to be negative; I’m simply pointing out the fact that “better marketing” isn’t always the miracle cure for sagging sales and shrinking markets.

I think back to how popular the boxed game market was when I was growing up. Today, most people play games on their computers. We could go on and on. Time changes and so do people’s interest.

Consumers are weighing value in their purchasing decisions more today than they have in the past 50-years. They weighing the value of the products and services they buy and use. They’re weighing the value of where they’re spending their entertainment money. They’re weighing the value of the restaurants they dine in and the clothing brands use. They’re weighing the value of everything. This trend, if you want to call it that, shows no signs of slowing up or reversing direction. We’re living in a time where unchecked consumerism and status possessions no longer hold the same appeal to the masses as they once did in the past.

Is this a bad thing? Well, as a business person, I guess it depends what your marketing is and what you’re selling. At the end of the day, though, make sure you’re not one of the last to abandon a dying market. As we’ve already seen over the past few years, “Too big to fail” is a fantasy you don’t want to buy into.

By Jim Galiano –

Some online businesses have a lot longer shelf-life than others. When I first started selling information online back in the 90’s, the competition was a fraction of what it is today. I still create, publish and market information online. Truth be told, I’ve actually had to “reinvent” my approach three times since first starting.

The old advice, “Do what you’ve been doing and you’ll continue to get what you’ve been getting,” is just as true in the online world as it is in the offline one.

Reinventing your online business, however, doesn’t have to be a major undertaking – consuming your time and money along the way.

The process can be as simple as a series of tweaks that, once completed, will cause you to look back on the process and wish you would have made the move sooner.

LITTLE CHANGES THAT CAN BRING HUGE RESULTS.

1. Tweak your message.  There are a variety of ways to say or present your message. If the way you’re doing it now isn’t working, CHANGE IT.  You can say the same thing 1,000 different ways – each way emphasizing your point a little differently. Why are you the best choice in your market? What advantages do you have or offer? If you’re in a market that’s saturated with competitors – this is your chance to get really creative.
2. Change your website. If your website looks “old or dated,” it may be time for a fresh overhaul. Is your message lost amongst a myriad of options or choices? The average person will spend seconds on your site before leaving if they don’t find something to catch their attention IMMEDIATELY. Less is better more often than you’d imagine.
3. Say it with Video. A picture can be worth a thousand words… and when it comes to video, you can say a whole lot in a short period of time. Cameras and editing software are cheaper than ever before. Hey, you’ll never know until you try, right?
4. Use Free Publicity. A press release mailing blasted out to the offline and online world can bring your business a lot of attention in a hurry. Make sure you have a “story angle,” though, if at all possible. Informative, controversial, eye-opening stories get a lot more mileage than, “We’re having an open house on Friday with popcorn and juice available.”

There are countless other ways to repackage your business online. Most business owners aren’t comfortable with change. After all, if a certain way has worked in the past, it should work again, right?

To that I would say, take a good look around you. Everything’s changing. It’s changing so fast and so drastically in some cases, it’s harder than ever to forecast what tomorrow may bring. It’s almost a given, however, that tomorrow will look much different than yesterday. If there was ever a time to adapt your business to the changes that are happening all around us, now is that time.

By Jim Galiano –

“Choose a niche, there will be less competition.” That’s the advice that because popular in the early 2000’s. It’s still popular today. The thing is, today there’s competition in every niche. I have multiple web businesses that I’ve been operating since the late 90’s and early 2000’s. Some of the are in what I call “mircro-niches.” Even so, I still have the company of a multitude of competitors.

If you know your topic, love your topic… or possibly even live breathe and eat your topic – that’s the niche for you regardless of the competition.

You see, although masses of websites have been build around every imaginable topic… the quality of the content is usually what separates the authority sites the “also-rans.” An “authority site” is just that. It’s a site that’s recognized in the niche as a source of quality, relevant, reliable information. Authority sites can also fall into the category of “reading for pleasure” sites.

A few years ago I found a handful of sites dedicated to sports game simulations. From the days of the boxed versions of Strat-O-Matic Baseball and Football to today’s  digital counterparts, games from the past and present are reviewed, discussed and sold.

Hobby sites draw traffic, build community and yes… can even make money, too.

Will you get rich off a hobby site? Who knows? That’s a question you’ll never be able to answer unless you try.

The Internet has leveled the playing field. You’ve probably already heard this 1001 times but it’s still true today. Big guys are losing their market to little upstarts in every niche you can think of. It’s absolutely amazing.  What’s keeping you from getting started?

It’s outrageous!

In a recent survey among internet marketers almost all of them acknowledged that Google+ is the next big thing and yet hardly any of them had the first clue about how to use it, what it could do or how you can already start making money from it!

There is no excuse for being left behind.

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