<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<?xml-stylesheet href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/rss/rss20.xsl" type="text/xsl"?>

<rss version="2.0">
 <channel>
	<title>Business Marketing Articles</title>
	<link>http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/cat/index/50/Business-Marketing-Articles.php</link>
	<description>Business Marketing Articles - Latest business
news &amp; management advice on how best to build your own business -
Free, independent business articles on Strategy, eBusiness, Change
Management &amp; much, much more.</description>
	<language>en</language>
	<docs>http://backend.userland.com/rss092</docs>
	<pubDate>Tue, 09 Feb 2010 12:33:33 +0000</pubDate>
	<managingEditor>admin@buildyourownbusiness.biz</managingEditor>
	<webMaster>admin@buildyourownbusiness.biz</webMaster>    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Publicity And Success With Your Own Posters</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Whether you are promoting yourself as an independent agent, or you are promoting your business or a company you work for, poster printing is one of the great strategies you can invest upon for publicity. Poster printing can work in many angles to make sure that you can get your message across effectively to the most number of people. Along with a good design, you can easily generate positive publicity for the subject you need, all for a cheap price. Below is a low down on how this works.

Getting your message through.

Posters can get your message through to people in quite effective ways. Take the food poster for example. By just posting some good color posters around their location, a small restaurant can generate quite a lot of interest for their new types of foods. Basically, it generates some publicity for it. Since the posters are very visual and can be displayed at many places indefinitely, that message will be displayed for all people to see 24/7. Moreover, since they can display a lot more text and provide more details about their subjects, color posters can give the complete message across to people along with the specific and important details. These are the things that radio and television advertisements cannot quite achieve. So if you want a more detailed and effective message to come through to people, poster printing is the one best recommended.

Reaching people everywhere.

Also, the good thing about posters is that you can generate publicity for your subject in almost every location you want. You can place your posters everywhere from hallways, public bus stops, food places, billboards and even the bare walls of your shop. Everyone will be able to see your posters without the limitation of electronic devices. So your market will not only be the radio listening or TV watching audience at certain commercial breaks, everybody who can walk and read will be your potential audience. Basically you can reach anybody anywhere as long as your posters  ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/4807/Publicity-And-Success-With-Your-Own-Posters.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/4807/Publicity-And-Success-With-Your-Own-Posters.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Something Unexpected</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[In today's highly competitive marketplace, consumers can choose from any number of competing sellers in order to get what they want. When you and your competitors offer the same quality product and rely on low prices, loss leaders, and special incentives to make the sale, the product becomes a mere commodity and price is all that matters. But, when you shift your focus away from the sale and toward the consumer experience, you change the playing field.

Far too often, consumer experiences are delivered short of expectations. With the heavy presence of social media in our lives today, there's big buzz about &amp;quot;engaging&amp;quot; the consumer. But, I don't think too many of us understand what that really means. Doc Searls in writing about “the intention economy”, suggests that buyers find sellers, as opposed to sellers capturing buyers. He also shows us that the seller must earn respect and trust, and that branding is only useful if it is based on truth. Sellers must focus first and foremost on building relationships with buyers. The sale is a by-product of this relationship.

Building successful relationships with consumers means becoming transparent and giving them more than they expect. Now, more than ever, we must be focused on the quality of the consumer experience in addition to the quality of our product and service. Relationship building goes much deeper than simply putting your best face forward. It goes deep into that all important courtship, and it takes a whole lot more than giving flowers and holding hands to grow a beautiful relationship. It takes trust. It takes passion. It takes creativity. It takes honesty.

The average consumer prefers recommendations from family and friends over advertising. And, according to a Forrester research study examining consumer trust with various forms of advertising, consumer opinions posted online scored higher than traditional marketing tactics. Social media has permeated our daily lives to the degree that buyi ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/4776/Something-Unexpected.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/4776/Something-Unexpected.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Introducing  “Affiliate clone X blueprint”</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[
The incredible thing about affiliate marketing is that you can easily make six figures and still maintain complete freedom in your life - you have no customer service headaches, no staff, no overheads, and yet the amount of money you can make is totally uncapped, the sky is the limit.

You need no prior experience affiliate marketing online. This methods are simple, and run contrary to popular affiliate techniques. Whether you are a seasoned affiliate, or a complete newbie, the cash will come just as quickly.

No hard work or long hours: Affiliate marketing (when done the right way) is the easiest business online. And you will have a lot of leisure time on your hands - you could quit your day job and join me in the world of the cash-rich, time-rich self employed affiliate.

A revolutionary formula, that no-one else is using: completely Unique Gold. Meaning minimal competition, and a real edge over almost every other affiliate on the planet (and we will be taking from the guys who know what they're doing). Whether you are a newbie or a seasoned pro, you will never see this information presented this way - anywhere on the web.

With the step-by-step techniques, you can work the hours that you want to work, and potentially enjoy the freedom that very, very few others enjoy.

These are just some of the things that you can get from this amazing product:

• The critical first step you must take: to &amp;quot;clone&amp;quot; the explosive results of the Guru's: Don't start until you understand this &amp;quot;key to Wealth&amp;quot; 

• Discover the fool-proof &amp;quot;litmus test&amp;quot; for instantly selecting the right product and right system: simply apply this test and guarantee your success 

• What you need to know to select the right product for your business: All products are not created equal and some have vastly better chances of succeeding online - learn the difference here... 

• What you should look for before marketing a PLR product: This tip will save ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/4764/Introducing--Affiliate-clone-X-blueprint.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/4764/Introducing--Affiliate-clone-X-blueprint.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Authenticity Rules: A Reality Check for Creative Advertisers</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Authenticity Rules: A Reality Check for Creative Advertisers

One lovely day in the summer of 2002, I had an in-person business meeting scheduled with an Englishman. He was a new client and I had been advised by a colleague who also rode motorcycles not to reveal myself as a motorcyclist until after a new business relationship had been cemented. Yet, it was a beautiful day and my motorcycle was a 2001 Triumph, made in England. I considered the sunshine and the English connection (if my client noticed that I arrived on a Triumph) an excuse to ride to the appointment.

pass test in a blink
Within minutes of my arrival, the Englishman led me out to the parking lot to show him my motorcycle. When he read the name on the gas tank, he whispered, 'A Triumph.' Then, taking on a dubious tone, he turned to me and said, 'Aah, but was any of it made in England?'

Fortunately, Triumph had placed a tiny Union Jack decal above the taillight. I pointed to it, said yes, and witnessed a change in facial expression that suggested I had just passed a critical test.

What my made-in-England Triumph  has is the perception that authenticity equates with value. This is true of much more than motorcycles. Indeed, the perception of authenticity equates with value among informed and uninformed consumers in any market – so much that it often makes deep wells of creativity unnecessary in effective marketing.  

authenticity = value
Because the concepts home-made and locally-grown trigger the impulse to buy, a small hand-made sign offering home-made relish made from locally-grown cucumbers helps to sell more hotdogs at a hotdog stand. Likewise, a poster of Shaun Cassidy from 1977 might sell at a garage sale today. The same poster autographed by Shaun Cassidy can fetch a high price on e-bay. These are further examples of how authenticity increases value.

You want the real thing?
Authenticity relates to truthful origins. The word comes from the Greek   authentikos  which means or ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/4696/Authenticity-Rules-A-Reality-Check-for-Creative-Advertisers.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/4696/Authenticity-Rules-A-Reality-Check-for-Creative-Advertisers.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Sellers and Retailers Guide of Wholesale Apparel</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[The wholesale apparel segment has revolutionized the garment demand by producing the apparel more cost effective for the shoppers. The wholesale apparel trader purchases the apparel away distinct producers and markets it to the marketers who in turn market it to the particular buyers. Clothing photos hold come to stay as a essential tool to get out to latent clients through style magazines and on the internet clothing shops.

[URL=http://www.dhgate.com/wholesale+apparel.html]Wholesale apparel[/URL] has reduced the prices of the apparel importantly ever since the concept of bulk production as well as lump marketing techniques was introduced in the 19th century. Wholesaling normally includes, marketing in bigger magnitude and at vitally lower prices than the mean reseller cost. Garment encompasses men clothing, ladies garment and youngsters clothing. It might as healthy extend to include apparel such as sport or riding garment. Wholesale apparel is complete approximately selling of products in large quantities at deep and cheap costs to stores and enterprises, rather than selling them straight to individual buyers in the stores. It proves to be cost-effective whether you are ordering garment in bulk.

The adulthood of the folks have to characteristic to wear the most modern apparel on earth nonetheless don't characteristic to order huge amount of money for them. This is probably the purpose why manifold of the clothing traders nowadays offer fashionable outfits alongside cheap costs. And this makes the garment industry accord with actually popular in the integrity planet.

When talking almost garment, wholesale apparel provides to total type of tastes ranging from casuals such as sports shirts, T-shirts, outwear, rob, active bear, and informal dress shirts to headquarters formals such as venture fits and its accessories. For men, it includes an extensive variety of designer tops such as knits, graphic tees, shirts and polo for both superficial and casual line be ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/4686/Sellers-and-Retailers-Guide-of-Wholesale-Apparel.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/4686/Sellers-and-Retailers-Guide-of-Wholesale-Apparel.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Wholesale Apparel Supplier for Men's Wear</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[When you transact with the apparel labor, you would recognition that men's apparel and women's clothing hold a numerous amount of differences. Aloof away the patent similar skirts and underwear, men's apparel is more toned down and conservative. Women's clothing, on the different fist, has added choices - added variety. Though men's garment might be less gaudy, they can be more expensive by comparison. Men typically dress for their age and this entails them using same garment whole the time whereas ladies strive for variety daily.

Clothes mold the staff and lady, in this instance. It's not rigid to imagine equally sexes expending additional than customary sum of assets impartial to create them look pleasant and experience pleasant. 'Big name' businesses have recognized this style of men and lady and possess come aloft alongside numerous categories of styles to try and convulsion them.

Sometimes as a men's provider, you hold to be wary what apparel you purchase. Is it merit getting a few of a trademark or styles or comprehend a lot on a single trend alone? The reply is tricky; that is why as a trader you have to view the apparel fashions warily. Where may you get these garment tends? Solitary alternative is to scrutinize the trend shows and order eyes to their forecasts; from that you can then adjust in a nice way.

Just surfing the web might reveal how diversified men's wholesale apparel has become as related to numerous days past. Men's clothing are now as varied or even added flashier than women's. Clothing enterprises have recognized the reality that males none need additional variation in their [URL=http://www.dhgate.com/wholesale+apparel.html]wholesale apparel[/URL].

Even whether you try to trade at wholesale apparel business, sometimes you might not increase a profit. Sometimes you could impartial break even. When this eventuates it could be time to seek one more supplier. You have to avoid a jobber or middleman at complete prices. Alongside having  ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/4659/Wholesale-Apparel-Supplier-for-Mens-Wear.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/4659/Wholesale-Apparel-Supplier-for-Mens-Wear.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Printing Your Posters</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[One of the best ways to advertise your events, products or services is through the use of print posters. Poster printing has always been a staple in the marketing community as it is a quick and easy way to get the customers’ attention, as well as to impart the necessary information. Therefore, you must have the pertinent ideas in poster printing. Here are some ideas to help you gets started.

First off, you must start with your content. The information you put in your poster must be succinct and direct to the point. Details must also be included, depending on the kind of poster that you are making. For an event poster, the event name, venue and time should be included. Other teasers such as performances (if any) should be included as well. For a product poster, you must put in where they can find the product and the suggested retail price if possible. For a service-oriented poster, the branches of your company where they can avail of the service must be included.

After finalizing the content, you need to design your poster. It is usually easier to design them on the computer. There are a lot of software available for these kinds of things, like Microsoft Word, OpenOffice.org Writer, or even Microsoft Publisher. There are also downloadable ready-to-use templates that you find on the Internet. If you are having a hard time visualizing what you want to put in your poster, you can always hire a professional to do it for you. Be sure to describe what you want as detailed as possible in order for your poster to be a success.

Lastly you need to choose the right printer for your printer needs. Review your printing preferences and look for the printing company that can provide them satisfyingly. They must be able to procure the paper stocks, inks, and shipping services that you require. Your print posters are most attractive when printed in full color, but if you are a bit tight on the budget, you can opt to print them in black and white as well. The paper to be us ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/4636/Printing-Your-Posters.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/4636/Printing-Your-Posters.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Key Message Blunders - Part 3: Promoting Features Not Compelling Benefits</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Key Message Blunders - Part 3: Promoting Features That Do Not Provide Compelling Benefits 

In promoting their company or its products and services, many people choose to present their achievements rather than how they solve their market’s problems. In doing this, they place unimportant distractions where a simple, relevant key message would be more effective at advancing their promotional efforts. 

Consider these examples:

* 'Award-winning graphic design' – on all stationery and promotional collateral of a design agency. 
* 'Proud of what we do' – in the advertisements of an accounting and management-consulting firm. 
* 'Laboratory tested' – on the package of a skin-care product. 

The unimportance of such statements is intuitive to anybody but their authors.

For instance, a prospective client for the renewal of a website might respond to example 1, “How does your having won awards address my needs?” 

The same would apply for people who would respond to example 2, “Does your pride somehow lead to me getting a good deal?”

When encountering example 3, one might ask, “Shouldn’t I assume the laboratory testing of any skin-care product before it appears on store shelves?” 

The crux of the problem is that many businesses are proud of their accomplishments and lose focus away from clearly communicating how their market can rely on them to provide great value.  

Unless a promoter can present to their market a simple, relevant, compelling promise to satisfy their market’s needs, then they should not promote features that do not provide sought-after benefits.

The awards you’ve won or the professional designations of your key people might provide reassurance after the buying decision has been made. Yet, for any enterprise to acquire new clients and earn the loyalty of its market, the focus of key messages ought to be on providing solutions to challenges that the ideal client faces.  

 
- Glenn R. Harrington, [URL=htt ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/4625/Key-Message-Blunders--Part-3-Promoting-Features-Not-Compelling-Benefits.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/4625/Key-Message-Blunders--Part-3-Promoting-Features-Not-Compelling-Benefits.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>How To Make Your Classic Looking Custom Greeting Cards</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Craving for custom greeting cards with that classic effect? Want your greeting card printing to look very poignant with a little of that nostalgic effect? Well, trying to make custom greeting cards look classic or old is very simple. You just use a few effects and some color know how. In this quick guide, I will show you four simple tricks that should help.



• Losing the color – The simplest thing you should do to make custom greeting cards look classic and old is to lose all color information. Changing the color mode of your color greeting card design to “gray scale” makes it look like the images were done in a time when black and white images were all the rage. Of course not only does this make the design look dated, it will also accent the darker and lighter parts of your designs more clearly. This adds that great classic effect that makes designs look meaningful and poignant.



• Adding texture – Plain pictures are hardly classic looking until you add some texture. Texture in images is basically the effect of adding a “material” behind or into your design making it look like it was printed or is made of a specific kind of surface. Satin effects, canvass effects, brick effects and all other texture overlays can have an old and dated effect on custom greeting card designs. As long as the texture matches your theme and design concept you should have that used looking effect through the texture.



• Adding noise – For a more “worn out” effect for your greeting card design, you should try and add some noise. Little scratches, tears, holes and other specific design elements can do this. Moreover adding filter effects that add more noise should do a good job. Filters like “dust and scratches”, “despeckle” and the general “noise” effect filter should be okay for most designs. Just try to adjust the intensity of these filters so that they match the theme you are going for. Most of these effects should be found in common ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/4621/How-To-Make-Your-Classic-Looking-Custom-Greeting-Cards.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/4621/How-To-Make-Your-Classic-Looking-Custom-Greeting-Cards.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Key Message Blunders - Part Two: Over-promising</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Key Message Blunders - Part Two: Over-promising

Many people like to present their company or its products and services as a wonderful surprise or as exceeding anybody’s expectations. The problem with such over-promising is that it implies low or misguided expectations as well as gullibility in the reader. This can strike people as a subtle insult. Even more certainly, it triggers skepticism. There is a better way. 

Consider these examples:

* 'Our mission is to exceed your expectations for quality and service every time' – on a company's website, customer receipts, and in-store banners. 
* 'Something special for everyone!' – as a slogan promoting a community event. 
* 'Why shop anywhere else?' – on the billboard for a shopping mall. 

Example 1 triggers a confounding dual response: uncertainty and skepticism. &amp;quot;How could they know what my expectations are?&amp;quot; &amp;quot;Why be so presumptuous about how easily my expectations are exceeded?&amp;quot; &amp;quot;Do they really think that they can catch me off guard in my gauge of quality and service?&amp;quot; Such thoughts come to mind when people encounter statements like this and can be counterproductive in marketing. 

Example 2 suggests that anybody could attend this event (e.g. concert, convention, rummage sale, community picnic) with anybody else accompanying and find satisfaction. Something special for everyone! makes too broad a promise to appeal to people as individuals with individual needs, tastes, and preferences. Its generic quality weakens it considerably.

In example 3, a rhetorical question implies that one shopping mall is a superior place to shop for any reason, for any aware shopper, under any reasonable circumstances. What could be more effective at evoking skepticism, outright rejection as false, or insult? These effects on market perception can be counterproductive.

When a promoter can promise an experience that consistently, appreciably distinguishes them from alternatives, over- ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/4617/Key-Message-Blunders--Part-Two-Overpromising.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/4617/Key-Message-Blunders--Part-Two-Overpromising.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Why Traditional Article Marketing Should Be Dead!</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Article marketing is one of the best ways to gain instant credibility, increase website traffic, build your list and get more sales. But, the only way you'll experience these results is if you stop doing article marketing the traditional way!

Here's why most of what you have been told by other so-called article marketing experts and gurus is dead wrong when it comes to writing and submitting articles online. 

1. Traditional article marketing rarely results in any new traffic to your site.

Links from hundreds or thousands of unimportant article directories and sites are only going to build an army of low-quality links that do nothing for your page rank in the search engines. And it certainly will NOT bring you any more traffic. This is a mistake that tons of people are still making everyday on the web, and most of them don't even know it. They just assume what they are doing will eventually work - because that's what other experts are telling them.

2. Traditional article marketing does not establish you as an authority in your niche.

One of the biggest advantages of article marketing is that as soon as you publish your first article, you become a published writer in your marketplace. You will soon be considered an authority in your niche, which is great - but only if you are published at reputable sources. For example, my articles can be found on top websites like About.com, SiteProNews.com, MarketingProfs.com, Microsoft Community Dynamics and many more. Blasting out articles to a lot of low-quality sites makes you appear to be an amateur and not an expert, something that traditional article marketers tend to do.

3. Traditional article marketing promotes going for the quick-fix.

There are a lot of marketing &amp;quot;gurus&amp;quot; out there who claim to have the magical solution for helping you obtain thousands of links back to your site just by the push of a button. There are others who claim to have a solution for the duplicate content problem - and  ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/4613/Why-Traditional-Article-Marketing-Should-Be-Dead.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/4613/Why-Traditional-Article-Marketing-Should-Be-Dead.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Danger Running Twitter on Autopilot</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Going from a brick and mortar business to being online requires a strategy for promoting and maintaining brand recognition. 10 years ago some small business owners were slow to accept the importance of having a website, even slower to add a blog, and now some are fighting tooth and nail against having a Twitter account. Before choosing a Twitter strategy, consider the danger of running Twitter on autopilot.

Adding original quality content often is the secret to online success. How to get there often requires having a quality website with a matching blog enhanced with a Twitter account. Taking shortcuts as a strategy on any of those could defeat your website purpose.

Consider Twitter and shortcuts for automating tweets before deciding on the easy route. The issue of duplicate content running Twitter on autopilot may have little impact on search engine ranking for your Twitter account, yet it may affect your reputation with real people. As Twitter matures and external apps are created to maximize efficiency, any automated approach with robots for tweeting becomes easier and easier to identify. 

People you follow who once interacted real time may not respond if they are running Twitter on autopilot.

The reality of how people tweet became very apparent recently when viewing tweets in Tweetdeck. Two people being followed created identical tweets two minutes apart, and each posted automatically using TwitterFeed. The text was identical in word, case, punctuation, and the reference hyperlink. Those were not retweets. They were consecutive tweets in a group column created in Tweetdeck, yet from different persons.

You can tell an account holder is using a robot if their posting method is entirely API, Twitterfeed, or another RSS format. This means tweets are generated and put in queue to &amp;quot;drip feed&amp;quot; into their public timeline to show activity when in fact follower interaction is probably not being monitored.

Twitter is social media. The purpose is ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/4608/Danger-Running-Twitter-on-Autopilot.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/4608/Danger-Running-Twitter-on-Autopilot.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Custom Postcards For Special People</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Want to send something special to the people you love or respect? Well then, you should try custom postcard printing as a new and interesting way to greet your loved ones. No one expects a personalized and professional looking color postcard as a greeting card, but with today's technology custom postcard printing is a cinch. You can even print cheap postcards if you are on a limited budget really.

In this article, I will show you how to create custom postcards for the people who are important to you. Let us start with the closest, your family and friends.

• For family and friends – Custom postcard printing for family and friends is simple. You actually just need a special picture that includes your whole family or your group of friends for the cover of the postcard. Sometimes the older the picture is the better so that you can feel nostalgic or you can tease each other about the good times. Just add that picture into a postcard template in a computer, write in some special message for your family and friends and then have that document printed in your color printer. Instant personalized postcard that can touch the hearts of your loved ones.

• For clients and business contacts – You can also print custom postcards for your clients and other business contacts. It is important for you to preserve these business relationships so that you will have great partners whether the business climate is good or bad. Printing nice company postcards that show gratitude to your clients and business contacts should be a good idea. You might want to use the company color scheme along with the company logo as part of the postcard cover. It should do well though to include an inspirational photograph in the cover that represents your gratitude to your business contact.

Again, you may want to use a postcard template to merge the photographs with your special message for your business contacts. It might be best to hire a postcard printing company to print your custom p ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/4597/Custom-Postcards-For-Special-People.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/4597/Custom-Postcards-For-Special-People.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Key Message Blunders pt 1: Presumptuous Use of &quot;Your&quot;</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[When Key Messages Fail: Three Common Blunders - Part One 

1. Presumptuous Use of Your

In promoting their company, many people like to present its products or services as already adopted by or already belonging to their market. This is how the presumptuous use of your often appears in slogans and mottoes. The basic problem with this is its confounding falsity. There is a better way. 

Consider these examples:
* Your view - with a photo of the view from a new condominium development. 
* Your family pharmacy - on the storefront sign of a drugstore.
* Your outdoor store since 1946 - on the billboard for a camping outfitter.
* The falsity of such statements is intuitive to anybody but their authors.

To example 1, one might respond, 'No. Not my view.' 
The same would apply with example 2. One might respond, 'No. Not my family pharmacy.' 
When encountering example 3: 'Not my outdoor store. Not since 1946, either.' 

The crux of the problem is that the word your always speaks to the reader as the recipient of the message. Your never speaks for the reader as the thinker of the message in self-reference. 

Moreover, your never means my or our. Hence, 'Our new president' could be a perfect slogan to accompany a photo of the recently appointed president of a company in that company's internal newsletter. 'Your new president' would register awkwardly.

A good key message plants an intuitively acceptable idea into the mind of the reader instantly. 

Unless a promoter can present to their market what actually belongs to or has been adopted by every person in their market as their own, then the use of your has no place before the market’s eyes. It is effective at confounding people and ineffective at getting into their minds favourably.

Better to articulate an authentic, basically relevant key message that reflects the thoughts and feelings shared by people who match the ideal client profile.


- Glenn R. Harrington, Articulate Consultants Inc. www. ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/4592/Key-Message-Blunders-pt-1-Presumptuous-Use-of-Your.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/4592/Key-Message-Blunders-pt-1-Presumptuous-Use-of-Your.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Plastic Surgery Marketing Strategies-Write Google Ads that Get New Patients</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[If you're using Pay-Per-Click advertising to promote your plastic surgery marketing practice online or if you're even thinking about using PPC then you need to read this article right away. 

Why?

Because you can't just buy the first spot anymore! There's something called a quality score that Google uses.  And if Google doesn't like your ad or website, it will punish you by lowering the rank of your ad burying it so very few prospects will see it.  Now, if you don't write your Google Ads the right way, you can be spending thousands of dollars and not get one single new patient. 

Why Most Google Ads Fail to Bring In New Patients

Imagine you are seated in a room, shoulder to shoulder with your fiercest competitors. 
In the middle is a prospective patient for your plastic surgery practice. 

This asks, &amp;quot;Why should I choose YOUR PRACTICE in 15 words or less?&amp;quot;

What would you say? 

Would you waste any of the 15 words? Would you waste 3-6 of the words on saying your name once or TWICE???? Would you waste a few words on &amp;quot;Board Certified&amp;quot; or &amp;quot;Free Consultation&amp;quot; that everyone else offers?

Well, believe it or not, the scenario above is basically your Google ad. It's a preliminary 15-word interview of you versus all of your competition. And, most people doing pay-per-click advertising online stumble by adding words that are a complete waste. People add words that do not make people want to click and visit their website. By not writing an effective Google ad, you can kiss tens of thousands of dollars in new patients goodbye.

How to Write an Effective Google Ad That Brings In New

Each word in your Google ad must earn its spot.  If there's not a strong persuasive element to every word you select, then you are wasting space and missing out on new patients. And, this includes inserting your name and the practice's name within the ad. In fact, this is the pay-per-click advertising mistake that is committed everyday. People ar ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/4580/Plastic-Surgery-Marketing-StrategiesWrite-Google-Ads-that-Get-New-Patients.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/4580/Plastic-Surgery-Marketing-StrategiesWrite-Google-Ads-that-Get-New-Patients.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Which Article Template Should You Use?</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[I was recently asked by one of my Instant Article Writing Templates Kit customers:

&amp;quot;Eric, I am amazed by how many different formats and formulas you have created to help us write articles faster. Now, I want to get started in a BIG way. What instant article writing templates should I focus on first?&amp;quot;

Here's Your Article Marketing Expert's Answer to Which Article Templates You Should Try First...

It's hard for me to answer this question and tell you which article templates you should start off with as everyone has his or her own, unique writing style. If you want to find true article writing and marketing success then you need to decide for yourself which article templates, which formats and which writing styles work best for you.

See, I have more than 40 different instant article templates at StartWritingArticlesFaster.com that my clients could follow so they can write articles faster. But they very rarely have success using all 40 of those templates. That's why I offer a large variety of article templates for you to choose from, so you can see for yourself, which ones work best for you.

Why Every Article Template Won't Work For You?

Regardless of experience, aptitude, or willingness - everyone has a writing style that works better for him or her that may not work with another person.

Some clients worked better creating a list. Ex. Top 10 Things All Article Marketers Must 

Others worked better with the How-to formula. Ex. How to Write Articles in Less Than 30 Minutes

Some do better with the problem/solution format, and so on and so on.

The key is to find article templates and article writing formulas that work best for you and use those templates as much as your heart's content. There is no rule out there that you have to use a million different types of writing formats or styles. There is no law that says that every one of your articles cannot be a how-to or a list. That may be the way that you think an organize ideas. Some p ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/4555/Which-Article-Template-Should-You-Use.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/4555/Which-Article-Template-Should-You-Use.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>The Right Answer</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Effective annual marketing plans have always relied on a combination of real data and intelligent assumptions. Recent years have brought us a great deal of change at a very fast pace, which has created new challenges as well as new opportunities for preparing an effective 2010 marketing strategy.

I believe it is very safe to say that when it comes to marketing tactics, there is no common &amp;quot;right answer&amp;quot;. When asked by clients if a particular tactic will produce the desired results, I can only honestly say that it all depends on the product, target, message and — more importantly in today's changing landscape — how the consumer wants to be approached.

If you aren't familiar with the Four P's of marketing [see footnote], it's a tried and true concept that I believe is as relevant today as when it was first introduced a half a century ago. However, the fourth P, &amp;quot;Promotion&amp;quot;, requires some special attention these days. It isn't all about print vs broadcast media, public relations, and your sales force anymore. Today we are faced with — and perhaps blessed with — the possibility of building personal relationships with the masses. Today's buzz phrase is &amp;quot;Social Media&amp;quot; and it really can work if you are smart in your approach.

Before jumping onto FaceBook or Twitter, it's important to understand that social media can work with you or against you in two significant ways:

   1. Social media allows you to hold a conversation with your audience
   2. Social media allows your audience to hold a conversation with others about you

It is also important to understand that social media isn't just about FaceBook and Twitter. It's also about blogs, media sharing, widgets, mobile apps, podcasting, rss, email, and good ol' word-of-mouth. According to the MarketingSavant, a social media campaign by Ben &amp;amp; Jerry's yielded a 42% increase in time spent engaged with their website, strengthened existing relationships, and introduced young ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/4525/The-Right-Answer.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/4525/The-Right-Answer.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>3 Little Known Facts About Customer Newsletters That Gets Clients For Life</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Tom did an incredible job.  He was punctual and thorough.  He made sure his client was satisfied… actually, more-than-satisfied. 

Yet, two weeks later these same happy clients couldn't tell you the name of his company if their lives depended upon it.  And the next time they need someone to do the same job?  They'll start all over again by looking in the yellow pages.

There is a way you can keep your clients life.  All you have to do is….

Publish a Client Newsletter

Client newsletters will build an iron cage around your clients so strong they would never even consider calling your competitors.  

You must understand, it doesn't matter what business you're in, what service you offer or if you work in a small town or a large city.  Life moves at the speed of light. And so does the awareness people have about you and your business.  A monthly client newsletter will guarantee that you always stay in their 'awareness path.'

Here's Three Reasons To Start Publishing a Client Newsletter Now

FACT:  Regular communication with your clients will separate you from the competition.

When your clients receive a personal custom newsletter from your company, it tells them you care about them; that you want to stay in touch.  They will instantly recognize your company as a cut above the rest. 

In addition, your newsletter is a golden opportunity to thank them again for their business.  This thoughtful attention to your client reinforces the differences between you and the other companies. 

BIG FACT:  75% of business (or buying) decisions are based on relationships.

Consumers buy from people they like. Don't you?  Isn't it enjoyable to buy from someone that's pleasant and likable?  It makes you feel good about your buying decision!

Every time the client receives your newsletter, it's another opportunity for them to get to know you a little better.  A well-written monthly newsletter can build customer relationships that last a lifetime. 

BIGGEST  ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/4501/3-Little-Known-Facts-About-Customer-Newsletters-That-Gets-Clients-For-Life.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/4501/3-Little-Known-Facts-About-Customer-Newsletters-That-Gets-Clients-For-Life.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Overcome Writer's Block Fast So You Can Write Your Articles in 30 Minutes</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[I am a natural born writer, so writing has always come easy to me. But, when I had to start writing articles everyday for my blog, for my newsletter and for article submission - I quickly ran out of article topics. 

Then one day as I was reviewing all of my articles, I realized that there was a structure and a formula behind each article I wrote. By recognizing these formulas I'm able to write an unlimited amount of articles - and write them in record time.  

If you want to overcome writer's block and start writing articles faster, then you want to model proven article writing formats, such as those found in my &amp;quot;Complete Instant Article Writing Templates Kit&amp;quot;

Here Are 10 Different Article Writing Templates That Will Help You Overcome Writer's Block So You Can Write Articles Faster...

1. Myth Buster Article Template -- With this template, you crush your prospects' preconceived thoughts and notions about a subject. Take 3 myths people have about your industry. Explain to people why it's a myth. And, then show them what can happen if they clear this myth from their mind.

2. Top 10 Article Template - Have you ever seen a Jay Leno, David Letterman or any other late night television show that doesn't have a &amp;quot;Top 10&amp;quot; segment? Well, neither have I! It's because people love top 10 lists. So give readers and prospects what they want.

3. How-To Article Template - It's no secret that &amp;quot;how-to&amp;quot; articles and blog posts are some of the most sought after, linked to and bookmarked content online. People want useful information and they'll reward you by promoting it to others when you provide it. It's also one of the easiest articles to write.

4. Step-by-Step Article Template - If you think writing a how-to article is easy especially if you're using article templates, then you'll think the step-by-step article template is a cinch. In how-to articles I start off with the problem or pain that my prospects are experiencing. Then I give t ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/4488/Overcome-Writers-Block-Fast-So-You-Can-Write-Your-Articles-in-30-Minutes.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/4488/Overcome-Writers-Block-Fast-So-You-Can-Write-Your-Articles-in-30-Minutes.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Stop Insulting Your Targeted Audience When You Submit Articles Online</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[When you write articles, if you don't keep your audience in mind then you are insulting them. Let me show you an example (unrelated to article marketing) of what happens if you don't keep your targeted audience in mind.

Recently my girlfriend, Kristina Jaramillo, attended one of the worst bridal showers ever. I've never heard of a bridal shower where more than 75% of the guests left insulted, have you?

Here's one of the reasons for the total disaster...

The bridesmaids thought it would be funny to put on a clothesline the different types of underwear to represent the different phases of life and marriage ending with Depends. Now this would have been a perfect gag for a bachelorette party, where all the guests would have been in their 20's and 30's. But not a bridal shower, where at least 75% of the guests were ages 55 to 75. 

The bridesmaids totally forgot who their target audience was. 

Out of respect for the bride, the guests did not leave, even though they were disgruntled. However, if you write articles or website content that's not geared for your targeted audience, people will leave. 

Keep reading this article below to find out if you're insulting your targeted audience - without even realizing it. 

3 Mistakes Most Article Marketers Make That Insult Their Audience

If you're making any of the mistakes, then you are insulting publishers, prospects and readers alike.

Mistake #1: Failure to identify your audience. 

I search the Internet all time for articles that can help me build my different online businesses. There are many times that I won't open an article because I don't know if it's for me. And, because my time is valuable, I don't want to waste it on an article that isn't for me. That's a slap in my face. So identify your audience in the title, in the introduction and in the bio box. 

Mistake #2: Failure to use examples that resonate with your targeted audience.

Let's say you write a sales article titled, &amp;quot;How to Do ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/4487/Stop-Insulting-Your-Targeted-Audience-When-You-Submit-Articles-Online.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/4487/Stop-Insulting-Your-Targeted-Audience-When-You-Submit-Articles-Online.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>7 Print Newsletter Design Tips to Get Your Client Newsletter Opened &amp; Read </strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[You spend a considerable amount of time and money producing your monthly client print newsletter.  Having it tossed in the trash along with the 'B' pile (junk) mail is the last thing you want. 

Yet this happens every day to small business owners just like you. In fact, it's probably happening to you right now.

Why?  Because most monthly client print newsletters are not put together in a way that screams out &amp;quot;READ ME!&amp;quot;

Having Great Content is Just the Beginning

Ignoring your newsletter's 'packaging' or formatting is like giving your clients a lovely gift... and then wrapping it with duct tape and plain brown paper. The fascinating articles and interesting content in your newsletter must be presented in an appealing way to capture the eye's attention. 

By following seven basic newsletter design rules you will ensure that your client print newsletter does not wind up in the trash. 

7 Tips to Get Your Newsletter Opened and Read

1.  Color attracts the eye. The only people who tell you color isn't important are the ones who refuse to use it. USA Today is one of the most popular newspapers in the world is - primarily because of its extensive use of color.  Why?  Because color animates everything!  It livens up and attracts attention.

2. Use interesting formatting.  Put your copy in a tinted text box.  Use reverse text (white text on a black background) somewhere in your newsletter. Also use a multi-column format. With the proper use of shading, reverse text borders and bold fonts, you can design a professional newsletter template that grabs attention.

3. Don't go crazy with fonts. Stick to a maximum of three font types throughout your newsletter.

4. Headlines get noticed. Decades of newspaper reading have taught us to look for headlines. We look for them to get an idea of what to read. We scan the subheads to pick up on the key points. Powerful, punchy headlines get noticed and read.

5. Make your lead article interesting.   This i ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/4486/7-Print-Newsletter-Design-Tips-to-Get-Your-Client-Newsletter-Opened--Read.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/4486/7-Print-Newsletter-Design-Tips-to-Get-Your-Client-Newsletter-Opened--Read.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Simple Ways To Build Your List – four types of leads   </strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[  

The process of creating a list leads to the potential for greater success and wealth, regardless of the business  you are in. This article  talk about some simple tools you can use to build your list. 

Sometimes it is best to rely on simple tools and small opportunities when you are just starting out in the industry. You will have much time to grow your business and expand your customer base if you follow the simple steps outlined in this guide. 

Subscriber leads 
One easy way to build your list is by collecting subscriber leads. This is one of the best ways to expand your business. There are many ways to acquire leads, but the best way to collect leads is to gather them automatically, through email or by your website through various forms. 

Opt-In leads 
Like subscriber leads, opt-in leads are a good tool for building your business. Opt-in leads are leads you get when you invite someone to enter their information into your database. When they do this, they are granting you permission to contact them in the future about new products or updates to your site. 

Survey leads 
Another way to produce automatic subscriber leads is by conducting surveys on your website. This is a simple way to increase the number of subscribers to your list. You can place survey ads on your website so they pop up when a customer checks out.  

Affiliating 
One way you can collect leads for your subscriber list is by affiliating. Affiliating means joining in or offering an affiliate program. When you take part in an affiliate program you immediately realize the benefits of getting leads that an affiliate will create and then forward to you.  For this process to work you need an opt-in program and an auto responder  programmer.
Using these programs you can gather information and instantly send out confirmation emails to new subscribers on your list. Don’t worry about having people fill in their address fields or phone number. Most people are hesitant to provide this ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/4441/Simple-Ways-To-Build-Your-List--four-types-of-leads.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/4441/Simple-Ways-To-Build-Your-List--four-types-of-leads.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Door Hangers as Local Marketing Tools</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[If you’re operating a small business, door hangers are great means to have to introduce your business to your target clients. Your door hanger printing is also a great way to get customers and clients coming in your door. Most of the time, these door hangers are used in local areas and communities, that’s why local businesses can really benefit from these print collaterals.

Because it works very well, a door hanger printing can drive people to your door just like a local pizza place. In fact, most small businesses find it very convenient and effective to use a door hanger as their marketing tool as it is where most of their business comes from.

Door hangers can work very well with businesses in the food industry. Why do you think local pizza joints use them to market their place? A print door hanger can target local customers and open up opportunities in the community where you are located. People are generally interested to find out what services are available in their local area that’s why a door hanger can very well be the most effective medium to get your marketing message across.

Nowadays, people are more aware of their community, as well as their responsibility in their locality. People would want to spend their money in their area to promote their community and everything that’s in it. Door hanger printing is one marketing tool that can do just that. They are very much local and community based that most people accept them as part of the everyday community life.

One way of finding out whether your door hanger can be effective is to find out what your target market is looking for. At this point, you will need to research to make sure that you get as much information as you can. As you are working locally, it would go a long way if you can cater to the market you are targeting. If you’re offering chiropractic services for example, be sure to have the demographics on your community.

Information on income levels, the average age groups, t ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/4437/Door-Hangers-as-Local-Marketing-Tools.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/4437/Door-Hangers-as-Local-Marketing-Tools.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>The Importance of Proofreading</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Content in your marketing collaterals count a lot when it comes to effectively marketing your business. What you say in your print brochures for example can either make or break you in your industry. Content in your print ads is not like your presentation folders where you rely much on the design to get the attention of your target audience. Although the design is a big factor, what you have written in your content can decide whether your target readers get to keep your collateral or not.

When writing content, even for custom folders where you include just a small amount of text, proofreading is an essential step to have that you as a marketer cannot ignore. You can never say that proofreading is just one simple effort that you can overlook. What you have written in your copy can go a long way in convincing your target readers of your worth.

Why is proofreading important?

Before sending out your collaterals for final printing, don’t forget to take the extra time and effort to proofread what you’ve written. Check for grammar, spelling, and even that the right punctuation marks are in place. A wrong grammar or misspelled word can mean a whole new and different meaning that can mislead your readers. You might have sent out a negative impression without you knowing about it. More often than not, subliminal messages that you didn’t really mean gets more attention from your target readers.

In addition, nothing gets me so ticked off than a reading material that is packed with grammatical and spelling errors. I can’t help but want to get a red pen and correct the whole copy. If I feel this way, so would your readers. They would even think less of your copy that they won’t be so inclined to purchase whatever it is you’re offering them. Just think about this: would you be able to trust a business owner who couldn’t even write one decent business copy, let alone run a professional business?

This is why it is equally important to have your marketing ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/4427/The-Importance-of-Proofreading.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/4427/The-Importance-of-Proofreading.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>The Weakest Link in Envelope Printing</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Although envelope printing can be one of your most effective marketing strategies, there still have a few weak points in your custom envelopes that you need to understand. While other marketing strategies such as catalog and brochure printing can be both the content and accessory at the same time, you cannot say the same with envelopes. Envelope printing sadly, is considered as an accessory – a complement to your marketing collaterals. Nevertheless, its role in the success of your marketing strategy cannot be undermined.

Especially for direct mail marketing, custom envelopes have very crucial responsibilities when it comes to making your message read by your recipients. Nobody would want to open and see what’s inside your print envelope if it doesn’t interest them in any least. There goes your chance of getting your message across your target clients.

The key then is in the initial contact. Whenever you have to send your marketing collaterals in an envelope, you have to make sure that that first contact creates a huge impact to your target audience. This is the very first time that your target clients see your ad. If the recipient isn’t hooked by that time, you will never have them read your message no matter how valuable it is to your target clients.

Five seconds – that’s how long you have to clinch their attention. Five seconds and you can already determine whether they would want to peek inside your custom envelopes, or have your parcel thrown in the trash can directly.

So when planning your envelope printing, make sure that your five seconds count. Be creative and unconventional to attract the attention and keep it. Whether you design a unique theme or have a slogan that shouts your message, be sure to plan very well what you will apply to your envelopes to pique their curiosity.

The best way to have your target audience interested is to design according to their tastes. What would your target clients prefer for design? Would a slogan  ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/4419/The-Weakest-Link-in-Envelope-Printing.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/4419/The-Weakest-Link-in-Envelope-Printing.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>The Top Mistakes Article Writing Template Explained in Detail</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Have you noticed any common misconceptions about your niche, or common mistakes that people in your field continually make?

If so, you have a prime teaching opportunity that you should take full advantage of by writing an article that reveals these mistakes.

Sometimes the best way to learn is to see what NOT to do.

Top mistakes articles also tend to catch readers' attention because they run counter to the popular 'Top Tips' articles.

If you're looking for a new instant article writing template to help kick start your next article, give the one below a try.

Now, Revealing the Top Mistakes Instant Article Writing Template...

1. Brainstorm and write down the mistakes your target market typically makes.

These could be misconceptions or actual behavioral mistakes. Don't think of this as harping on the negative. Many times people don't realize they're making a mistake until someone points it out. And, as the expert, it is your job to educate people on what they're doing wrong and what they should be doing instead.

Also, keep in mind that anyone who reads your article can avoid making the mistakes listed, so this type of article is like a preventative treatment to common mistakes made in your niche. Sometimes we're not so hot on learning new things, but we are definitely motivated to avoid disasters.

2. Write an intro.

Explain to your readers why the mistakes you're about to share in your article are so common and why the reader needs to avoid them. Tell them that it's not their fault and that - and that they are making these mistakes because no one explained the right way. 

You also want to show your readers what they have to gain by avoiding these mistakes and what they have to lose by committing these mistakes. The best way to do this is to share a story, preferably one of your own that shows your readers that you were just like them.

3. List each mistake/misconception.

Under each mistake you list, explain why it's a mistake and ho ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/4407/The-Top-Mistakes-Article-Writing-Template-Explained-in-Detail.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/4407/The-Top-Mistakes-Article-Writing-Template-Explained-in-Detail.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>How to Write Short Articles Fast - The Right Way</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[I have always tended to stay away from writing short 400 to 500 word articles. But now I'm seeing that there are some perks to writing short, snappy, get to the point fast articles.

The Perks of Writing a Shorter Article

*	Writing shorter articles can help you get out of a writing slump faster
*	Shorter articles make it easier for a reader to glean information from them and then go directly to your website for more.
*	Shorter articles force you to mercilessly edit your content and trim superfluous words.
*	Shorter articles can be written fast especially if you're using my Instant Article Writing Templates at StartWritingArticlesFaster.com

Now, there is definitely a right and wrong way to write a short article.

Do it correctly, and you'll have a quality article that readers and publishers appreciate even though it's shorter.

Do it incorrectly, and the article will look like it was created with the sole intention of gaining a back-link. This is not the way to win the hearts of publishers or readers.

So, what is the RIGHT way to write a shorter article?

The RIGHT Way to Write a Shorter Article

1. Use a word count limit.

For a 'short and snappy' article, think 400-500 words.

2. Stay focused. 

When writing articles, most article marketers wind up going in a tangent. There are times that I have to stop myself and focus on &amp;quot;what is the main thing that I want to get across to my readers today.&amp;quot; I then start cutting anything outside those boundaries.

3.  Think of your article as an appetizer, and your website is the main course. 

Yes, you want to wow your readers with great information. But, you also want to leave them wanting more. Do NOT feel the urge to give away all of your secrets. 

If you give a reader a tasting of information that appeals to them, then they will be more likely to seek out more info from you by clicking your website link in the bio box

4. Use article writing templates. 

You want to model prov ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/4406/How-to-Write-Short-Articles-Fast--The-Right-Way.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/4406/How-to-Write-Short-Articles-Fast--The-Right-Way.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Adding Search to Your Marketing Mix, Part II</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Achieving internal buy-in, leveraging your existing assets, and understanding the unique challenges of outsourcing to a search engine optimization company

This is part two of the article Adding Search to Your Marketing Mix. Read Part 1: http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/4258/Adding-Search-to-Your-Marketing-Mix.php

Leveraging Your Assets 

Search engine optimization is not something that should be done in a vacuum if you wish to achieve optimal results, nor is it a discipline in which it is necessary to start from scratch. Many of the pieces necessary for a successful SEO campaign are already in place - it is simply a matter of identifying them and using them (and your search engine optimization company) to their full potential. 

Your People

While your search engine optimization company should take the time to understand everything that it possibly can about your business before embarking on your SEO campaign, nobody will ever understand your business better than you and your colleagues. This is why it is important for your search engine optimization company to help you to utilize key people that are vital to the success of the initiative, including people outside the marketing department.

Sales

Salespeople are the front line of your organization - the people who know how to talk to your prospects and understand what is involved in their decision making processes. When it comes to collaborating with your search engine optimization company on keyphrase selection (finding the phrases that will bring highly-motivated prospects to your site), your sales staff can be invaluable. Many companies have names for products or services that are very popular internally but very rarely used on the street, so targeting these phrases during your SEO campaign will not bring you the type of traffic that you seek. Your salespeople (at least the good ones) know how your prospects speak in the real world. A good search engine optimization company will  ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/4404/Adding-Search-to-Your-Marketing-Mix-Part-II.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/4404/Adding-Search-to-Your-Marketing-Mix-Part-II.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>5 Ways to Never Run Out of Stuff to Say in Your Articles</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Do you ever find yourself staring at a blank screen or a blank sheet of paper when you're supposed to be writing articles for your blog, for your ezine or newsletter and for article submission so you can promote your books, products or services?

How would you like to find ways to tap into a limitless supply of article ideas?

Yes, our imaginations run thin every now and then, and no, it isn't easy to come up with article ideas sometimes. But, I promise you that there are ways to tap into a limitless supply of article ideas. No matter what your expertise lies in, you can always generate new and interesting ideas for articles IF you follow these guidelines...

5 Ways to Never Run Out of Article Ideas 

1) Get inspiration from magazines covers.

Find a magazine that is as close as you can get to your niche and look at the titles on the magazine cover.  Look at the titles that jump out at you and make you say, &amp;quot;That looks like it would be a good article-I want to read that!&amp;quot;

Many times you can bounce an article off of a title you see on a magazine cover. Can you convert that title to apply to something in your specific niche?

Now, notice I'm saying, &amp;quot;find a magazine that is somewhat in your niche.&amp;quot; Many of us have websites that are in niches that do not have their own magazines. For example, there is no magazine that I know of about Article Marketing.  

But I sashay a short distance from my specific niche and look in related niches, such as Writing, Creativity, Productivity, and possibly even SEO. These are all issues that lie at the heart of article marketing, so they work as inspiration launching pads. 

2) Don't forget about the newbies.

When we're writing on our area of expertise, sometimes we can overlook the obvious. We want to write helpful, educational articles, and our minds quite often go to topics that are more advanced. 

Have you ever considered that someone reading your article might not even understand the ba ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/4395/5-Ways-to-Never-Run-Out-of-Stuff-to-Say-in-Your-Articles.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/4395/5-Ways-to-Never-Run-Out-of-Stuff-to-Say-in-Your-Articles.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Business automation with autoresponders - fast methods to build your list</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[


The goal of this article is to provide best practice 
guidelines that will allow to build your list fast 
using business automatiom with autoresponders

Automation is important to all businesses. The less 
time we have to spend doing small tasks, the more 
time we have to make more money – or we could 
spend that time doing something besides working. 
Putting an online business on auto pilot isn’t difficult 
at all – and it is all done with the use of 
autoresponders!

Autoresponders can be used to get people to your 
website, or to promote products and services. 
Simply plug your sales message into the 
autoresponder, along with some valuable 
information that your potential may want or need, 
and advertise that autoresponders address. 

Once the person arrives at your site, and goes 
through your ordering process, another 
autoresponder kicks in. This autoresponder 
should send out a receipt, as well as information 
that will grant the customer access to whatever it 
is that they have purchased. Another autoresponder 
message should be sent out after this, thanking the 
customer for their business, and letting them know 
about similar or related products or services that they
may be interested in.

The beauty of this is that while all of this ordering is 
going on, and these important customer service 
emails are being sent, you can be off doing 
something else! The more automation you can 
integrate into your online business, the better off 
you will be. 

Online marketing may have developed a sudden surge these past 
few years, but many in the know how have felt its rise even 
from way then. As more internet based businesses are put 
up, the need to develop new marketing skills and knowledge 
based on this new medium have arisen. More and more marketing 
strategies are being discovered and developed to cope with 
the changing face of business the business world. 

The demand for online marketing tips and s ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/4373/Business-automation-with-autoresponders--fast-methods-to-build-your-list.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/4373/Business-automation-with-autoresponders--fast-methods-to-build-your-list.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>How Article Marketing Can Help You Even If You Own a Local Business</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Getting global exposure for your website and reaching customers all over the world are two perks of Article Marketing, but what if global domination is not your thing?

One of my long-time newsletter subscribers recently emailed me and asked:

What if you own a dry cleaning business in Madison, Wisconsin?

Or you're a real estate agent in Ontario, Canada?

Or you operate a bakery in Marrakech, Morocco?

If you own a local business and you want to attract customers who are in your neighborhood or city, can article marketing still work for you?

My answer = Yes!

Many of my article marketing clients at http://www.IWantMoreProspects.com own businesses that have local clients and customers. They use article marketing to increase their web presence, bolster their website rankings in the search engines, establish themselves as an expert in their niche, and also to generate more targeted traffic to their website.

So, although you may not be looking for national or international attention, you can still benefit from a targeted article submission campaign. Now, when I say &amp;quot;targeted traffic&amp;quot;, I mean that the people who are visiting your website are the type of prospects who might be truly interested in your business. They are not just random passers-by.

How can you get targeted traffic for your local business using article marketing?

To be sure that the traffic you receive is targeted, write about your area of expertise and in your resource box (that's the author bio that sits below your article) specify the location of your business. This would tell the reader that you only work with people in that location.

Also, if appropriate you could write some articles that specifically deal with your industry in your location. For example, if you are a Real Estate agent in Ontario, Canada, there may be some unique aspects of buying or selling a house that are specific to Ontario.

Here's one article idea: &amp;quot;10 Upcoming Neighborhoods in Ontario ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/4359/How-Article-Marketing-Can-Help-You-Even-If-You-Own-a-Local-Business.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/4359/How-Article-Marketing-Can-Help-You-Even-If-You-Own-a-Local-Business.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>21 Ways to Use Your Articles for Maximum Website Exposure</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Most people think article marketing is just about getting links. They couldn't be any more WRONG! 

Article marketing is about getting your messages (in the form of articles) out to as many prospects as possible in as many ways as possible.

Here are 21 ways to use your articles so you can build your business:

1.	Send your top article placements via email to current clients. 
2.	Send your top article placements via email to former clients.
3.	Send the top article placements via email to prospects. This is how PR LEADS Article Marketing Expert client Kevin Berchelmann scored a $50K+ client!
4.	Post reprints on your website. Note - Turn your article placements into PDFs. Do NOT link to your top article placements. This will take people off your website!
5.	Include your article placements in book proposals.  Roxanne Emmerich, Dr. Vicki Rackner, Dr. Karen Sherman and many other clients of mine have used this strategy to win major book publishing deals.
6.	Include your articles in new business proposals.
7.	Include your article placements in new business PowerPoint presentations.
8.	Add your articles and/or mention your placements in your blog.
9.	Add the articles to your newsletter. Remember, your newsletter isn't ALL about selling. It's about building relationships based on trust. The way to earn trust is to educate your prospects with powerful knowledge that only you can provide in articles,
10.	Mention your article placements on the front page of your website. For example, put across the top of your website: As see on About.com, MarketingProfs, CEO Refresher and Small Business CEO Magazine. Then down the right hand side of your website, put links to your PDF versions of your article placements. 
11.	Send print copies of your article placements to your current clients.
12.	Send print copies to your former clients.
13.	Send print copies to your prospects.
14.	Mention your article placements in you website bio.
15.	Mention your article placements in ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/4358/21-Ways-to-Use-Your-Articles-for-Maximum-Website-Exposure.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/4358/21-Ways-to-Use-Your-Articles-for-Maximum-Website-Exposure.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Presentation Folders: The Proven Strategy For Success</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Presentation folder printing has always been proven as an effective strategy for success when it comes to reporting. Many businessmen and businesswomen have found that it can improve their chances of communicating well with their audiences, making their reports always a success. In fact, there are plenty of ways that folder printing can help a report succeed. To convince you of this proven strategy for success, below are the bare facts about presentation folder printing and how it can help you with your own presentation.

Improves message delivery – The major advantage of using presentation folders is that it improves your message delivery. If you have made a report in the past, you will of course know that there are those awkward pauses in a report as you pass around material for people to read. If you have lots of graphs, reports, images to give, this adds several minutes of awkward pauses that breaks the whole flow of your presentation.

Custom folders however eliminate this problem by collecting all your materials in one very useful folder. You just need to give away your color presentation folders at the start of the report. You can then go through your speech telling people to refer to their folder for certain information. There will be no awkward pauses and your message should get to your audience very efficiently.

Organizes important information – Presentation folders of course are also good at organizing all the important information that you want to give out. Besides having pockets for the usual paperwork, it is possible to add slits, special diagonal pockets, straps and other features that can organize everything you need for a presentation. This makes it easier for your audience to look at all the information you want since it is all one location.

Establishes a professional reputation – Your custom folders are also a mark of being a professional. The modern businessman or businesswoman usually pulls out all the stops when it comes to repo ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/4356/Presentation-Folders-The-Proven-Strategy-For-Success.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/4356/Presentation-Folders-The-Proven-Strategy-For-Success.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Article Marketing Will Help Answer ,&quot;What Makes You Different&quot;</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[What do you tell your prospects when they ask you &amp;quot;What makes you different from everyone else?&amp;quot;

Here's what management consultant John Reddish does.

He tells his prospects to search the number of mentions he has on Google! Since John has hundreds of articles and other links, he looks like a rock star compared to his competitors!

I follow this strategy all the time. I actually have people calling me up asking - so does article marketing really work? I ask them if they're by the computer right now. Then, I tell them to Google my name &amp;quot;Eric Gruber.&amp;quot; You'll see hundreds of links with my articles. 

If you do that right now, you should find on the front page my articles on Microsoft Dynamics, About.com, PublicityHound.com, SiteProNews.com and many others. 

I, not only use this strategy when I am trying to sell to new prospects, but also when I am speaking live on stage or on teleseminars. It helps me build credibility with my audience.

Remember, every time you write and submit articles, you increase your credibility and visibility - and that can pay off in many ways! But in order for this to work you must follow a few basic rules.

3 Article Marketing Rules You Must Follow If You Want to Increase Credibility and Visibility

Rule #1: Write and submit articles on a consistent basis. 

Article marketing will NOT work if you just write articles and submit articles every once in a while. You should write at least one article per month. If you need help generating article ideas - check out my Instant Article Writing Templates at http://www.StartWritingArticlesFaster.com 

Rule #2: Submit your articles to the top websites and ezines that your audience is going to every day for information that you can provide. 

Don't get me wrong, submitting to article directory sites like ezinearticles.com is good. It gives you more links and the more links you get, the higher you will rank in the search engines. But the article directory sites  ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/4344/Article-Marketing-Will-Help-Answer-What-Makes-You-Different.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/4344/Article-Marketing-Will-Help-Answer-What-Makes-You-Different.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Why Most Article Marketers Fail to Increase Their Sales Conversions</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[The whole point to article marketing is to put your business on autopilot. You want to get your articles published on top websites, ezines and article directories that direct traffic to your website. You want to be able to capture prospect's names and email addresses so you can promote to them over and over again without lifting a finger.

Now, the problem is most people have greatly increased their website traffic with articles, but they have NOTHING to show for it. No one is signing up for their newsletters. No one is buying anything. And, the prospects are lost forever. 

It does NOT matter how much traffic you get from articles, if your website doesn't convert. 

Why Your Website Isn't Converting

Most article marketers link to their homepage in the bio box. This home page has a small little newsletter sign up box in the corner that is so hard to find. There are times that you need a magnifying glass to find the newsletter opt-in box mixed up in all the clutter.

The page itself has so many links and calls-to-action that it confuses prospects that are at your site to receive a free newsletter, special report, ebook or whatever your offering is. Confused prospects become frustrated prospects who leave your site and are never to be found again. That's why you need a focused squeeze page. 

For those of you who are unfamiliar with the term squeeze page, it is a web page that is specifically designed to compel visitors to opt in to your list. A well-designed squeeze page can convert as many as half of the people who visit it, into opt-in email list subscribers.

How to Make Squeeze Pages Work for You

In order for the squeeze page to be able to do its work most effectively, there must be no other way for the visitor to get into your web site without opting in first to your opt in email list.

For example, check out:

http://www.TryMyFreeArticleTemplates.com

http://www.RestrainingOrder911.com 

Notice to get to any of the other pages in the w ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/4341/Why-Most-Article-Marketers-Fail-to-Increase-Their-Sales-Conversions.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/4341/Why-Most-Article-Marketers-Fail-to-Increase-Their-Sales-Conversions.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>New Instant Article Writing Template That Will Crush Competition to Pieces</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[You know that article writing and article marketing is the #1 way to increase your website visibility, gain credibility, improve your website traffic and get more sales. So, what's stopping you from writing articles that make you the expert in your industry?

Is it because it takes too much of your time and energy to write the articles?

Well, today, I'm going to show you how to write articles fast.  In fact, you can write your articles in less than 30 minutes once you have completed your research!

How I Created My New Instant Article Writing Template

Recently, I've created an article for my WebsiteReviewsLive.com partner Adam Hommey entitled:

&amp;quot;7 Secrets Most Web Designers Don't Want You to Know&amp;quot;

In this article we revealed secrets like:

1.	Most web designers have NEVER sold anything online except their overpriced services. You want a web design firm that understands Internet marketing principles and knows what it takes to convert website visitors into paying customers.

2.	How it's usually the smallest tweaks that make the BIGGEST impact on your sales. Most web designers push you into a complete and total website makeover. But if you make the same mistakes on the new website - you will NOT convert any better. It's like putting your left hand on the stove and burning yourself and then putting your right hand on the stove thinking because you changed hands, your hand won't burn.

3.	An off-the-shelf solution may fit your business better than expensive piece of software that may actually hinder your business.

After writing this article - I said &amp;quot;Wow! I can use this article example to create a great template for my followers to use.&amp;quot;

So Here's How to Use My Newest Instant Article Writing Template:                                           
&amp;quot;What Most ___________ Don't Want You to Know&amp;quot;

Step1: Research Your Competitors. 

Before you even think about writing a single word, you must do your research. You mus ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/4334/New-Instant-Article-Writing-Template-That-Will-Crush-Competition-to-Pieces.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/4334/New-Instant-Article-Writing-Template-That-Will-Crush-Competition-to-Pieces.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Practical Sticker Printing For Business</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Sticker printing can be used in business for many number of practical ways. You can use these custom business stickers to help around your office work and get you more organized with information and equipment. If you want to know how this kind of practical sticker for printing works for a business, below are six great uses of custom stickers for the office.

1.      For file folders – Custom stickers can be of great help with your file folders. Before professional sticker printing, file folder labels and indications were done by hand, hence becoming the slave for the handwriting style. The worse the handwriting, the harder it was to manage file folders. However, now with custom sticker printing, you can place good indicative color stickers into file folders for easy filing and categorizing.  They are a good and fast way to manage your paper files and make sure everyone else understands their meaning.

2.      For equipment tracking – Sticker printing can also help in tracking your equipment at the office or at a work site. By placing company stickers, and reference numbers on all of your equipment you can track down who's got what equipment and for how long. If things go missing or get unorganized, you can at least be rest assured that you know who to look for to get one particular office equipment. Without those equipment stickers, you might not know if that particular item is really from your office or not.

3.      For product tracking – You products can also benefit from sticker printing through product tracking. By adding stickers with bar codes and reference ID's you should accurately know which batch of products go to which person or distribution center. This should really help solve shipping and logistics problems since you can organize everything on paper and have the stickers indicate which product will be sent where. It will take some organized logistical thinking but as long as everything has a label sticker, your problems should be resolved  ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/4315/Practical-Sticker-Printing-For-Business.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/4315/Practical-Sticker-Printing-For-Business.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Easy ways to build an opt in list - articles and autoresponders</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[

The goal of this report is to introduce you to a very powerful list
building system that will take you from were you are right now to a
phenomenally profitable online business.

Writing articles to market a product or service is an 
excellent way to build business. The articles should
be very informative, providing the reader with 
information that is relevant to a specific topic. The 
article usually includes a link to a webpage for more 
information. The webpage, of course, is designed to 
sell a product or service that relates to the topic of 
the article. 

These articles are commonly submitted to article 
banks, websites, and ezine publishers. This is one 
of the most effective ways to market a service or 
product on the Internet, and it can become even more 
effective when it is combined with the use of an 
autoresponder.

Begin by setting each of your articles up in your 
autoresponder. It is important that each article have 
its very own autoresponder address, so you will 
need an autoresponder service that will allow you to 
do this. Next, make a master list of your articles, with 
the autoresponder address for each article listed 
beside the title. You can even add descriptions of the 
articles on your master list if you want to.

Advertising your articles one at a time can take a 
great deal of time…but advertising one autoresponder 
address – the one for the master list – won’t take 
very much time at all. Simply put it in your newsletter 
and on your website. You can even allow other 
ezine publishers to use this is a free resource for 
their subscribers!

You finally realize that you need a good opt-in list. 
After reading countless articles and sought expert advices 
and have read many success stories of people creating a small 
fortune with opt-in lists you finally decide to have one 
of your own. Then it happens, you think you have known 
everything there is to know about opt-in lists and have 
 ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/4314/Easy-ways-to-build-an-opt-in-list--articles-and-autoresponders.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/4314/Easy-ways-to-build-an-opt-in-list--articles-and-autoresponders.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Adding Search to Your Marketing Mix</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Achieving internal buy-in, leveraging your existing assets, and understanding the unique challenges of outsourcing to a search engine optimization company

The powerful capabilities of organic search engine optimization (SEO) are now a highly sought after marketing tool by many companies that want to alert customers to their products or services by focusing on certain keyphrases that highlight these offerings. And though SEO has embarked on a meteoric rise in the past few years, other non-traditional forms of marketing are now gaining a great deal of well-deserved credibility as well. More and more marketers are using paid ads to hone in on a potentially profitable client base, while other more traditional channels, such as PR and print ads, appear to be becoming somewhat less effective. 

In a recent study (1),  Forrester Research found that interactive marketing spending will reach nearly $55 billion by 2014, representing 21% of all marketing spend. And the fact of the matter is that marketers are continuing to place more stock in newer forms of marketing and social media, leaving many higher-ups to wonder if it is time for them to include these channels in their own marketing mixes. And with the help of your search engine optimization company, it's possible to achieve outstanding rankings and results!

What follows are some common considerations that should be analyzed prior to the launch of an SEO campaign so that you will know what you are getting into, what you will need from your own team and your prospective search engine optimization company, and how to most effectively pursue this particular form of marketing.

Achieving Buy-in

Search engine optimization is unlike many traditional forms of marketing in that several departments must be involved in order for the SEO campaign to be successful. Apart from the obvious need to get buy-in from upper management (unless, of course, you are upper management), you will also need to get buy-in from your sal ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/4258/Adding-Search-to-Your-Marketing-Mix.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/4258/Adding-Search-to-Your-Marketing-Mix.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Things You Should Always Put In Table Tents</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Many restaurant owners never really know what exact dishes they want to advertise when they print table tents. For most beginners in using table tents, they usually tend to just choose random dishes and house specialties. While of course this can be good enough for most circumstances, an effective table tent promotional campaign need a little focus on what specific dishes are suitable for the table tent design. As a guide for all you beginners in table tent printing out there, here are the best things that you should always put in your color table tents.

Popular appetizers – One of the first things that you should print in your table tents are your appetizers. This is a great start because most people want to start with an appetizer obviously. So as they sit down in your restaurant, they should already see something that they might be interested in through your table tents. Be sure of course to place in the popular appetizers so that people will see the best thing you have to offer in this category.

Your desserts – Another thing that should be mandatory in your table tent dishes are desserts. Usually most people do not think of dessert at first when they are ordering. It is usually just a minor decision reserved until later. A table tent with a delicious dessert image changes this trend and makes people crave for a dessert early on. That is why table tents are quite effective at getting you extra sales by displaying desserts that usually are not decided upon initially by customers.

New dishes or drinks – Also, you should always print new table tents for new dishes and drinks that you are introducing. For regular customers and new ones a like, a table tent that advertises a “new dish” usually gets attention. New things are usually what people want to try so it is best to cater to this human tradition by giving people the opportunity to do so with your new dishes.

Value dishes or meal packages – Meal packages or value dishes are also an importa ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/4257/Things-You-Should-Always-Put-In-Table-Tents.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/4257/Things-You-Should-Always-Put-In-Table-Tents.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Addicted To Letterheads: Why I Like To Print Letterheads</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[It is really great to print letterheads. Moreover, it is awesome to print your OWN letterheads professionally. There are many aspects of it that can really help you in your personal correspondence, or more importantly it can also help you at work. It has really helped me in my career and I want to share its benefits with you. So here are four facts why I like to print letterheads.

It enforces my Authority:
The main thing that I like about professionally printed letterheads is their ability to exude their authority. Anyone who has received an official letter should know what I am talking about. The first time you see a letterhead, you immediately know this letter is not your common letter. It is from someone or something important so you better pay attention.

The same rules apply to personal letterheads. When I print my own color letterheads and send a letter with it to people, they already know that that letter needs to be respected. Your authority is communicated with the letterhead giving everything you written there credibility and power.

It projects my Personality:
Besides the seriousness of authority though, one great thing about printing letterheads is that you get to project your personality. You can have a nice ultra modern style letterhead to show you are with the times and dynamic. You can also adopt a more classic approach to the design telling people that you are more of a stable and classic person that can be safe to do business with. Whatever type of design you choose, it is easy to establish a business personality with color letterheads. This is great especially if you want to establish a certain kind of reputation in your field.

It promotes my Business:
Also of course, letterheads have the ability to promote your company or your own businesses. Since I use it all the time in sending letters to potential clients and investors there is an added incentive of company awareness when using the letterheads. People reading it will discover the ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/4253/Addicted-To-Letterheads-Why-I-Like-To-Print-Letterheads.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/4253/Addicted-To-Letterheads-Why-I-Like-To-Print-Letterheads.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Market Like You Mean It</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Are your marketing efforts methodical and driven by real data, with a focus on measurable results? Or do you have a tendency to run promotions on a whim — maybe because business is slow or you got a great rate on some unused media inventory?

It's unfortunate that we often run across the latter when talking to new and prospective clients. We find many new businesses — and even established companies who have just gone a bit stale — are often not focused on putting meaning into their marketing efforts. They tend to be focused on the transaction rather than the relationship. They think the latest social media trend will answer their prayers. Or perhaps they just rely on gimmicks or fluff to draw attention rather than capitalizing on the actual merits of their products to build brand value.

So, how do we turn the tables and start making our marketing efforts more meaningful? For starters, your efforts should be focused with a clearly defined target audience and appropriate message. You should strive for customer acquisition and business growth, rather than simply making a sale. And possibly most important, yet most overlooked, your marketing should help consumers make a wise purchasing decision.

Eliminate Contradictions

Of course, your marketing efforts do not stop at the advertisement. You must really pay attention to details and think things through to the very end. If you promise a quality product, don't kill the experience with poor in-store display and sloppy handwritten signs. Don't let your staff kill the experience either. I have one client in particular with an employee who refuses to state the store name properly when answering the phone. She believes it sounds better her way. She may be a great employee in all other respects, but she should have absolutely zero customer interaction. Don't let this happen to you.

From the advertisement that brings them in the door, all the way through the purchasing experience, and right down to putting the ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/4252/Market-Like-You-Mean-It.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/4252/Market-Like-You-Mean-It.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Don’t Forget Your Message</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Sometimes when I look at the various posters companies have made up I feel as if I’m looking at some kind of experimental art that I just don’t get.
        
I’m not sure what their message is supposed to be, I’m not sure why they chose the images they did, if it’s supposed to be some deep metaphor that’s just going right over my head. Maybe this poster is simply too smart for me to understand, or maybe the company who decided poster printing was the advertising path of choice for them didn’t bother to figure out what would best appeal to their customers.
        
I don’t like it when I can’t figure out what a company does when I look at their poster. I don’t like images that are so obscure or so hard to connect with any service that I walk away scratching my head as to why this poster was even made.
        
I really don’t like having to search all over a poster to even find what the companies name is because they buried it so far into the corner of the paper, and they made the print so small I practically need a magnifying glass to read it.
        
If a message is so hard to figure out I’m not going to go out of my way to decipher it. For any kind of advertising to work it needs to be open and easy to understand. You need to ensure people don’t have to go to any work to get what you’re trying to say, or guess what, people won’t go to the effort.
        
I’m giving my business to companies, meaning they’re trying to appeal to me. I shouldn’t have to work so that they can tell me about their company. It’s there job to work to win me over, not mine to work to figure out their message.
        
I know what causes this: companies spend so much time figuring out how to make a poster that stands out, that they let their message get thrown under the rug. And I do look at those posters. I stop to take them in while trying to understand what they’re trying to understand.
        
But the reason why a company pays for   ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/4236/Dont-Forget-Your-Message.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/4236/Dont-Forget-Your-Message.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Quick ways to build a profitable opt in list</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[
There are several ways to build an opt-in list, 
but you must know quick  ways to build a profitable
opt in list


Here I will offer more advice, for those who have started an 
opt-in list and have failed,you can rejuvenate your failed venture. 
For those who are starting, here are three quickand easy ways to 
build a profitable opt-in list:

1) Get your customers to trust you and your products first.

Just launching your opt-in list would not make you an expert 
and a believable seller. Put many articles first before you start 
an opt-in list. Write about the topic you know and have started 
and used for your site. Try to put forums first to gain knowledge 
about your customers about their wants and needs and target 
those wants and needs.

Join forums from other sites as well. Provide expert advices and
recommendations. When you feel that people trust you already, 
you will be able to start your own opt-in list. You can build 
a base as well with other forum users.You can ask them to join 
your list. Friends are always good customers. Put up a link to 
your site so that they may be able to see what you're business 
is all about.The certain truth is, the money will only come in 
when the consumers and subscribers believe and trust in you. 
They want a product or service that could be a good exchange 
for their money. People are not going to buy something out of 
your recommendation if they don’t know you.

2) Find a product or service that people want and need.

Although it may not be your forte, if you provide a service 
and product that you have researched and learned about well, 
you can carry it on forward. Invest your time, effort and money 
that you could sell as well as the buyers or subscribers 
of your opt-in list can use.

While it is true that it is best to sell something that you have 
interest in, there are not many people who have the same 
interest as you if you decide to sell something that is not 
entir ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/4222/Quick-ways-to-build-a-profitable-opt-in-list.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/4222/Quick-ways-to-build-a-profitable-opt-in-list.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Utilizing the Secrets Of Opt-in Mailing Lists</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[
Current info about opt in list is not always the easiest thing to locate. 
Fortunately, this report includes the latest opt in list info available. 


Emails are replacing regular mails from the post office. Not only because it is cheaper,
since you do not need to buy a stamp, it’s also definitely faster. Emails can be sent in as
fast as five seconds, depending on the server, anywhere in the world.

No doubt emails are being used to distribute newsletters, promotional mails, and other
stuff. How then would you be able to round up email addresses to send those marketing
mails you have? Here is where an opt-in list comes in.

An opt-in list is a directory of email address you can send to those mails to. Though it
seems to be easy to find email addresses, if you are talking thousands in numbers, it is
going to be hard. Besides, you have to determine the recipient of the email. You wouldn’t
want your readers mostly male if you are selling lipsticks, right?

A good opt-in list should include the profile of the email address owner. Here are tips on
how to create a comprehensive opt-in list for target market.

Create your website.

Creating a website is made simple nowadays. A lot of programs are milling about
assisting regular computer users in making and maintaining websites in a real
simple way. Some website creator just needs you to cut and paste, like that of a
regular paint program. Several web hosting sites are available too. Some are

STOP Paying Google For Clicks and Discover The FREE Click Formula
even free. If you have a site of your own, you can ask visitors to register with you
or sign your guest book as they leave.

Set up a promotion or a freebie.

Not all the best things in life are free, as they say. But you can definitely try to
give something out for sure. You can see this done all over the web. Free
screensavers, free games, free download of programs. And what do they need
from you? They just ask for an email ad ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/4215/Utilizing-the-Secrets-Of-Optin-Mailing-Lists.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/4215/Utilizing-the-Secrets-Of-Optin-Mailing-Lists.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>How to Cut Costs on Letterhead Printing</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[If you feel the crunch then the more reason why you should find ways to cut your expenses. However, a tight budget does not mean that you can’t have letterheads for your business. There are several things you can do to reduce your expenses in letterhead printing.

Read the following tips on how you can cut costs on your letterhead printing:

Get rid of your graphic designer. More often than not, the fee for your graphic designer eats a big chunk out of your budget so the best way to cut down on costs is to sack your designer. So how would you be able to do your project then? Do it yourself.

Yes, graphic designers are trained to create visually appealing letterheads than can communicate your company’s image. They do this by getting to know your company, its products or services or its public image. But why do you have to engage them when you yourself know what image you want to project? Hence, there is no better person to design your letterhead printing than you.

Sure, you know what image you want to establish but you do not have any artistic ability, read on and learn the next tip.

Consider templates. Many websites offer letterhead templates with fixed layouts. There are many sites that offer tutorials on how you can design a letterhead for your company. Templates are provided and all you have to do is to customize these templates to suit your company. If you do not want to use the templates, you can get ideas from them. Play around and try your own creativity. Explore the different fonts, colors and layout.

Settle for less quality paper.  Low end papers are likely to tear, wrinkle or smear but it doesn’t mean that you have to settle with this. Instead, choose linen or fiber-stone stock. They're of higher quality and tend to be more affordable. Remember to compare a variety of stocks, and don't settle for anything less.

Use standard colors. Select standard colors for your letterhead printing. Customizing the color of the ink can drive up the ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/4201/How-to-Cut-Costs-on-Letterhead-Printing.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/4201/How-to-Cut-Costs-on-Letterhead-Printing.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>12 steps guide to creating your very own mailing list</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[

The more you understand about list building, the more interesting it becomes. 
As you read this article you'll find that the subject of list building is 
certainly no exception.


Many people have tried to start lists and failed. 
However, even if you have failed in the past you can 
rejuvenate your list and start anew.Whether you have had 
little success in the past or if you are just starting,you 
can follow these simple tips to get your list up and going. 

One of the most important things to remember is that your list will be 
useless if the people on it are not responsive. At the same time, you 
are going to need to lure them into buying your products as well. 
You can do this through a variety of ways.
 
You finally realize that you need a good opt-in list. 
After reading countless articles and sought expert advices 
and have read many success stories of people creating 
a small fortune with opt-in lists you finally decide to 
have one of your own. Then it happens, you think you 
have known everything there is to know about opt-in 
lists and have followed their advices to the T and 
you still weren’t able to make a profit. 

Here are 12 quick and easy steps to build a profitable 
opt-in list:

 1 Get a Domain Name
 2 Get Hosting for your Domain Name
 3 Get an Autoresponder Account
 4 Get a Free Product to Promote at Giveaway Sites
 5 Set up a Squeeze Page to Promote
 6 Upload Your Squeeze Page to the Internet
 7 Create First Message on your Autoresponder Account,
Highlighting Where to Download Product.
 8 Check Squeeze Page Works
 9 Create a Quick Folder and Dedicated Giveaway Email Address, So
You Have Details to Hand When Signing up and Contributing Gifts to
Giveaways
 10 Sign up to as Many Giveaways as you can (Ongoing)
 11 Promote Giveaways (Ongoing)
 12 Create Emails to go in Your Autoresponder and Check your Click
Through Rates (Ongoing)

There are several additional ways to build an opt-in list, but you ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/4191/12-steps-guide-to-creating-your-very-own-mailing-list.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/4191/12-steps-guide-to-creating-your-very-own-mailing-list.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>In Brands We Trust</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[At it's essence, your brand is meant to do two things…

   1. Establish a personal connection with consumers, and
   2. Maintain that connection.

What this means is that branding is not a replacement for advertising, and advertising alone will not create a sustainable brand. Advertising should, of course, support your brand by building recognition and supporting your brand personality, but it will never replace that personal connection which successful brands rely so heavily on.

I'm sure you've heard this spiel time and time again, but in this difficult economic climate it's more important than ever to understand the value of your brand — your connection with consumers. People are more critical than usual about where and how they spend their money. Maintaining a personal connection builds trust. And trust always outweighs high dollar advertising. Always.

The thing about brands is that every business has one, whether they realize it or not. Starbucks has a very purposeful brand that tells me no matter what city I'm in, I can feel confident about getting a good cappuccino. On the other hand, my local coffee shop does just as good a job at getting me caffeinated, but has an atmosphere like no other — and it achieves this without purposeful corporate intervention. Starbucks relies on meticulous rules to build and maintain it's brand. My local dive benefits from consumer advocates who simply love them for what they are. The end result is that both of these brands have earned the trust of their patrons, albeit by totally different means.

I recall back in the late 1990s the word &amp;quot;brand&amp;quot; became a ridiculously overused buzzword and most of the people buzzing had little understanding of what a brand actually was. The big thing for small businesses to do back then was to pay a brand consultant to develop a new brand for them. As a full-service ad agency, brand development is certainly part of what we do for our clients, but there was something mi ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/4184/In-Brands-We-Trust.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/4184/In-Brands-We-Trust.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>The first step of list building – have a plan.</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[
When you're learning about list building,it's easy to 
feel overwhelmed by the sheer amount of relevant information 
available. This informative article should help you focus on 
the first step of list building - have a plan. 

List building success is planning. In order to succeed 
you need to see the whole picture first. After all, if you 
don’t know where you are going, how do you know how to get 
there?

Get these plans down on paper. Planning is one of the 
strategies that people fail to do. Yet when you write something 
down you are committing to paper what you plan to do and you 
can get it out of your head. Some of the most successful people 
write their plans down with pen and paper first.

List building planning helps you learn quicker, as you can 
see what you need to overcome,or the tasks that you need 
to do to get to the next stage.

For example yoy can plan out 90 days in advance, but to start 
to get into the practice of this, you can start with a month 
or week. Let’s say a week to start off with. For the next seven 
days, plan the tasks that you are going to complete on a daily 
basis.

Put them in a step by step list building plan, so you can tick 
each of these tasks off as you complete them.

Don’t open your email account, your favorite forum, or general 
internet surfing until you have completed your tasks, all 
they are, are distractions. Although if you know what your 
own personal distractions are, then that’s good as you can 
overcome them.

Plan your list building tomorrow today. If you have a plan 
you can stick to it. It maybe that something took longer 
than you thought, then plan to finish it the following day. 
If you stick with the plan, you will make money!

The real secret here is to always have the next 5 tasks 
planned, as this makes you ultra productive, so always have 
the next 5 to 10 tasks planned at all times. Remember, it 
doesn’t have to be perfect, just get going. You ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/4182/The-first-step-of-list-building--have-a-plan.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/4182/The-first-step-of-list-building--have-a-plan.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>How Do You Make Money With Marketing?</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Basically, you’re in business because you would want to make money. Let’s face it. Business is about getting customers to buy your products and services, and then have the profits. More often than not, you are in business because you would want to earn more than anything else. So marketing can help you promote your business and your products.

On the other side of the coin however, is the need for you to also serve your target market. For how can you generate customers to your business if you can’t give your target clients what they need? Even if you keep on telling them what your company is all about, you can’t get them interested unless you give them what they want – the benefits. Promoting your business then is about serving your market. When you reach out to your market audience, you need to remember to intentionally look for that specific problem which you have a solution for. If you can give your target clients this, you can then attract more clients to your business and increase your profits at the same time.

Here then are simple ways you can market effectively so you can get customers and earn your profits as well:

1-      Use your marketing strategies to establish your niche. This way, you will be able to serve your target clients effectively that you can have all the clients you could ever need. This means then that you need to find the most appropriate marketing collateral for your marketing strategy. Be it brochure printing or letterhead printing and letterhead printing, the bottom line is to have your marketing tools to effectively reach out to your target clients so you can generate as many as you can to achieve success in your niche.

2-      Be open-minded. Don’t just stick to those people who are in need of your products and services. Try to branch out and attract also those that may seem to be impervious to your offering. You will never know who might just be in need of your services unless you also reach out to them.

3-    ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/4173/How-Do-You-Make-Money-With-Marketing.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/4173/How-Do-You-Make-Money-With-Marketing.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Creating Business Cards for Higher Results</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Before designing and printing your business card, you may want to know the reasons that clients retain them. Just because someone you have met seemed eager to receive your card does not necessarily mean that they will contact you. Often, prospects keep business cards without having any intention of contacting you in the near future. Some people just like to have them around because they may one day need your services. Others may already have your card but need a new one for updated information or you provide a product or service that they need. Sometimes your new acquaintance may be passing your card to their friend who has been looking for the products you provide. Often, people keep business cards because they contain useful or even simply interesting information.

Avoid assuming that everyone who willfully receives your business card printing i s a future customer. Instead, take action and design your card for reaching even those who may only receive your card from a friend, rather than from you personally. Make your card stand out from any other competitors' by making your company brand clear. Include a tag that tells why you are better than the rest. Use a unique feature such as plastic instead of paper or rounded edges instead of square. Utilize the entire space on your card by including more information on the back. You may want to list the benefits of your services or products or provide quotations from happy customers. Lead prospects to the next move with the offer of a free gift, free estimate, or a discount if they go to a website, call a number, or any other specific action. A list of emergency numbers or even a three-month calendar may encourage potential clients to keep your card around, which puts your logo in their sight and promotes your company to others who may see it. 

Creating custom business cards that appeal to a number of potential customers is important for expanding your client base. So keep in mind the various reasons that people keep ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/4165/Creating-Business-Cards-for-Higher-Results.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/4165/Creating-Business-Cards-for-Higher-Results.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Don’t Let Your Message Get Stale</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[I can only hear the exact same thing said to me so many times in the exact same form before I just get tired of hearing it.

Yeah, a company might have a good deal, and they might send me a postcard every month telling me they have a good deal. I get the message, and I understand they have a good deal, but I don’t always care anymore once the message has been understood because there just isn’t enough variety in how it’s being said to me.

Good marketing is about getting people interested in your company. How many times can you watch a movie or show over again before you just kind of get sick of it? I might even really like the movie the first time I saw it. I’ll enjoy it the second, and the third, but by the four, fifth, six, and so on, I’m losing interest. Then the day comes when I’ve grown to dislike it.

What makes this sad is when the original message was good. A company came up with a knock out postcard or great looking brochure, but because they tried to ride on it for too long the message became stale and lost its impact.

The message here is to make things interesting. Custom printing should be your best friend and provide you with a long list of possibilities. If you aren’t looking at them than you aren’t likely to come up with anything new or unique.

And you don’t always have to find something completely new. While a never before seen style of marketing can do wonders to promote a company, it also carries risks. My point here isn’t to say you should avoid innovations in marketing, but instead to point out that custom printing doesn’t always have to be something never seen before.

You need to vary up what you do with your marketing, not necessarily what everyone else is doing as well. If you want to branch out into uncharted territory by all means, do so, but if you want to stick to the tested and proven successful marketing, you’ll still be improving your sales so long as you’re adding a new twist to what you’ve d ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/4164/Dont-Let-Your-Message-Get-Stale.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/4164/Dont-Let-Your-Message-Get-Stale.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Relation: building opt in list and affiliate marketing </strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Relation: building opt in list and affiliate marketing 

This article explains a relations between opt in list, 
and affiliate marketing , then this is worth reading, 
because you can never tell what you don't know. 
 
Building opt in list and affiliate marketing have become synonymous 
to online success as an effective internet marketing strategy. 
For many online sites, building opt in list and affiliate 
marketing have proven quite profitable. 

Primarily because most online users are not  exposed to any 
unscrupulous internet marketing strategies prevalent on the World 
Wide Web. As an effective Internet marketing strategy, users 
are given the option to signup for information or service 
provided by a particular site. 

Building opt in list and affiliate marketing reduces the 
risk of spamming since the recipient voluntarily chooses to 
receive emails from a website. Plus, building opt in list 
and affiliate marketing provides a direct link to the subscriber 
that will help shape a formidable customer relationship that 
will keep on going.

The basics of building opt in list and affiliate marketing 
Different websites have different ways of building opt in list 
and affiliate marketing. However there are some tried 
and tested formulas to help new affiliate marketers develop 
their own opt in listing for their site. 

The first and most important factor to determine in building 
opt in list and affiliate marketing is to establish the site's 
target market. Once the target market is established, building 
opt in list and affiliate marketing can be customized to meet 
their demands.This can be done using a variety of methods 
to convince site visitors to sign up for the site's newsletter 
or e-zine. After signing up,the customer will begin to receive 
a variety of newsletters,e-zines and brochures that the 
customer had registered for. 
 
Strategies for building opt in list and affiliate marketing.

There are a number of  ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/4124/Relation-building-opt-in-list-and-affiliate-marketing.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/4124/Relation-building-opt-in-list-and-affiliate-marketing.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Marketing for the Short Term and the Long Term</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[If you want to have consistent sales throughout the year while growing your business, you need to do some short term and long term marketing. Short term marketing usually make sales increase, but the increase only lasts a little while. Long term marketing keeps your sales steady and gives you that constant customer presence that you need to keep your doors open.

To market your brand and product consistently you must use short term and long term marketing strategies to keep consumers thinking about your brand all the time.

If you’re not sure what constitutes short term and long term marketing, read on.

Short Term Marketing Strategies
Mentions: If you can get your product mentioned in a forum, newspaper article or on some kind of television news program, your Web site traffic and sales could soar for a week or so. These are the hardest type of marketing strategies to employ, because you don’t have much control over the occurrences. Having someone on board to write good press releases to get you news coverage is your best bet.

Discounts: Direct mail campaigns that offer coupons or discounts for a limited time can generate immediate product interest. It’s important to use these types of discounts in moderation because long-term sales can be affected by customers waiting for the next sale or coupon to come along. You can still use direct mail; just make the message more long-term, meaning you’re using postcards and brochures to remind consumers about your product, or to introduce your new product.

PPC: Pay-per-click advertising online is an easy and fast way to garner product interest. Of course, it can also be the most expensive. And, when your budget is used up, your ads end. The good thing about PPC is that you can drive targeted traffic to your Web site, which can result in new customers who return to your Web site to buy your product after your paid ads have expired.

Long Term Marketing Strategies
SEO: Search Engine Optimization is one of ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/4119/Marketing-for-the-Short-Term-and-the-Long-Term.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/4119/Marketing-for-the-Short-Term-and-the-Long-Term.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Necessary 12 Ways to Build Your Opt-in List </strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Current info about Your Opt-in List is not always the 
easiest thing to locate. Fortunately, this report includes 
the latest Your Opt-in List info available. 
Building your opt-in list starts with having a website 
that will persuade visitors to spend some time there. 


Here are 7 steps that will help accomplish this.

1. Use original material. If they see that you are displaying 
the same content as similar sites. they aren't going to stay 
around for very long.

2. Start out with an attention-getting headline and 
and introduction that captures their attention. Let 
them know what is going to be found on your
website. It doesn't take long for today's surfers 
to decide if this page is going to be worth further 
attention.

3. Make sure your visitors know just what they will 
find on your website. They are looking for information 
on a certain subject and they need to know that you have 
their possible answers. Therefore be sure to use the 
keywords that best fit your web page because when your 
visitor clicks on a keyword with his browser he wants 
to find the corresponding content.

4. Be sure you have numerous cross links to various 
pages on your site so the visitor can browse through it. 
If he finds it helpful and pertinent he will be more 
inclined to bookmark your site and come back again. 
Be sure your links are well designed to catch the 
reader's eye.

5. Design your site so your pages can load quickly.Don't 
load it up with too many pictures and long blocks of text. 
Leave enough &amp;quot;white space&amp;quot; so one's eyes can be drawn 
down the page. Articles should be broken up into short 
paragraphs and adjust your text so it is easy to 
read--not too small nor too light. Difficult in reading 
the content will discourage a visitor from continuing.

6. Proofread your pages so you don't make grammatical and 
spelling mistakes. You need to appear a professional. If 
you are not sure of the effect the page is pres ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/4115/Necessary-12-Ways-to-Build-Your-Optin-List.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/4115/Necessary-12-Ways-to-Build-Your-Optin-List.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>7 Majors Things That You Need In Creating Custom Calendars</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Creating custom calendars is easy as long as you have all that you need for calendar printing prepared. By preparing everything that you need early on, you can expedite the calendar printing process. You can minimize the appearance of problems, and basically have a better and even fun experience in creating your custom calendars.

However, if you do not know what exactly you need to prepare in creating custom calendars then you are at a loss. Luckily for you, this guide will teach you about the seven major things that you need in creating custom calendars. So read on below and learn.

1. Properly defined goals – The first and probably most crucial thing that you need in the creating of custom calendars is to properly define your goals. This might not be a tangible thing per se, but it will define everything that you will do for calendar printing. You have to clearly spell out what your calendars should accomplish. Should they be commemorative calendars that remind people of something? Are they advertising calendars that promote a business or event? Are they direct sales calendars made just to make money? Or are they personal custom calendars made as gifts? Once you define these goals perfectly, you should know how to go about doing the other steps in calendar printing already.

2. Calendar theme and concept – The second thing that you must have in creating custom calendars is a specific calendar theme and concept. You cannot start a calendar layout without deciding for yourself what theme you calendar has. Will it be a landscape theme with landscape pictures? Will it have models dressed in certain costumes? Will you show only events? Animals? Men? Women? By deciding on your specific theme early on, you can direct your efforts accordingly to the right production of material. So pick the one you most like and get ready for the design.

3. Calendar template – The third thing that you will need is a calendar template. As you may undoubtedly know, not all y ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/4108/7-Majors-Things-That-You-Need-In-Creating-Custom-Calendars.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/4108/7-Majors-Things-That-You-Need-In-Creating-Custom-Calendars.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Three Key Areas In Proper Menu Printing For Restaurants</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[The success of your menu printing all comes down to three key areas. It is these three major aspects that you must always center your attention on to ensure that all the elements of your menu printing translates into a better and more effective menu for business. In this article, I will share with you important information about each of these elements and how to effectively aim them for success.

The design of your menu
The first key area in menu printing, and perhaps the most noticeable that you must focus your attention on is your design. This may sound really simple, but it is in fact the important aspect that can attract or turn off your potential customers. People can judge a whole restaurant by the menu design alone. If your menus look cheap, or look unauthentic, that is how they will view your whole restaurant as well. There are a lot of times when people just leave and try another restaurant just because they think the menu isn't really what they expect.

So, it is vitally important that you design your menus as expertly as you can. If there is money available, have a professional layout artist create your menu designs for you. Have him or her take pictures and present all your dishes in the most delicious way possible. Always aim for that professional and authentic effect, really emphasizing that you are an expert in preparing the type of cuisine that your restaurant services. Aim to impress and overwhelm with your design and your menu printing will pass the hurdle of first impressions.

The descriptions of your menu items
The second key area in menu printing is the actual text in your menu. This basically refers to the descriptions of your menu items. In this aspect, you cannot just list down your menu items. Customers always appreciate it when you also list down the ingredients for each menu items, and at times it is also good to discuss how each of the items are cooked. This makes them visualize how the food is cooked, and more or less imagine ho ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/4105/Three-Key-Areas-In-Proper-Menu-Printing-For-Restaurants.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/4105/Three-Key-Areas-In-Proper-Menu-Printing-For-Restaurants.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Chasing Bing: The Truth behind the Hype</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[In recent weeks, we've noticed a surge in clients calling us to ask questions like &amp;quot;what's up with Bing?&amp;quot; Or, &amp;quot;are you optimizing for Bing?&amp;quot; Even &amp;quot;are you taking advantage of Bing?&amp;quot;

In other words, people want to know that their search engine optimization company is taking special steps to ensure adequate representation on the newly created, much hyped search engine. And to answer the first question, what's up is MSN's umpteenth attempt to create a search engine that garners a significant amount of market share from its more formidable rivals - namely Google and Yahoo!. Microsoft has not been shy to promote the new engine; the current advertising campaign is estimated to cost around $100 million. 

How is it going so far?  It depends on who you listen to.  The metrics vary wildly, depending on the source you consult. In a recent analysis of statistics, Hitwise ranked Bing as the seventeenth most popular website out of 450,000 (citation: Crum, Chris. &amp;quot;More Bing Numbers Than You Can Shake a Stick at,&amp;quot; WebProNews, June 13, 2009.),  while StatCounter noted that the engine was in third place behind Google and Yahoo!. ComScore's ratings showed that Bing increased MSN's average daily searcher penetration by 1.7% (from 13.8% to 15.5%). These numbers and ranking criteria are enough to make anyone's head spin. But, when you get down to it, the event everyone is looking forward to is what will happen when the budget runs out, and the promotional period ends. Will searchers remain loyal or return to Google and Yahoo! and never look back? Nobody can really tell if any positive results are sustainable over a long term period.

Most reviewers put Bing in a good light, noting its ease of use and searching options, and some are even scrutinizing the accuracy and relevancy of Google and Yahoo! results against Bing. In the June 08, 2009 edition of B to B magazine, for instance, one reviewer appreciated the shopping comparison tool while a ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/4104/Chasing-Bing-The-Truth-behind-the-Hype.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/4104/Chasing-Bing-The-Truth-behind-the-Hype.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Email Marketing How-to - 6 ways </strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[ 
You may not consider everything you just read to be 
crucial information about email marketing. 
Of all the ways to get website traffic and make money 
online, nothing tops email marketing. Of course, email 
marketing in itself means many things to many marketers. 
After all, it can take on quite a wide variety of 
formats.

Today I'll cover the various forms of email marketing 
available to online businesses and reveal what works and 
what doesn't. Here's what we'll discuss... 

1. Unsolicited bulk email marketing
2. Opt-in email list rental
3. Email newsletter classified and sponsorship advertising
4. Email newsletter solo mailings (text and html)
5. Email newsletter network advertising
6. Opt-in &amp;quot;series&amp;quot; email marketing

1. Unsolicited bulk email marketing

Let's jump right into that dangerous endeavor referred to 
as UCE (Unsolicited Commercial Email) or spam. Most of 
you know my take on this. Sure, you can get some website 
traffic using bulk email. (Though a response rate close 
to the 10% rate some companies promise is not likely - 
.01% is more likely.) You can tackle the rigors of 
unsolicited bulk email marketing yourself (you'll need 
lots of ISP connections because they'll be canceled 
quickly!) or hire a company to do the dirty work for you.

But the fact is, since unsolicited bulk email angers a huge 
percentage of recipients, your risks can be rather high. 
Your domain will end up being blocked by many ISPs and you 
could even face some legal battles. In my humble opinion, 
unsolicited bulk email is not worth the trouble. Read on and 
you'll find that bulk email marketing isn't really necessary 
either.

2. Opt-in email list rental

A much &amp;quot;cleaner&amp;quot; version of bulk email marketing is &amp;quot;opt-in 
email list rental.&amp;quot; There are plenty of companies on the web 
that will rent you email addresses that have opted in to 
receive commercial email. Actually, in most cases they are 
not  ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/4042/Email-Marketing-Howto--6-ways.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/4042/Email-Marketing-Howto--6-ways.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>What Constitutes Custom?</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Variety in marketing always leads to the best results, but sometimes you just don’t want to change from the type of advertising that you’re using. If direct mailing has gotten you the best results than why drift away from it? But combined with this is the need to give people something new and interesting, which is where the idea of customizing your marketing comes in.


But what really makes for custom postcards? What can you change about them to get away from the basic structure while still benefiting from the direct mailing and the other qualities that make postcard printing work? 


I don’t intend to list every way you can customize your color postcards, because the list is limited by your imagination, but I will throw out a few possibilities to hopefully get you started.


Ever considered having a postcard newsletter? To pull this off you start sending out postcards with one to two articles written on them. The articles will deal with various subject matters about your company or products. Take all the things you would normally put in a newsletter, but now you’re dividing them up and releasing them over a longer period of time on your postcards.


One you get people interested in your postcard newsletter they’ll start to pay closer attention to all of the postcards you send them, increasing your rate of success on your other postcard printing orders as well. 


The next way is by finding some kind of visual flare you’ve never used before. I’m afraid I’m a little limited in the specifics here because each industry gives people a different possibility, and the best kinds of visuals will be directly linked in some way to your industry. I would suggest trying to find some kind of stylized images that can connect to your company, and send them as custom postcards meant to increase awareness of your brand name.


Lastly, you can alter the size of your postcard. Doing so will certain impact the cost of mailing them, but this cost won ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/4038/What-Constitutes-Custom.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/4038/What-Constitutes-Custom.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>3 Necessary Tools and 5 Things You Must Have to Succeed in Affiliate Marketing </strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[The following article lists some simple, informative tips that will 
help you have a better experience with affiliate marketing. 
What does it take to become a successful Affiliate Marketer? 
What are the ingredients of an affiliate marketing success story? 
Is there a shortcut to Affiliate Marketing glory? All these questions 
play around in the minds of affiliate marketers who want to make 
it big in this business. 

Although affiliate marketing is touted as one of the easiest and 
most effective ways to earn money online, it is not as easy as it 
sounds. The wise affiliate marketer plans every action and executes 
it the best way he can. He should also maximize the potential to 
earn by utilizing the right tools necessary for a successful 
Affiliate Marketing business. We have consulted some of the most 
successful affiliate marketers in the business and below are the 
top three necessary tools for a successful affiliate marketing 
business.

Important Tool #1: Your Own Website

The most important and indispensable tool in Affiliate Marketing 
is your own website. The first step in any successful affiliate 
marketing business is building a good, credible and professional 
looking website. Your website is the jump off point of all your 
marketing efforts. Thus, you must first build a user-friendly 
website, which will appeal to your prospects and encourage them 
to click on the links to the products and service you are 
promoting and make a purchase. Therefore, you must first 
concentrate your efforts in building a website that will cater 
to what your prospects need. 

The most important thing you should consider is that almost 
all web users go online to look for information, not necessarily 
to go and buy something. Above all else, make your website 
full of original, relevant and useful content. People will 
love articles that are appealing and helpful. Keep in mind 
that, in the internet, content is still king and good qual ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/4034/3-Necessary-Tools-and-5-Things-You-Must-Have-to-Succeed-in-Affiliate-Marketing.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/4034/3-Necessary-Tools-and-5-Things-You-Must-Have-to-Succeed-in-Affiliate-Marketing.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Top 5 Ways for the Effective Backlinks Building. </strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Backlinks building is one of the most important ways to increase the page rank of your site. The higher your page rank, the more often your site will appear on the top searches results. Linkbuilding means linking to the other sites by inbound links. The higher the page rank of the sites that you are linked to, the higher Google or any other SEO will rank your site. It is also important that the content where you are linked to is similar to the subject of your site. If, for example your site is about the sport cars it is senseless to be linked to the site about the gardening. Also try to link to the sites with the high page rank, such links will influence more on the page rank of your own site.

1.	Article submission.

Article writing is the most important step for the development of your online business. Write articles on the topic of your site or your business and regularly submit them to the article submission sites. Usually these sites don't allow links in the body of the articles, that's why you need to write few words about you and your site/business including one or two links to your site. The best way is to add a link with the anchor text if the article directory allows HTML. The anchor text may be a keyword for your site that will appear in the resource box. You can change the keyword in the anchor text each time you submit a new article. When your article submission is approved by the directory, you will have one more link to your site and a potential for the targeted traffic coming from the readers of the article.

2.	Link directories.

In order to get many backinks you can start by submitting your site URL to the multiple link directories. You can type in Google 'submit link' or 'submit URL' and the search engine will show you thousands of the sites where you can add a link to your site for free or a small payment for the featured submission. You can do it manually or use the service for the automatic submission to the hundreds of directories. Wha ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/4031/Top-5-Ways-for-the-Effective-Backlinks-Building.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/4031/Top-5-Ways-for-the-Effective-Backlinks-Building.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>4 Main Tips for the Successful SEO</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Internet is all about the information. People go online to know something new, to find the answers on their questions, to find the solutions on their problems. Did you ever asked yourself why you have found the answer on your question on that site, though there are millions of other similar sites online that you never see? It is the Search Engine Optimization that offers you a specific site and not the other one. In this article you will know why the SEOs are choosing the sites that they show in the search results and how to be chosen by them. Search Engine Optimization is a huge and a very important machine that can generate enormous streams of traffic to your site and make your online business flourish.  Never ignore the Search Engines if you want your business to succeed. SEO can live without your site, you will have a very hard time, trying to achieve your goals without it. 

TIP 1. List your site in SEOs.

The most popular Search Engine is Google that has about 80% of all searches, after it go Yahoo and MSN. In order to check if you are listed by SEOs type your site name in the search box on their websites. If your site doesn't appear, so you need to submit it to each of the Search Engines. Also you can use the service of the SEO submission directories, which will submit your site to tens of different SEOs automatically.

TIP 2. Fill your site with the relevant content.

After being listed in SEOs, now you need to take actions to stuff your site with a good content. The content must be on the subject of your site that would be found by SEOs when the internet surfers are looking for the information that your site is about. This step takes time and efforts and never ends, as you need to add the content to your site on a regular basis. 

In order to be noticed by SEOs, your site must provide much valuable and original information. The most popular and best working way to fill your web with the good content is to write articles and reviews and publish the ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/4030/4-Main-Tips-for-the-Successful-SEO.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/4030/4-Main-Tips-for-the-Successful-SEO.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Straightforward Tips In Writing For Invitation Printing Effectively</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Have you been tasked to write the message for invitation printing? If you are then there are probably two things you are feeling right now as you research on how to do it. Either you do not want to write invitation messages and want to get through it quickly, or you actually love writing messages for invitation printing but do not know how to start. Well, whatever the case, you have come to the right page. In this article I will give you a few straightforward tips on how to write your invitation messages effectively without sounding like it was taken out of a greeting card. In this regard, there are four things that you need to remember.

1. Establish an appropriate tone in writing – To start off your invitation writing, you might probably want to establish the tone you want. Do you want to be formal in your invitation or maybe you want it more casual. Is it a friendly invitation for family and friends? Or is it a formal summons or official notice to attend? This tone will really set your direction in writing so make sure you decide on the right tone that you want. Once you do have a tone in mind however, you must stick with it from start to finish to be consistent. So pick your tone well.

2. Make it unique and avoid the cliché – With that writing tone in mind you should more or less have a good guideline for writing. As an extra advice in writing the content, you may want to avoid writing in clichés. Using lame old sayings and maxims only makes invitations sound corny and boring. You will never really encourage people to go to your event, or at least they will not be excited about it if you use the same old messages that invitations use.

Instead of doing it like that, why not write a new and unique message from the ground up? Write a message that is straight from the heart, encouraging people to share with you that blessed or important event. You don't have to quote other people or things. Just write in plain English what you want to say. Sometimes be ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/4028/Straightforward-Tips-In-Writing-For-Invitation-Printing-Effectively.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/4028/Straightforward-Tips-In-Writing-For-Invitation-Printing-Effectively.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Is There A Need For You To Have Unusual Business Cards?</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Business card printing, whether it’s expensive or cheap business cards, can help you get instant attention for your business. More so if you have unusual business cards that can provide you the capability to turn your otherwise dull cards into client magnets so you can generate more leads to increase your profits. Having an unusual business card can provide you the potential to show your clients and prospects that you’re a cut above the rest.

But do you think unusual business card printing is the right strategy for you? Do you think a magnetic business card is your best choice or a glossy brass card can get you more attention? What can work well with your message? Can your unusual business card help you achieve your goals for your business?

Here are some of the advantages and disadvantages of having an unusual business card to help you decide the kind of business card printing that would be appropriate for your needs:

Definitely, an unusual design for your business card can help you attract attention. You’ll surely stand out among the sea of blacks-and-whites. In addition, an unusual business card, especially with a picture in it, can make an instant impact – a positive one at that. As they say, if you can’t get them with your smile and appearance, you might as well rely on your business cards to do the job for you.

The downside to getting an unusual card is that most if not all are very hard to keep. You can’t put a star-shaped wooden card in your pocket, can you? Not only is it uncomfortable, but it’s too much for your pocket to hold. Imagine getting yourself pierced every time you take a seat. Also, most business card holders can only fit a standard rectangular shaped card inside their slots. This will cause a problem later on when you’re looking for the card and you can’t remember where you put it.

Next, a card with an unusual design often is printed on durable materials that last longer even if you accidentally spilt your water  ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/4017/Is-There-A-Need-For-You-To-Have-Unusual-Business-Cards.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/4017/Is-There-A-Need-For-You-To-Have-Unusual-Business-Cards.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>How to monetize your traffic - general knowledge</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[
Are you looking for some inside information on  traffic? 
Here's an up-to-date report from  traffic experts who 
should know. 
 

Establishing your own E-commerce site is not like what it used to be. 
There are thousands of competition that is all too willing to get a 
bigger share of the pie. Every scheme and method you can find to 
augment your sales would be very beneficial.

We have got to admit to ourselves. Most of us are into it for the 
money. We are not going to waste our time and effort just for the 
fun of it. Many sites would not wait until hell freezes over just 
to see their profits. While there are some who takes things lightly 
there are always those who would rather see profit any given day.

It is common knowledge that without traffic we have no business. 
Like any business, without any customers you don’t get sales. 
Traffic represents all the people that gets a chance to see what 
you have to offer. The more people who see your products the more 
people there would be to buy them.

Nobody puts up an E-commerce site that doesn’t expect profit. 
We have a startup capital that needs to be regained. With a 
consistent traffic, we at least have a fighting chance to achieve 
that probability. Monetizing your traffic would optimize your 
chances of making the best out of it.

Making Money out of your Traffic

The best and most proven method of making a profit out of your 
traffic is using advertising. The internet generates hundreds 
of thousands upon hundred of thousands of traffic everyday. 
Most of them are searching for something. While some are just 
looking for information there is also a good percentage that 
is looking for something that they need.

The internet has proven to be a very reliable source in finding 
what was deemed to be a very unsearchable product. The internet 
has made the world a smaller place; you can advertise a product 
from the depths of Istanbul and still find a buyer from the  ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/4014/How-to-monetize-your-traffic--general-knowledge.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/4014/How-to-monetize-your-traffic--general-knowledge.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong> Generate Low Cost Website Traffic-Top 5 Ways</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[ Generate Low Cost Website Traffic-Top 5 Ways

When you think about  traffic, what do you think of first? 
Which aspects of  traffic are important, which are essential, 
and which ones can you take or leave? You be the judge. If 
you'll invest a little more time in reading, you'll be that 
much nearer to 


There is one hard and fast rule in generating income for your 
website: A steady flow of website traffic. If no one goes to 
your site, it hardly bares a chance of generating an income. 
Many sites have tried and failed in doing so, and these 
results to the sites demise. It takes money to maintain an 
income generating site; it also takes money to make money.

BUT, it doesn’t take a whole caboodle of cash to generate 
website traffic for your site.

Ever wonder how does big hit sites drive traffic top their site? 
Most of them are spending tons of money to drive the traffic 
to their sites, investing in many advertising campaigns and 
different forms of marketing schemes and gimmickries. This 
is all worthwhile because, well, they are what they are now, 
high earning, big hitting websites. 

You don’t have to do this if you don’t really have their 
resources. There are many ways to generate low cost website 
traffic without having to spend what you don’t have or can’t 
afford. Many people have banked on high cost methods and 
have ended up losing their shirt over it. 

Here I present to you the Top five ways to generate low cost 
website traffic that could help your site a whole lot. Even 
if you only get a small percentage of successful visitors in 
to client ratio it still works especially if you get a high 
number of website traffic. 

Exchange Links

This is a sure and proven method. Rarely would you see a 
site where there is no link to another site. Many webmasters 
are willing to exchange links with one another so that they 
could produce more public awareness about their sites. You’ll 
soon see and  ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/4001/Generate-Low-Cost-Website-TrafficTop-5-Ways.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/4001/Generate-Low-Cost-Website-TrafficTop-5-Ways.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Generate Traffic Using Only Free Methods </strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[
The following paragraphs summarize the work of traffic experts 
who are completely familiar with all the aspects of free traffic  
methods. Heed their advice to avoid any traffic surprises. 


How can you put a limit on learning more? The next section may 
contain that one little bit of wisdom that changes everything. 

Putting up a company would of course require a lot of things, 
to get straight to the point, you need a capital. To make money 
requires money as well. But of course, with the versatility 
the internet offers, there are many ways you could find that 
could help optimize the potential of your site or business 
in generating traffic.

While there are ways to jumpstart your traffic flows, many 
sites don’t have the resources that others have to generate 
more traffic for your site. Well, you don’t have to spend 
a cent; all you need is the proper mindset and a lot of 
eagerness. You also must have the drive and perseverance 
to do hard work and research to generate more traffic for 
your site.

How sweet it is to have more traffic for your site without 
spending a single cent.  Now it’s a sure thing that many sites 
have articles that offer tips and guidelines in how to 
generate traffic using only free methods. Because it is 
possible, you don’t need to speed a single cent, it may take 
time, to say honestly, I’m not going to beat around the bush 
with you. You get better chances by paying for your advertisements, 
but at least you get a fighting chance with some of these 
free methods I’m about to tell you.

Take advantage of online forums and online communities. 
The great thing about forums and online communities is that 
you can target a certain group that fits the certain demographic 
that you are looking for. You can discuss about lots of things 
about the niche that you represent or offer.  Another great 
advantage is that you know what you are getting into and you 
will be prepared.

With o ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3996/Generate-Traffic-Using-Only-Free-Methods.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3996/Generate-Traffic-Using-Only-Free-Methods.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>How to increase your traffic-7 surefire ways</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[The following article lists some simple, informative tips 
that will help you have a better experience with traffic. 

Internet. Business. Profit. To fully integrate all of these 
words into a successful merging you will need another word. 
Traffic. Every article you will find about making your site 
or company successful would always include the importance 
of generating traffic.

So, we all know that in the core of it all, traffic is the 
most essential thing to a successful internet based 
business company. Aside from ensuring that you have a great 
product to sell, and you have your company’s internal 
organization well taken core of, it would be time to get 
to the nitty gritty of things, generating traffic. 

If you already have a site and you want think that you're 
not getting the traffic that you're supposed to be getting, 
then its time to reconsider. If you are contending in 
these very competitive business, you should always be a 
step ahead of your competition, increasing your traffic 
flow should have been done starting yesterday. 

Timing is essential, that’s an old adage known to everyone. 
But with generating traffic, you should always be on your 
toes and be a day ahead of everyone. Never think of today 
and tomorrow as a starting point for making your site 
traffic laden, it should always have been yesterday.

To help you out in generating more traffic for your site, 
here are some seven surefire ways to increase your 
traffic starting from yesterday.

1) Invest in good advertising with search engines

Google’s Adwords and Yahoo’s Overture provide great 
advertising schemes that are very truly popular and assures 
great traffic. Although with this surefire way to increase 
your traffic would cost some money. While some would shy 
away from spending money to increase traffic, it is 
imperative in this case to do so because Adwords and 
Overture is the top surefire way to increase your traffic. 

Yo ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3993/How-to-increase-your-traffic7-surefire-ways.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3993/How-to-increase-your-traffic7-surefire-ways.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong> How to Convert Every Web Page or visitors into Subscriber </strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[The following paragraphs summarize the work of email marketing 
experts who are completely familiar with all the aspects of 
converting every web page or visitors into subscriber. Heed 
their advice to avoid any email marketing surprises. 


If you own one-page sales letter business models or content-based 
websites, you should turn every webpage possible into subscriber 
snatching devices for you. The good news is that not only is 
this method extra effective, it is just as extra effortless 
when it comes to applying the concept.

Since visitors can come and leave without remembering your 
website in the future (which is very likely to happen), you 
can still follow up with your visitors easily by seeking their 
permission to opt into your mailing list through your web 
pages – on autopilot!

You can create a pop up window to appear after your visitor 
attempts to close the window or leaves your website, asking 
for your visitor’s name and email address so that you can follow 
up with him or her in the near future via subscribing to 
your mailing list for free.

This way, you can convert a big portion of your visitors into 
subscribers, giving you a chance to follow up with them on 
other offers you may have in the future.

Alternatively, you can insert an opt-in form within the spaces 
of your web pages. This method is effective, especially if 
you are afraid of Internet users who have pop up killers 
installed in their web browsers, set to block any pop up 
windows.

In conclusion, turning every webpage you own into subscriber 
snatching devices with little effort can be responsible for 
huge subscriber-pulling results.

Converting Every Visitor into Subscriber

If a person visits your website and leaves, chances are 
that he or she will not come back, especially if there are 
no compelling reasons to do so. After all, we all behave 
rather impulsively on the Internet, so much so that we 
can easily forget where we  ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3989/How-to-Convert-Every-Web-Page-or-visitors-into-Subscriber.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3989/How-to-Convert-Every-Web-Page-or-visitors-into-Subscriber.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Save Your Money In Color Brochures</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Make no mistake. Color brochures are expensive. Even more so, high quality full color brochures with full color photographs top always the list of expensive brochure printing. So when you see that you will need to print color brochures for your business or project it is to be expected that you will want to do everything in your power to minimize that cost. In this special guide for color brochures, we will show you how to do just that in four simple ways.

1. Selective color printing - One good way to cut the cost of printing your color brochures is to print them using only a few select colors. The standard four color printing process these days is very expensive and printing colors selectively becomes very economical in the process. For example, if your brochure really only needs two colors for its logo and graphics while the rest is just text, then you can print your brochures using only those two colors. Most color printers do give discounts or reduced printing quotations when you say that you want to print colors selectively. So take that money saving opportunity when you can.

2. Using standard processes - Next, you can gain more savings in brochure printing by only using standard processes. This means you can save money by not deviating too much on the design and just following the standard templates and procedures for printing. This will give you the base cost which should usually be the cheapest for color brochure printing. However, when you use very deviant designs, you should expect a very high quotation for printing since customization means printers need to do extra work. So is it worth it? When you compare standard and custom jobs, using standard designs and processes can net you a 10-20% savings just because they are easier to produce while custom jobs significantly cost more. So use the standard process if you can.

3. Minimizing full color photographs - Also you can try to save money by using your full color photographs minimally. Full color pi ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3988/Save-Your-Money-In-Color-Brochures.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3988/Save-Your-Money-In-Color-Brochures.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong> How to build email list using landing  and “thank-you” pages  </strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[The following article presents the very latest information on building 
email list using landing pages for higher return. If you have a 
particular interest in building email lis using landing pages, 
then this informative article is required reading. 

 
Knowledge can give you a real advantage. To make sure you're 
fully informed about list, keep reading. 

Also known as the “name squeeze page” or “lead capture page”, 
you can build your mailing list by funneling all of your 
would-be subscribers through the creation of a landing page. 
Not only do you do the work just once, your traffic driving 
efforts can be focused onto just one effective method.
 
The following are tips in creating a successful landing page 
that converts visitors into subscribers on a very huge 
percentage.

Success Tip 1: Offer a freebie in exchange for your visitor’s 
email address. I very much endorse this method of building your 
mailing list. You can offer a special report or a sample of 
your paid product to your visitor in exchange for their 
details such as name and email address. 

Success Tip 2: The landing page must be written professionally. 
When writing your page, treat it as if you are writing a sales 
letter. While you are not necessarily making a hard sale or 
try to get someone to buy your product upfront, being able 
to entice your visitors to give their details to you is just 
as important as selling.

Success Tip 3: Other than your opt-in form and perhaps important 
disclaimers and terms, there shouldn’t be any other links on 
your landing page.

Success Tip 4: Rub in the benefits of the freebie you are 
offering more than a mere subscription to your newsletter. You 
should focus most of the attention of the letter on encouraging 
your prospective visitor to download your free offer. Later, 
you gently remind your prospect that he or she has nothing to 
pay but just merely subscribe to your newsletter in exchange 
for  ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3986/How-to-build-email-list-using-landing--and-thankyou-pages.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3986/How-to-build-email-list-using-landing--and-thankyou-pages.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Building Your List with Give Away Ventures-Ad Swap Magic </strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Current info about building list is not always the easiest 
thing to locate. Fortunately, this report includes the latest 
building list info available. 

 
You may not consider everything you just read to be crucial 
information about list building. But don't be surprised if 
you find yourself recalling and using this very information 
in the next few days.

1 Ad Swap Magic

Here is a little used technique you can implement to build 
your mailing list for no additional cost. 
I call it “using subscribers to make subscribers” like much 
in the context of “using money to make money”.

This simple list building formula can be summed up in 
two words: ad swap.

Generally, you trade advertisements with other eZine publishers, 
preferably of the same mailing list size or bigger. You 
broadcast the eZine publisher’s advertisement to your mailing 
list while the eZine publisher endorses your ad to his list. 
Yes, you are actually cross endorsing or cross promoting 
each others offer to each of your mailing list.

Your advertisement’s goal should be to get as many subscribers 
possible from the other eZine publisher’s mailing list to sign 
up for yours.

The result: you grow your mailing list. This method does not 
require money, which means it can be done for free. And the 
return of subscribers? Infinite!

You only have to do this with one eZine publisher at least once, 
because his subscribers who are also your subscribers can 
now be followed up within the boundaries of your mailing list.

Perform ad swaps with as many eZine publishers as possible and 
soon, you will have a huge mailing list of your own – built 
free.

2 Building Your List with Give Away Ventures

With the awareness of the importance of list building, comes 
a recent Internet Marketing trend which was started just a 
couple of years ago for the mutual benefits of all Internet 
Marketers and mailing list owners.

This method is more recogn ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3984/Building-Your-List-with-Give-Away-VenturesAd-Swap-Magic.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3984/Building-Your-List-with-Give-Away-VenturesAd-Swap-Magic.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Brochure Design Principles To Apply</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[When choosing what design principles to apply in your custom brochures, it is better to consider how you will display them in your shop or mail them to your clients and prospects. The way you present your printing brochures determines the design that would give the most advantage to your marketing collaterals.

For pages, whether you decide to use multiple pages stapled in the corner, or pages folded in half and saddle stitched or even custom brochures with a single sheet with one or more folds, you have to choose depending on the size and format of your collaterals. Your decision will also determine the amount and the areas in your printing brochures that will contain information about your business. Your pages will also provide you with options whether to go for a heavy and glossy cover. It would be a lot more expensive to select this option but it can attract more attention, as well as make your custom brochures more durable.

A single page with many folds on the other hand, allows you to be more economical and still have the look and feel of a professional. While a tri-fold paper the size of a regular bond paper will surely fit right inside an ordinary mail envelope but will have less information to hold within its limited space.

Quality of paper and color also has a definite role in the overall impression when printing brochures. One with glossy paper and printed with bold and brilliant colors reflects a more upscale and expensive image. Bear in mind that when you give your target clients with something that looks like junk, your collateral will be treated just like one. So remember to always put your best foot forward with custom brochures that exude class and elegance.

And if you are on a very limited budget, you can go for black and white color scheme. This would likely get you attention as it is not always that target clients see a black-and-white ad nowadays. You will definitely stand out like a sore thumb among the many colors that every markete ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3983/Brochure-Design-Principles-To-Apply.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3983/Brochure-Design-Principles-To-Apply.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Through The Eyes Of The Children</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Are you having a hard time convincing our target clients to try out your offer? Is your marketing message in your booklet printing getting passed on by your target audience just because it does not confer with the preset ways they are comfortable with? Are your print booklets getting cobwebs and dust because your target clients relegate them in the storage room the instant they read your message? Have you answered ‘yes’ to all of these questions?

If you want to reach out to your target audience, why not market through their children. That is right. Parents have often gone to great lengths to satisfy their children’s wants even to the extent that they go beyond their preset standards. They often give way to their kids’ desires even if it is outside their predetermined ways. How do you think the cartoon characters, Walt Disney and McDonald’s got their millions? By getting to the children first.

The young actors and actresses in High School Musical went to worldwide stardom just because they got to the youngsters’ psyche. From an original movie at Disney, the third sequel to their story has even become a blockbuster movie. And let us not forget Hannah Montana.

Have you forgotten how the New Kids’ On the Block got you gooey eyed and staring gaga for so many hours at their posters? Did your parents also got you their t-shirts and print posters even if they themselves do not understand the phenomena of this boy band?

Your marketing collaterals such as your booklet printing can benefit much if you market to the children instead. When you captivate their young and very active imagination, you can be sure to get their parents to consider your business.

So how do you do it? You can get the young people to consider you by becoming part of their lives. Provide them with items and stuff that tickle their imagination. Give them free stuff. Provide promotional items that not only speak of your business’ offer, but also reflect what these young people ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3980/Through-The-Eyes-Of-The-Children.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3980/Through-The-Eyes-Of-The-Children.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Auto Responder Improvements-Auto Responder Marketing Guide             </strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[If you're seriously interested in knowing about Autoresponder, 
you need to think beyond the basics. This informative article 
takes a closer look at things you need to know about Autoresponder.
 
Marketing through auto responder series is a popular strategy 
to increase repeat website visits and sales. Here is a popular 
strategy.  

EZINE EBOOK 

Instead of trying to publish a small daily or weekly eZines, 
try publishing one large monthly eZine (similar to a monthly 
magazine) as an e-book format delivered via auto responder, 
preferably an Adobe .pdf file. You could have it made up of 
a large number of articles per issue and insert regularly 
featured areas throughout like inspirational quotes, industry 
tips, favorite sites and advice from the pros. You could 
also insert full-color graphics, multimedia components like 
audio / video file links and ads. Then you can charge a monthly 
rate, with an annual discounted package purchase, and sell 
advertising spots to sprinkle in your auto responder 
announcements for each issue and with an informational 
series to announce your monthly eZine to new prospects. 

In summary, by using customized marketing techniques like an 
eZine eBook, tailored to fit your own products and services, 
you can reach out and increase your website traffic and sales 
opportunities. Internet marketing can mean more ways to grow 
your business.

Stuck in an auto responder rut with only your eZine going 
out regularly? Get out of the rut with some of these ideas 
for improvements.

1. Provide back issues of your eZine archives via your 
auto responder instead of hosting all your archives online. 
This will give your subscribers and web site visitors easy 
access to them and offers a chance to include graphics, 
audio and video and other components all rolled up in 
pdf files for quick, easy download.

2. Help with tech issues and publish your entire web site, 
save it in a pdf file, and load it int ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3979/Auto-Responder-ImprovementsAuto-Responder-Marketing-Guide.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3979/Auto-Responder-ImprovementsAuto-Responder-Marketing-Guide.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Write If You Want to Market Your Business</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[You are probably saying right now that you can stop marketing this time since we are in recession. And probably you are also saying to yourself that you are doing well anyway that you can have a break from marketing. People know about you and your business so there is no point marketing your products and services anymore.

But guess what? That is where you are wrong. If you think this way then you have another think coming.

Mistakes are often made just because business owners and marketers believe that they can put marketing in the back burner and still enjoy the leverage they have in their industry. Sure, people are looking for your products and services, and they have your name at their fingertips. So why market still? It is simple. If you are not out there and you make yourself invisible to consumers, they would just go to someone who is available. Your competition will be able to steal your clients and prospects and you cannot do anything about it.

Never, never ignore the importance of marketing. Be sure to promote your business even on a shoestring budget because you just cannot let your competition get the best of you.

So how can you market if you do not have the money for printing brochures or designing custom brochures for example? You can always write.

Yes, writing articles and press releases can go a long way in marketing your business effectively. People are constantly in search of information, and if you can share your knowledge and expertise to your target audience, you can very well build a strong position for yourself in your industry.

This is also the reason why printing brochures is so popular. Not only are you allowed to print as many pages to hold all your products and services, but custom brochures also let you provide your target clients with valuable information that they can use for their needs. The basic idea is to get the interest of your target clients with upbeat and relevant information, enough to make them want to know m ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3978/Write-If-You-Want-to-Market-Your-Business.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3978/Write-If-You-Want-to-Market-Your-Business.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>5 Ways To Effectively Drive Prospects To Your Door</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Marketing is looking for, finding, and generating prospects to your business so you can generate in turn your cash flow. Having a steady flow of customers and clients to your business means a great deal in increasing your chances of getting the returns you want from your investments.

So how do you ensure that customers will line up every time outside your door and clients would have your phones ringing regularly? By attracting them to get to know more about your products and services with these five effective strategies:

Direct Mailing.
From cheap booklets or custom booklet printing, to flyers printing and print brochures, direct mail marketing is one of the best ways to get people to be interested in you. Write articles or an open letter to your target clients, telling them of the benefits and the advantages of your business over your competition. Give them the qualities that make you different. And then add a personal touch to your mail with your own signature, and you can always have clients wanting to know more of what you have to offer.

Online Traffic.
Build online traffic with your website. Attract browsers and searchers to your online custom booklet printing or e-newsletters and provide them with an impression that you are an expert in your field. Drive hundreds and thousands of people to your website with valuable information using SEO and link building techniques. Include blogs and forum posting to help you read through the minds of your target clients. The more they are able to vent their impression on you, the better it is for you to improve and make better your service.

Networking.
Tie up with other businesses that offer the same benefits as you do. You can either do it online or offline. Bring your marketing paraphernalia such as your trifold brochures or even your cheap booklets. The good thing about this avenue of marketing is that you do not have to invest much on your advertising costs. What you need is to provide time and energy to t ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3975/5-Ways-To-Effectively-Drive-Prospects-To-Your-Door.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3975/5-Ways-To-Effectively-Drive-Prospects-To-Your-Door.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>E-zine -  The  Methods Of List Maintenance        </strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[The e-zine, or newsletter, is a list of people that
you gather, and send information related to your target market on a
weekly, bi-weekly, fortnightly or monthly basis. The idea is the useful
content that you send them will have them want to keep reading and
open your mail each time, keeping your response rates and read rates
high.

Expect to have to present an issue of your e-zine every week or two
weeks and avoid leaving long, long gaps in between mailings,
otherwise, quite simply people will forget you. This is a great place to
start if you're starting out, for the simple reason people like free info,
and it's so much easier to get people to subscribe to this type of list
compared to others, even when there's freebies involved. Of course,
you will have to know a lot about your field of expertise to present
regular useful issues, or even pull in outside articles from publishers to
use as content.


The catch is you'll have to be on top of things, and it does take some
time to come up with good content for issues. The up side to this is
people will be waiting for your e-zine. If it's good and keeps people
reading content wise, it's a surefire way to keep response rates up and
to make a connection with your subscribers, the personal touch, which
in turn will add up to trust and a higher purchase rate for your own
products.

Another great thing about the newsletter and e-zine is it can be quite
personal. As the readers and subscribers get used to you as a
publisher, and you become white listed (In their spam filers and in their
minds) you'll see a greater interest in your products, because after all,
you're not just another marketer out there spouting rubbish to everyone
to make a quick buck. You're a trusted publisher in an authorititative
role, and people will listen to you, and buy your stuff. This takes time
though. Don't expect to become well know to all your subscribers
overnight.

Unsubscription Rate: Many e-zines have becom ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3974/Ezine---The--Methods-Of-List-Maintenance.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3974/Ezine---The--Methods-Of-List-Maintenance.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Understanding Color Trifold Brochures</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Brochure printing and design can be done in many color modes. If you are new to printing or graphic design this might confuse you a bit. However with a little time and a healthy curiosity, it is easy to learn the color jargon for brochure printing. In this guide, I will share with you the three major color modes that you may encounter when printing trifold brochures.

Standard Red Green Blue
The standard Red, Green and Blue color mode usually refers to how we see graphic prints on a screen. RGB colors produce large amounts of other colors as the software or you yourself adjust the red, green and blue values to get the desired color hue. In most cases people use the RGB color for web graphic design. Also most image editing software use this as their standard or default color mode when manipulating design elements.

Printing in Cyan Magenta Yellow and Black
CMYK or Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Black pertain to a color mode for printing itself. It refers to the amounts of intensity of those four colors as they are combined. As color values are reduced in different levels, that is when you get the different hues. It is important to note that this technique can only produce smaller amounts of colors when compared to the standard RGB. However, this is the perfect color mode when you are ready to print your trifold brochures or any other prints for that matter. CYMK gives you the best image possible from the printing machines.

That is why it is important to convert your trifold brochure designs from RGB to CMYK mode once you are ready to hand them over to the printers. Once the conversion is done, you must also adjust the color hues once again, since there will be some significant changes in hue when the conversion occurs. After those minor adjustments however your trifold brochures should be ready for color printing in CMYK.

Selective Pantone PMS colors
Lastly we have the so called Pantone PMS colors. These are basically color inks that you or your printer can d ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3973/Understanding-Color-Trifold-Brochures.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3973/Understanding-Color-Trifold-Brochures.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Enhancing Email Response        </strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[     

The more you understand about any subject, the more interesting 
it becomes. As you read this article you'll find that the subject 
of email marketing is certainly no exception. 

 
How can you put a limit on learning more? The next section may contain 
that one little bit of wisdom that changes everything. 

The process of email marketing may not always bear the kind of
results that you expect.

The process of email marketing may not always bear the kind of
results that you expect. In fact, even after doing all the basics right
the response rates may fall way short of expectations. The good news
is that email responses can be enhanced with a little bit of analysis
and research.

We’ve discussed the importance of gathering statistical data
during email campaigns. With this information now available and a few
creative segmentation strategies, email response can be improved a
great deal. Your emails may reach three sets of readers:

- Those who deleted the email without even opening it
- Those who opened the email but did not read it or click on
the offer made
- Those who read the email, clicked on the link provided but
did not accept your offer

The set which represents readers who never opened your email is
probably the biggest. In fact, it’s possible that at least 50% of readers
discarded your email as junk. To boost response rates of such readers,
you should segment these as a group and change the subject line of
the email or the sender’s name and address. Chances are good that
you’ll find some of the changes work better than others, and that
some of the non-openers to the first message have opened up the new
message based on a single and possibly simple change.

Perhaps this change lies in a new appeal in the subject line, or
perhaps it's due to the message coming from a living person instead of
an impersonal company. Record and save those variables and continue
to test and fine-tune them with each subseque ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3972/Enhancing-Email-Response.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3972/Enhancing-Email-Response.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Marketing Lessons Learned From A Chiropractor (Part 2)</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[How do you collect happy and satisfied clients to your business? By doing it the chiropractor’s way:

A comfortable patient brings new prospects to the fold.

Like patients, your customers should be treated carefully that they feel comfortable every time they go to your shop or visit your website. Customers should be valued and taken cared of as they are important people that brings in the money. The minute they walk in your door, greet them with warmth and offer a comfortable experience that they would look forward to every time they come in your shop. And do away with a lot of red tape in terms of filling up forms for their orders and purchases. The bottom line is to make their visit and purchasing activity less painful. Every single step in your procedure should have the customer’s comfort in mind. Create a satisfactory experience for your customers and they would surely go back next time with a friend in tow.

Communicate with your patients.

Do not forget that good communication makes for a satisfied and happy customer. Do not assume that your clients would know the process of purchasing your products and services just because you have written it in your color poster printing. Always be ready to explain and communicate what is going on to make them feel comfortable. The more they know of what will happen, the less painful it would be for them to accept the inevitable.

Ask your patients.

The only way you can learn if you are providing good customer service is to ask your customers directly. Consider getting it straight from the horse’s mouth. Ask your customers what they want and how they want it. They certainly know their own needs and wants that who better to tell you how you can provide good service but them. If you are not comfortable asking them directly, you can always have survey forms and suggestion boxes where your customers can put in their feedback. And when printing posters for example, you can always include your website or email ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3971/Marketing-Lessons-Learned-From-A-Chiropractor-Part-2.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3971/Marketing-Lessons-Learned-From-A-Chiropractor-Part-2.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Tracking Performance - Measuring Useful Metrics    </strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[
Tracking and analyzing the actions of your customers and
prospects is critical to your success.

Would you like to find out what those-in-the-know have to 
say about tracking? The information in the article below 
comes straight from well-informed experts with special 
knowledge about tracking.
 
Most of this information comes straight from the list building 
pros. Careful reading to the end virtually guarantees that 
you'll know what they know. 

After deploying several campaigns, you will have generated 
a mountain of response information that reveals invaluable 
data enabling you to create new and more effective 
approaches and offers. There are many software tools easily 
available that track, record and analyze all data pertaining 
to your email marketing campaign. 

Once you have the capability to track the vital statistics of your
email marketing campaigns, the inevitable question becomes: how
well are my mailings doing? Here are some guidelines on what
information to gather and how to measure the performance of your
campaign from the gathered information.

There are a number of different pieces of information that can be
gathered when using any reasonably good email broadcasting service.
The five primary measurements are: the totals each of messages sent,
message opens, click-throughs, bounces, and opt-out requests.
Total number of items sent must be accurately counted, based on
reaching each individual email address only once. Opens measure the
number of people who actually view the message using their email
program.

 “Unique” opens, so that if a recipient views a message in
their preview window, then opens it into a full size window,
that this only counts as a single open instead of two opens. 

Clickthroughs are recipients that respond to your offer by 
clicking on a link in the email. Bounces are messages that 
are undeliverable to the recipient. They could be “soft bounces” 
due to temporary issues suc ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3961/Tracking-Performance--Measuring-Useful-Metrics.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3961/Tracking-Performance--Measuring-Useful-Metrics.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Turning Old Photographs Into Great Postcards</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[If you want to use your old photographs for postcard printing then you are in the right place. In this simple guide, we will show you how to create cheap postcards using your old photographs or images. Just follow the seven steps below precisely and you should have those nice custom made photograph designs ready for postcard printing.

1. Scan in high resolution. 
Of course the first step in using your photographs for postcard printing is to digitize it as an image. You will need a scanner for this step. Just scan your images as usual using the software provided by your scanner. Try to adjust the settings so that you are scanning in the best possible resolution so that the picture won't get blurry once your reprint it for the postcard. If you do not have a scanner though, you can just go to your local cyber cafe or technology boutique and have your images scanned for a fee.

2. Correct and Enhance.
Once you get your digital images from the photographs it would be best to correct and enhance it. Using an image editing software like Adobe Photoshop, you can try erasing or replacing any kind of specs, errors and holes in the image of your photograph. You can also enhance the images by improving the colors, brightness and contrast of the pictures to make the image look new and more vibrant. You can also try removing any kind of undesirable element to the picture such as a border, a misplaced person or thing, or even pimples and other issues on people’s faces. By the end of this process you should get a picture that is pretty good and well worth printing on postcards.

3. Place postcard messages to a blank template. 
Next once you are finished with your image enhancements you can now place the postcard image in a postcard template. Blank postcard templates are basically files that are already set with the layout of a typical postcard. It uses standard dimensions of a postcard and it has some guidelines on where most postcard elements are regularly placed. You  ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3960/Turning-Old-Photographs-Into-Great-Postcards.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3960/Turning-Old-Photographs-Into-Great-Postcards.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>How Often And When to Mail?     </strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[               

In today's world, it seems that almost any topic is open for 
debate. While I was gathering facts for this article, I was 
quite surprised to find some of the issues I thought were 
settled are actually still being openly discussed. 
 

You can see that there's practical value in learning more about list. 
Can you think of ways to apply what's been covered so far? 

Email marketing is a powerful yet inexpensive way to make
contact with customers and prospects.

Depending on whom you are trying to touch, there may be certain 
times of day, or days of the week, when the recipient may be 
more responsive to your message. In addition to specific 
timing for your email marketing campaigns, the frequency 
and the number of times to send can all play a big role in 
helping to improve your results.

When to Email?
For a mailing to business recipients, sending midday from 11 AM
through 3 PM is generally the best time. Sending a message earlier in
the day can result in a higher risk of the message getting lost in the
rush to prepare for morning meetings. Send it too late in the day and
it may end up quickly deleted before the recipient leaves for their
commute home.

On the other hand, when mailing to consumers, 5 PM through 8
PM is the best time. People tend to check their personal email when
they get home from work or after dinner. Most consumers are too
busy getting ready for work in the morning to read their email.
Like the time of the day, different days of the week can affect
your results as well. The best days to contact businesses are weekdays
except for Monday and Friday. Monday has proven to have too many
meetings to reach decision makers, and on Friday, most people would
prefer to leave early before the rush hour than receive your email, no
matter how exciting the email and offer may be.

Consumers are more likely to spend more time on the Internet on
weekends, and hence have more time to consider your offer ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3956/How-Often-And-When-to-Mail.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3956/How-Often-And-When-to-Mail.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Personalization in Email Marketing         </strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[
If you're seriously interested in knowing about list, you need 
to think beyond the basics. This informative article takes a 
closer look at things you need to know about list. 

People respond more favorably to marketing when they feel
special and unique.                                                    

 People respond differently to things when they
perceive themselves as part of a group. These are only some of the
psychological factors that come into play when using individual
message personalization as a part of your email marketing campaigns.
When done correctly, personalization can be a powerful way to
reinforce the bond between your company and your customer.
However, poorly personalized messages can just as quickly sever that
connection that you have worked so hard to establish.

The Initial Greeting

The initial greeting has a tremendous impact on whether a
recipient will read the rest of a communication. The tone must match
the type of communication and the type of relationship that exists
between the sender and recipient. For example, &amp;quot;Hi John&amp;quot; is good for
an email from a business to consumer, but too casual for a message to
a business recipient. A &amp;quot;Dear Mr. Smith&amp;quot; or &amp;quot;Dear John Smith&amp;quot; is more
appropriate for a business to business communication in email just as
in a business letter.

Providing References

A very strong technique is including a reference to a specific
product or service that the recipient has either already purchased, or
that they have requested information about. Don't forget to link
directly to the page on the site that corresponds to the product or
service you are trying to sell.

Affiliation

When recipients are members of a known group or organization,
you can create a positive tie-in. When using this kind of
personalization, you must make sure that the relevancy will be obvious
for the recipient. This works particularly well for sending partner
offers, but  ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3955/Personalization-in-Email-Marketing.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3955/Personalization-in-Email-Marketing.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>How to Buy a Media List That Gets You in Front of the Right People</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Reporters are dying to quote entrepreneurs, small business owners and consultants just like you. The trouble is, they don't know you exist!
 
If only you can get your hands on a great media contact list, then you can get your name and credentials in front of reporters. This way they will contact you when they are writing a story that would be perfect for you.
 
So how can you get your hands on a great media list that's filled with information about reporter's who want to quote you in their articles?
 
Many companies sell names of reporters. Like everything else on the Internet, they vary by quality, features and services.
 
Before you buy a media list, be sure to ask questions like the ones below.
 
10 Questions You Must Ask When Buying a Media List So You Get the Most Bang (Publicity) for Your Buck
 
1. When was the list updated? Reporters change jobs quite frequently. And many newspapers and magazines are laying off people. So you want to make sure the list is updated on a daily or weekly basis. Otherwise, you'll waste time, money and energy sending messages to people who don't work there!
 
2. What contact information is included in the list? You'll want a list that has name, title, email, phone and snail mail address. Yes, snail mail. This way you can send books or product samples. You'll want email for sending pitches, press releases and press kits. You'll want the phone number to pitch by phone. Of course, you will have much of this information on your website, but you'll want to have every means available to contact reporters in the format they most desire. Reporters can be very, very picky!
 
3. What information is included about the reporter? Most basic lists you'll find on the Internet will have contact info, but not much else. That's not enough to do target marketing. You want to know what topic (referred to as a &amp;quot;beat&amp;quot;) the reporter is covering as well. Some of the best companies offer additional insights into the beat. For exam ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3954/How-to-Buy-a-Media-List-That-Gets-You-in-Front-of-the-Right-People.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3954/How-to-Buy-a-Media-List-That-Gets-You-in-Front-of-the-Right-People.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>How Are Effective Brochures Made</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Is there more to a brochure printing than a folded paper with several texts? Definitely. So why do some brochures work and others end up in the trash can? There are many reasons but the most obvious one is simply because some businesses lack the foresight and planning. Read on and learn the process of creating a brochure that works.

A good brochure printing has to have an impact among its readers. A brochure will be judged on how it was able to connect with its readers. Among the factors that will make a brochure a success is its key message, content, and basic design guidelines. The paper, colors, and fonts will also help in making a successful brochure printing.

Before diving into any brochure project, there are several decisions that need to be made concerning its content and direction. To determine the courses of action, ask yourself this question: Why should customers read your brochure? Well, the only answer you should have is because it is visually delightful and it contains useful information to the customers. If you do not have that answer, better think again.

Next, think about how you would like to display or distribute your brochures. Will it be in the stores? Will it be in an event? Will you mail it? Your answer to these questions will determine the type, size and fold of your brochures. There are a variety of custom brochure sizes that you could choose from that would fit your requirements. All you have to do is to determine your distribution or display scheme.

Another consideration as to the size and number of folds would be its content. Multi-page brochures give you the space you need for important information. A single page with multiple folds, on the other hand, will allow an economical approach with a nice look and feel.

Now for the information that it will contain, be sure to use everyday language or the language of your readers. That is, do not be complicated or technical but do not be too informal also. Always be direct and simple ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3953/How-Are-Effective-Brochures-Made.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3953/How-Are-Effective-Brochures-Made.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Strategies To Keep You Going And Growing (Part 2)</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[We have talked in a previous article about how as a business owner you can develop your strategies in your marketing campaigns such as printing brochures and newsletter printing. We mentioned that for your business to last for a very long time, you need to constantly update yourself and improve on your offer. The only way that your clients will continue to purchase from you is if you make your products and services adaptable according to their changing needs and wants.

It is therefore important that you do not just stop at the point when you launch your marketing campaign with printing brochures and newsletter printing. You need to constantly update yourself and your strategy so you can give more value to your offer in your clients’ eyes.

Here are some more of the effective marketing strategies you can apply to your newsletter printing for example, so you keep on going and growing your business:

3. Provide your clients with a promotional campaign that is appropriate not only during the launching of your product or service, but to the rest of its life cycle. This means that you make printing brochures and your newsletter printing dynamic that they can evolve every time you use them to promote your product and service. Whether you use them for personal selling or even for direct mailing campaigns, the key is to have them provide your clients with the right offer that will still be irresistible even if you’re using it for a very long time.

4. Have an effective distribution strategy. Not only should you concern yourself with the right offer, you should also make sure that you distribute your goods and services with the right channel. Meaning, you need to know where you sell your products and services, who helps you sell them, how are they being sold, and everything that you need to know about how your products and services get to your clients. If you can find out where your sales are growing and where you are short, you can build a stronger program that  ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3952/Strategies-To-Keep-You-Going-And-Growing-Part-2.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3952/Strategies-To-Keep-You-Going-And-Growing-Part-2.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Battle Plan Objectives In Large Poster Promotions</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Custom poster printing for advertising campaigns is not just a simple and mundane task. Advertising campaigns are not designated as “campaigns” just for no apparent reason. They are campaigns because advertising is a battle unto itself. There are objectives that must be completed and rivals that must be thwarted. 

In using large posters for promotions, there are five major objectives that you must achieve to ensure success. Each objective gives a decisive advantage to your custom poster printing that can be the keys to victory in an advertising campaign.

1. Catch the eye. 
The first and major objective to any advertising poster whether small or large is to catch people’s eyes. This means that you have to be unique and original so that people take notice of your poster design. Since there are a lot of concepts and design avenues out there for posters, this can actually be a tough objective to complete. It needs the right mix of creative and innovative people to come up with a truly original design that makes people say “what's that?” So make sure you recruit the best artists that you can and work towards an eye catching design with as much enthusiasm as you can produce.

2. Distinguish yourself. 
Also, your posters should be distinct and distinguishable from other posters of its kind. This sets your message apart from the others. Having your own individual identity is crucial in this case since people respond to messages and designs that do not look like the rest. For example, if you are flooded with posters with vibrant, sometimes garish colors and then you see a classic black and white poster with a nice contrasting image, what would you look at first? The black and white poster right? Being different from the rest and being identified as different is a good strategy to get audiences to look at your posters first. This first look can in fact be the key to success or failure so make sure you take this into consideration in your poster design.

 ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3950/Battle-Plan-Objectives-In-Large-Poster-Promotions.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3950/Battle-Plan-Objectives-In-Large-Poster-Promotions.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Method Controls The Madness</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[The Plan. The first step in developing a successful marketing plan is to determine who you are and what makes you special. You must fill a need or people will have no use for your offerings, right? Consider where you want to be and how best to get there. Decide what it is that sets you apart and how this will benefit the consumer. A thorough understanding of yourself, your prospects, and your competition will help you determine — and achieve — your goals.

Focus. Although you may offer a variety of benefits that would appeal to many consumers, there is usually one single selling point which will win or lose your best market. Determine that one very special selling point and you will have established a focus which will set the standards for your competition to aspire to. When planning your communications, your message must be clear and specific to your objectives. If the message cannot be distilled down to one or two sentences, you are saying too much.

Your Role. As the client working with a marketing firm such as Catch Light Productions, you are the decision maker. You must make solid business decisions and then step back. Tough to swallow? Just consider that micro-managing projects can create a negative and counterproductive work environment and will often compromise the integrity of the finished marketing piece.

Success. How do we measure the effectiveness of your marketing efforts? An immediate increase in sales? Improved image? Breaking into a new market? Ideally each piece would generate more sales, improve your overall image and get you a big chunk of new customers. Yes, on occasion, a single marketing project can produce remarkable success. But marketing should be viewed as a cumulative effort — growing stronger with each project. Set your sights on building long-term success one project at a time.

Keeping It Intact. You’ve mapped out a solid plan. You’ve developed a great concept. You’ve created outstanding visuals. You’re brave new  ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3949/Method-Controls-The-Madness.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3949/Method-Controls-The-Madness.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Email Content – Text vs. HTML       </strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Building your mailing list of hungry prospects can be 
one of the best investments you will ever make, as it 
is time and effort worth spending on.

Once you begin building your list, you will begin making sales 
if they are responsive and that will begin to earn you money on 
a weekly basis. Now, you may be wondering how you are supposed to 
get these responsive people

This is every email marketer’s dilemma. More so, due to the 
fact that there is no clear majority of people preferring 
one format over the other. Some people will always prefer 
text to graphics, and some email readers only support basic 
text. A prominent Internet marketing website recently carried 
out a survey asking not only which format was preferred but 
why one format was preferred over another. Over 600 people, 
mostly marketers and small business operators, responded.55% 
favored HTML and 45% preferred text. Given that well over 
90% of email readers can view HTML, it is surprising that 
almost half the people would prefer to receive text. To 
investigate this point further, the survey gave those who 
chose text a list of possible reasons to explain why. On 
average, people listed about two and a half reasons each. 
They said:

- Can't read HTML 6%
- Just want the meat without the distractions 32%
- Like to read offline 15%
- Ads are more intrusive in HTML 22%
- Slow to download 14%
- Other 11%

The most popular reason for choosing plain text over HTML 
was an interesting one. People were clearly expressing a 
desire for email layouts that focused on the message, and 
they often saw HTML emails as containing elements that 
distract from the content — the content being the reason 
they signed up for the email in the first place. 11% of 
the people who selected “Other” as their reason gave their 
own reasons as:

- Text takes up less storage space 28%
- Security — fear of viruses 22%
- Easier/faster to read/scan 13%
- Text is easier to re ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3948/Email-Content--Text-vs-HTML.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3948/Email-Content--Text-vs-HTML.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>8 Tips for Building Your Email Lists      </strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[A popular Internet battle cry states that “the money is in your
list”. It’s true that you can make a lot of money by building a 
list of opt-in subscribers.

 Establishing trust with those subscribers and sending those 
subscribers special offers promoting your products.
But you must do it correctly. Here’s a few tips that will help you
get the most bang for your buck out of your list-building activities:

1.Collect Only Relevant Information

While requesting a visitor to sign up, collect information that is
relevant to your business. A recent study lamented that most of the
corporate probing was unnecessary, given that most companies never
act on the information they extract from their customers. It is crucial
that you know exactly what you intend to do with the information
you’re going to collect. Moreover, you should also be able to prove to
your visitors that information you would be collecting from them is
actually vital for your business.

2.Don’t Make Your Customers Repeat Information

Most customers don’t mind telling their banks the ages of their
children if they think the bank will use the information to help them
sort through the myriad of college savings plans or make them aware
of estate planning issues. But nothing irritates customers more than
having to repeat the same information to each channel as if it’s the
first time they've ever heard the information. This is especially true 
in the case of email lists on websites.

3.Focus Your List

We’ve discussed the importance of focusing or targeting
customers earlier as well. Current customers are the most important
email addresses to collect, much more so than prospects. They’ll be
more receptive to your communications and likely to respond, since
they’re familiar with your company and its products. Don’t waste your
time running campaigns that attract a high number of visitors who
have no interest in your products or services.

4.Special Off ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3947/8-Tips-for-Building-Your-Email-Lists.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3947/8-Tips-for-Building-Your-Email-Lists.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Major Brochure Sizes</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Did you know that you can adjust the size of your brochure printing process? Many people who print brochures are now resorting to different custom brochure sizes to make their brochures appear different and more distinct. In fact each distinct size range of brochures can be aimed for specific kinds of roles. Here are four of the major different brochure sizes.

Large scale brochures: First, we have the big large scale brochures. These kinds of brochures can measure up to 12 by 12 inches or even more if it is custom made. Typically, this kind of sheer size is used by businesses or projects that need to display a large sized and amounts of information. For example, it can be something like a brochure map of a compound or a theme park. Also it can be something that is made for a big advertising campaign that needs large scale impact. People can get the brochure in the mail and be amazed at the largeness of the brochures when unfolded. So basically if you need to add in a large type of content for a brochure, or you need a big impact large sized brochures are the best thing to use.

Standard rack brochures: A lower notch from large scale brochures is your standard rack brochures. This is your standard brochure size. Standard brochures can measure up to 8.5 by 11 inches (letter sized) when fully unfolded to anything a few inches above or below this kind of dimension. These are of course the normal brochures that we see in racks, counters and other common or public places. It can be adapted for many kinds of uses like product catalog brochures, service pamphlets, information brochures, training manuals, tutorials and form brochures. They can even be used for public relations as a way to communicate a company’s corporate philosophy. So for your usual business and project brochures, standard brochure sizes are the way to go.

Small mini-mobile brochures: Below standard brochures are the smaller mobile brochures. This can measure somewhere around 4 by 6 inches or eve ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3946/Major-Brochure-Sizes.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3946/Major-Brochure-Sizes.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Renting or Buying Lists      </strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Once you begin building your list, you will begin making sales 
if they are responsive and that will begin to earn you money on 
a weekly basis. Now, you may be wondering how you are supposed to 
get these responsive people


Many marketers peg acquisition-based email response rates at
historically low levels, primarily due to the high volume of messages in
everyone's inboxes these days. Some believe that allocating any
percentage of a marketing budget to acquisition-based email is waste.
However, this is not true. Although the true response rates for
acquisition are typically lower than those for retention-based email,
renting lists to win over prospects and grow a customer base can work
wonders, if you do your homework.

Here are some guidelines that can help in buying or renting lists
for achieving high ROI.

 - With email, just like direct mail, how precisely the list is
targeted to the marketer’s offer is critical to the success of
the email campaign. The marketer will need to test a variety
of email lists in order to find the most responsive names for
their offer. Recency, Frequency, and Monetary Value are
important within email lists. Thus, where applicable, focus
on lists of recent online buyers or registered users.

 - More importantly, when researching email lists, focus on the
origin of the list to ensure compatibility with your offer.
Make sure you obtain names from branded, well-recognized
sites or sources. Since an outbound email announces to the
recipient, in the form of a header, exactly where they gave
permission, a well-recognized source would lend more
credibility to the message.

A frequency cap can ensure lists aren't over mailed. If a list
manager can't provide the details on mailing frequency, look
elsewhere. That organization probably lacks the control, technical
expertise, and reporting basics. Also ask about recency selections.
Newer names offer access to new subscribers.

Frequent uploads of new na ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3943/Renting-or-Buying-Lists.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3943/Renting-or-Buying-Lists.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Stocks For Poster Printing: The Paper Master's Guide</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[In poster printing, the paper stock is an important thing to decide on. It determines the durability, cost and impact of all prints, small or large posters alike. However, for most people, it might be a bit confusing as to what kind of paper you really need for specific types of kinds of poster printing. In this guide we will share with you a few secrets in choosing the right kind of paper for the right kind of poster.

Mass production posters: If you need to print posters “en masse” the name of the game is “cheap.” You want the cheapest but still workable poster paper so that you can print the maximum amount that you can. In this situation your best option is to use uncoated standard paper with a thickness indicated as 20#. This is the cheapest and still decently workable paper stock for mass production posters. They are very cheap to print on and you should have an easy time working with them and posting them. Do not expect them to last long however since without special coatings and finishes, these kinds of posters will fall pray to a lot of environmental effects easily. So place them in protected places if you can to increase their longevity.

Special Promotions: For more high class promotions, it is best to go all out with your paper and find the best stocks. High gloss paper is the best job for this situation. These high gloss stocks usually have special coatings that make them sheen as you look at them. This also has an added effect of being dirt and smudge resistant, and sometimes it can even be resistant to scratches and other simple physical damage. With these special paper stocks, you can lock in your elegant design in a good medium and it will take a harder time for weather effects to damage and fade the design itself. Of course make no mistake, these kinds of paper stocks can be much more expensive than the normal kind.

Large Posters: Now, for large posters, durability is the name of the game. Large posters are harder to set up, and they  ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3940/Stocks-For-Poster-Printing-The-Paper-Masters-Guide.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3940/Stocks-For-Poster-Printing-The-Paper-Masters-Guide.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Collecting Opt-In Email Addresses-Double Opt-in        </strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Once you begin building your list, you will begin making sales 
if they are responsive and that will begin to earn you money on 
a weekly basis. Now, you may be wondering how you are supposed to 
get these responsive people


Email is still the most popular and most used communication
medium on the Internet. It’s also an efficient way to distribute your
message to large numbers of people who have requested that
information. As a form of marketing, it generates high response rates
and gives you measurable results with instant feedback.

Just keep in mind, it is never acceptable to send commercial email
to people who haven’t requested to receive email from you. Bust that
rule, and there’s a good chance you’ll be out of business. That gives
you the challenge of building up a list of willing subscribers.

When you’re first starting out, there’s often a temptation to
simply purchase an opt-in email list. Lots of people sell them and you
can easily pick up a million or so addresses for just a few bucks. But
while that may appear to be a fast, easy way to build up customers,
the names on the list may not be up to date and they are not even
opt-in contacts at all. To say it bluntly, emailing people from a list like
that is called spamming.

Similarly, there are also programs that automatically crawl the
web, recording every email address they find. These will let you
quickly build up a huge list of email addresses. But, nobody will thank
you when you stuff their inboxes with marketing material. Forget
about them; they’re not worth the effort. It’s much safer, and much
more effective, to take the time to build your own real opt-in list.

Marketing by email can attract new customers, keep existing
ones, up-sell, cross-sell, and cut costs. E-merchant Wine.com, for
example, found email campaigns drove twice as many &amp;quot;best prospects&amp;quot;
to their site compared to banner ads or other Internet marketing
activities.

If exe ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3938/Collecting-OptIn-Email-AddressesDouble-Optin.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3938/Collecting-OptIn-Email-AddressesDouble-Optin.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Identifying Brochure Problems</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Are you having trouble with your color brochures? Did you spend all that time, money and effort in brochure printing only to discover that they are not giving you the results that you want? Well there are several key factors why brochure printing can fail. In this guide, we will share with you some tips on how to identify these possible problems and correct them.

Do an opinion survey: The first thing that you need to do to identify any problems with your brochures is to do a survey. Look for the people that you gave your brochures to, and ask them a few questions about their reactions to it. Also, try to find other groups of people to give your brochures to, and then ask them immediately afterwards of their opinion about it. If you gather data that is large enough, chances are good that you should see a growing trend where your brochures fail to impress your readers. This should be a key factor on how to improve your brochure designs on the next printing run.

Re-analyze your target readers: Next, you may want to study once again your target readers or target market for your brochures. You may discover suddenly that your target market is inappropriate for your brochure, or that your brochure content is not ideal for your particular target market. This can be a common mistake for brochure printing, since some people just assume immediately what their target readers like while actually not researching what those are. So try to reanalyze your target reader’s wants and needs by looking at market research data about them.

Revise distribution techniques: You may want to check your distribution technique as well if it is indeed effective. Did you just hand out your brochures to people on the street? Did you mail them to several addresses in a mailing list? Or maybe you just left them behind in public places. Try to review these techniques if they are indeed effective and people are picking them up and reading. If you look closely enough you should identify key pr ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3937/Identifying-Brochure-Problems.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3937/Identifying-Brochure-Problems.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Proper Catalog Protection</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[If you want your catalogs to last in the hands of your potential customers, you have to choose the proper catalog printing choices early on in your project. There are a lot of factors involved in protecting printed catalogs to make them last longer. This can be things like using resistant coatings and other materials that increases the durability and strength of the catalogs material. If you are concerned with proper protection for your own catalog printing plans, there are a few ways that you can do to achieve this goal.

Resistant coatings: The most commonly used way to protect your catalogs is to use paper stocks that have been coated with special substances or “coats”. These coats can offer several interesting properties that help the paper resist certain types of substances and sources of damage. For example, Aqueous coating techniques in printing gives catalog paper the ability to resist dirt, smudges, fingerprints and scratches. Other high gloss versions also give that professional sheen effect making the catalogs more aesthetically pleasing. UV protection coating can also be sometimes used protecting the paper and the inks from harsh light and other environmental effects that can make inks fade and deteriorate faster. Most of these coating options can readily be used by most printing companies, so there should be no trouble in availing this kind of service when creating your catalogs.

Covering in plastic: A cheaper alternative, though perhaps more labor intensive is to wrap your catalogs in some plastic covers. Plastic covers like the coatings above protect your catalogs from damage. In fact using plastic covers can make your catalogs totally immune to water and dirt effects. However, it can also be made more vulnerable to scratches this way. You can wrap your own catalogs with your own plastic covers if you want, but some printing services can also offer this feature if possible. If you have a limited budget, this is probably the cheapest way to pr ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3936/Proper-Catalog-Protection.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3936/Proper-Catalog-Protection.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Add Characters To Your Posters</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Here is a great tip for poster printing: create a character! Characters in posters add interest. They add value and recognition to your campaign.

Take the example of the poster of Uncle Sam with the words: &amp;quot;The Army wants YOU!' It shows the popular image of Uncle Sam with a stern look and pointing a finger. The image alone says a lot about what the poster wants to do. You have guessed that right. It is a recruitment poster for the US Army. The message and the character combined make a strong case. Now picture this campaign ad without the picture of Uncle Sam. Would you still get the same effect?

Characters, be it an actor playing a role or a cartoon character, adds a new dimension to any poster printing. They add depth, as in the case of the US Army ad campaign, or humor as in the Simpsons advertising Duff beer. Whatever the role is in the poster, these characters make any advertising campaign more appealing.

If you do not want to use actors, cartoon characters or famous personalities, you can try your hand in creating a brand character. If you do not get the picture, just look at Ronald McDonald and his friends and you will get the idea. Brand characters represent the characteristics or the personality of the brand. Brand characters help in brand recognition. They are particularly advantageous if you are engaged in a business involving kids.

Some of the world’s best advertising campaigns have been built on brand characters. These characters are so ubiquitous that consumers will never fail to associate them with your brand of service or product. More importantly, these brand characters do not get involved with fights or accidents that are potentially damaging to reputations. This is the risk you have to face when you get the services of famous personalities. Along with your star’s damaged reputation is your products damaged image. This is another good reason why brand characters are better than real life endorsers.

Like a good movie or book,  ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3931/Add-Characters-To-Your-Posters.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3931/Add-Characters-To-Your-Posters.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Mailing List for Affiliate Marketers-How To Grab Your Readers Attention </strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Building your mailing list of hungry prospects can be 
one of the best investments you will ever make, as it 
is time and effort worth spending on.

If you are an affiliate marketer who wants to make a 
comfortable living from referring your prospects to other 
people’s product or service for decent commissions, 
then you must consider building your own mailing list.

Granted, that most affiliates, as in more than 90 percent 
of them, are not making money from affiliate programs, 
but this often results from the same amount of effort 
focused on least effective methods.

While having your own mailing list is, by a long mile, 
not the only effective affiliate marketing method, you 
can make affiliate sales very quickly even in the next 
few hours after sending a sales message, provided that 
your mailing list is huge and responsive.

This is often true, because owning your own mailing list 
for you to endorse products and services to is one of 
the fastest-producing results, beating other affiliate 
marketing methods imaginable.

In a nutshell, the affiliate marketer who gets ahead of 
the pack is the one who owns a huge and responsive mailing 
list of prospects.

The race for supremacy in the internet based businesses 
has been really heating up and many sites have been put 
up to help others to get ahead for a small fee. But there 
are also ways in which you don’t have to pay so much to 
make yourself a good list of loyal followers. Having a 
satisfied web traffic and visitors allows you to put up 
a foundation wherein you can build an opt-in list and 
make it grow from there. An opt-in list allows you to 
provide newsletters to your subscribers with their consent. 
When people sign up, they know that they will be receiving 
updates and news from your site and the industry your 
represent via an e-mail.

But that doesn’t mean that all of those who subscribe 
read them at all.  Many lists have been built due to an 
a ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3930/Mailing-List-for-Affiliate-MarketersHow-To-Grab-Your-Readers-Attention.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3930/Mailing-List-for-Affiliate-MarketersHow-To-Grab-Your-Readers-Attention.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Why It's Important to Trust Your Search Engine Marketing Company Today</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[It's a fact of life in business that when there's an economic downturn, the first thing that's usually cut is available marketing spend, typically an unfortunate byproduct of accounting's inability to justify costs without hard data in place. While the argument has been made numerous times over the years in books and articles that cutting budgets in a down economy is one of the worst moves you can make, I won't rehash this old (but still valid) argument. Instead, I'd specifically like to address why cutting your search engine marketing budget in a down economy is a bad move, and why it's equally important to place your trust in your search engine marketing company during a down turn.

It's probably true for most businesses that there are fewer people actively searching for their products and services due to the economic climate. Companies reasonably approach this situation thinking, &amp;quot;Why should we pay the same amount in marketing that we've traditionally been paying when our current target market has shrunk?&amp;quot; This is a rational concern, but it doesn't always lead to rational decisions - and it's at this point when it becomes appropriate to break down the differences between push and pull marketing.

&amp;quot;Pushing&amp;quot; Your Message Out: The Traditional Method

With push marketing (by modern definition), you are essentially &amp;quot;pushing&amp;quot; your message out to various venues, such as billboards, magazine ads, direct mail, and radio and TV spots, trying to target your ideal customer. You're spending money to reach mass audiences in the hopes that some percentage of them are looking for your products or services at just the time your message reaches them. Of course, if sales in your particular market have dropped by, say, 25%, you can expect that your push marketing results will probably correlate to the industry decline.

&amp;quot;Pulling&amp;quot; Your Market In: The Value of Search Engine Marketing

Enter the modern definition of pull marketing, such ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3929/Why-Its-Important-to-Trust-Your-Search-Engine-Marketing-Company-Today.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3929/Why-Its-Important-to-Trust-Your-Search-Engine-Marketing-Company-Today.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>A Popular Auto Responder Marketing Technique-Auto Responder Improvements</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[
Marketing through auto responder series is a popular 
strategy to increase repeat website visits and sales. 
Here is a popular strategy.  

EZINE EBOOK 

Instead of trying to publish a small daily or 
weekly eZines, try publishing one large monthly 
eZine (similar to a monthly magazine) as an e-book 
format delivered via auto responder, preferably an 
Adobe .pdf file. You could have it made up of a large 
number of articles per issue and insert regularly 
featured areas throughout like inspirational quotes, 
industry tips, favorite sites and advice from the pros. 
You could also insert full-color graphics, multimedia 
components like audio / video file links and ads. Then 
you can charge a monthly rate, with an annual 
discounted package purchase, and sell advertising 
spots to sprinkle in your auto responder announcements 
for each issue and with an informational series to 
announce your monthly eZine to new prospects. 

In summary, by using customized marketing techniques 
like an eZine eBook, tailored to fit your own products 
and services, you can reach out and increase your 
website traffic and sales opportunities. Internet 
marketing can mean more ways to grow your business.

Improve your marketing and sales with some auto 
responder Improvements. Try some of these:

1. Publish free reports to send via your auto responder. 
The reports should be related to your business or 
web site &amp;amp; contain info, ads and links to your sites. 
People love getting freebies.

2. Collect vital customer satisfaction information by 
publishing a survey to send via auto responder to those 
who sign up on your site in exchange for a free eBook, 
software or trial period at your membership site.  
This type of information will help you understand 
their needs, likes &amp;amp; dislikes better.

3. Instead of answering each customer question that 
is e-mailed to you, publish &amp;quot;Frequently Ask Questions&amp;quot; 
and make them available via ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3920/A-Popular-Auto-Responder-Marketing-TechniqueAuto-Responder-Improvements.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3920/A-Popular-Auto-Responder-Marketing-TechniqueAuto-Responder-Improvements.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>How To Choose Your Printing Provider</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Promotional collaterals such as your print business cards are very important tools to have in any business. Remember that in your place, your business cards printing for one represents you to your target clients. Your print collaterals tell your target audience of whom you are and what you can do for them.

Hence, there is a constant need for any business to establish relationships with their clients through the help of collaterals. And for you to have one that is appropriate for your business, especially when it comes to business cards printing, there is an abundance of suppliers and providers found online and off. Any of these suppliers can give you good quotes and quality results if you choose the most appropriate partner for you.

To help you select your supplier, here are some of the things you should look for:

1. Look for someone who can provide you with customized services. A provider that knows how to design a custom format and layout can help you convey a unique and distinct message that can make you stand out. An expert can provide you with collaterals that can reflect your unique selling proposition (USP) so you can present a unique offer to your target audience. Not only will it improve your product awareness, unique collateral in your business cards printing can improve your brand and identity.

2. Choose a provider that can help you come up with premium quality tools in your print business cards. Do not just choose someone who can do a good job; rather, choose someone who can provide you with excellent results that can attract the attention of your target market. And you can only do that if you have unique collateral that conveys your offer in quality materials that do not disintegrate from handling. If you want your print business cards to change hands, then you better make your collaterals durable.

3. Select a provider that can give you a wider range of services. If they are really experts in what they do, your provider should be able to  ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3919/How-To-Choose-Your-Printing-Provider.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3919/How-To-Choose-Your-Printing-Provider.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Marketing Techniques-Auto Responder Improvements</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[The Internet offers many means of affordable marketing with 
auto responders. Here are a couple of popular ways of using them.

DIRECTORY 

Some webmasters set up link or article directories on their 
sites. They create a directory on a specific industry topic, 
placing their own ad or banner along the top. Then they invite 
others to add their website links via a link exchange program, 
listing themselves in your directory. Or they invite articles 
to be submitted that include a resource box at the bottom of 
each with a link to the author’s website. This results on 
increased traffic as sites link up across the World Wide Web. 
Enter “link exchange software” or “article directory software” 
into a favorite search engine for help with each. 

TEACH A COURSE 

Some marketers write up a simple step-by-step instructional 
class in their area of expertise. Then they break it up into 
smaller portions or messages and set them up in an auto 
responder as email messages, including short ads within each 
message to invite sales &amp;amp; website visits. Then they invite 
website visitors to sign up through on online form or email 
subscription address offered through the auto responder 
service. As people sign up, they will learn more about the 
products and services through the teaching series.

Stuck in an auto responder rut with only your eZine going 
out regularly? Get out of the rut with some of these ideas 
for improvements.

1. Provide back issues of your eZine archives via your auto 
responder instead of hosting all your archives online. 
This will give your subscribers and web site visitors easy 
access to them and offers a chance to include graphics, 
audio and video and other components all rolled up in .pdf 
files for quick, easy download.

2. Help with tech issues and publish your entire web site, 
save it in a pdf file, and load it into an auto responder. 
Sometimes visitors don't have enough time read your entir ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3918/Marketing-TechniquesAuto-Responder-Improvements.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3918/Marketing-TechniquesAuto-Responder-Improvements.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Marketing For An Effective Business</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Marketing is not as easy as you think. Even when you have been doing it for like a million times, you know for a fact that every marketing campaign is like starting at the very beginning. That is why you always need to have fresh and new ideas every time. You know very well that some bold and daring moves can change the future of your business. And one false campaign can be your downfall.

Regardless of the competition and the economy, every business owner and marketer know that an effective marketing campaign can help reinvent any business. So here are some ideas for you to tinker on to make your marketing collaterals such as your brochure printing more effective to your target clients.

1. Beef up your database. 
The only way you can reach out to as many people in your target market is to beef up on your client database. This means getting as much information as you can about your target clients. One practical way to do this is to co-promote with another business that complement yours. With three or more of you working together, you can help each other expand your business reach.

2. Find out why target clients are not purchasing. 
If you will know what your target clients are looking for, it can go a long way in getting you the edge you need over your competition. When you do find the answer, provide a solution to the problem, invest on it, and give your target clients what they want no matter how and what you do to get it.

3. Go out of your box. 
If you are comfortable with print advertising such as flyers or print brochures, maybe it is time for you to go out of your comfort zone and try out something new. Do not be afraid to experiment with other marketing campaigns. If you can complement your brochure printing with another media channel such as online marketing, then you can increase your convincing power to sell.

4. Be visible. 
Create a ruckus that would make people talk about you. If you think you have been invisible from your brochure prin ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3917/Marketing-For-An-Effective-Business.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3917/Marketing-For-An-Effective-Business.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Staying open to love and support from others</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Many people often fall into the trap of looking for someone to love rather than realizing that as individuals we should first become worthy of being loved. The only way of staying safe is by learning to love ourselves.

Yes, it is tough to actually love one’s self because there is always room for improvement; but that the whole point of being human! The challenge in learning to love is to love ourselves, good and bad. By loving yourself, you can easily open yourself and be ready to love others. This applies to all relationships.

Often people, especially couples, tend to actually put the cart before the horse. Have you often heard yourself saying that you will start to love yourself and take care of yourself and enjoy your life when you find the right person to love you? Or maybe you always tell yourself that you want to be with someone who has a lot of self-confidence, is good looking, smart and of course fun to be around with. Doesn’t this picture look realistic but far from perfect?

Many people have long lists of characteristics which they want to see in their “to-be-better-half.” However, many fail to realize that they are missing all the characteristics which they should have to pair up with such “dream spouses.” If you want someone to be kind, generous, fit and loving, it has to start from you: you have to be kind, generous, fit and loving too! Do not try to change your expectations, instead change yourself. 

Tell yourself all the wonderful things that you want in a good relationship with your parents, kids or even spouse. Mentally put a “tick” next to all the things that you are reciprocating already. Do you want someone who is loving; how loving are you? Do you want someone who is fun; how fun are you? Start working on all those areas where you are falling behind. Change does not happen overnight.

Remember that a journey of a thousand miles begins with one step; make that one step now by learning to love.

Founded in 1997, Bizy ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3915/Staying-open-to-love-and-support-from-others.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3915/Staying-open-to-love-and-support-from-others.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Effective Marketing With Efficient Communication</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[You know how you can create a more effective marketing collateral out of your usual ordinary poster printing? With effective communication, that is how. If you can have challenging as well as compelling messages in your posters printing, more than likely that you will have more leads to your business than you can ever imagine.

Marketing communications is commonly used in direct marketing, public relations, advertising, and even online promotions. The purpose of this method is to effectively influence your target clients to make a decision that would eventually lead to the purchase of your products and services.

Effective marketing communications mean the creation of messages that communicate with your target market. What is great about it is that the process allows you to be more clear and precise with your message because you focus on a particular target market for your business. Let us say your target market are the kids, then your poster printing for example should have brilliant and cheerful design that conveys a bright message that your clients would be attracted to.

So how can you market more effectively with your messages?

1. Communicate with the benefits. What is the benefit to them? What would it mean to your clients and prospects if they read and see your offer in your posters printing for example? Rather than advertise with the features of your products and services, make your marketing communications benefit-driven. Create interest with your target clients by giving them what they want – the benefits. How exactly can you help them? What can they gain from your poster printing? Give them what they want and they will reciprocate with what you need to increase your sales.

2. Keep it short and simple. The KISS is the most basic principle in marketing. Your marketing communications will benefit greatly if you apply this formula. Always remember that the bottom line to any communication is to make it easy for your target audience to understand ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3914/Effective-Marketing-With-Efficient-Communication.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3914/Effective-Marketing-With-Efficient-Communication.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>A Case for Face to Face Marketing</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[A Case for Face-to-face Marketing

The most important single ingredient

in the formula of success is knowing

how to get along with people”

                                                                        —Theodore Roosevelt

      Think back to the people you feel comfortable with. It could be your spouse, other members of your family, colleagues, business associates, customers, and even the mail carrier. What is it about these people that make you feel comfortable?  Where does this comfort come from?

      It may have been a common experience you had with a particular person—a movie you both appreciated, mutual friends and acquaintances, or a similar outlook on life. If you have the same experience with the people you do business with, the results can be the same. The people we like to do business with are people we like, respect, and trust – people we feel comfortable with. But where does this comfort come from?

      In the 1960s, psychologist Albert Mehrabrian conducted a groundbreaking experiment. He found that people judge other people based on three observable clues: words, the para-verbal, and the nonverbal. 

Words

Think about someone you met for the first time. You may have thought to your self, “What an interesting person. I really liked the way he or she answered that question. That is exactly what I would have said.” Or you may have thought, “This person is a real jerk. I never would have said that.” Either reaction would have been based on what the person said—the words—but words are only one part of the equation. 

Para-verbal

Para-verbal is not what you say but how you say it. It is the tone, pace, tempo, speed, or volume of your voice. We all listen to people and create impressions of them based on how they use their voices. This is the second part of the equation. But there is one more element.

Nonverbal

Yes, we do judge a book by its cover. We are all guilty of judging people by how the ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3911/A-Case-for-Face-to-Face-Marketing.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3911/A-Case-for-Face-to-Face-Marketing.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Marketing Optics can Cloak Reality</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Marketing optics can cloak reality
By
Barry Siskind

When I was young my parents told me to study hard, I would sit at my desk with a pile of books on one side, an open workbook book in front of me. When my parents would peak into my room they would say ”It’s nice to see you so busy.” That’s optics. 

Making decisions based on optics alone can catch up with you sooner or later resulting in bad grades, foiled campaigns and lost opportunities.

One of the concerns that many marketers face in these troubled times is a reduction in marketing budgets. The knee jerk reaction is to chop the number of   shows and events. Other marketers are reluctant to reduce their face-to-face marketing exposure, continue their program, albeit with a reduced budget, for fear of creating a negative impression on potential buyers.  

During the past few years there has been much talk about the value of face-to-face marketing. Industry experts, including myself, have detailed the process that will help exhibitors calculate a return on investment and return on objectives. Yet, surprisingly few have adopted this basic business tenant and integrated the practice into their exhibit plans.  Some opt out when they learn that their efforts have not been as good as they would have imagined, other stay because they are led by the mistaken idea that the calculation of results are only for those who sell products. 

If more marketers would take the time to calculate their results, they would have the crucial answer on their return of their exhibiting investment. But the issue of optics involves one more criteria. You also have to look at the cost of not exhibiting. This may seem a more difficult number to calculate, but there is enough industry data around to help. For example the CEIR recently (Spring 2009) found that the cost of obtaining a high value lead at an exhibit was about half the cost of obtaining a similar lead without a trade show. The cost of an initial visit with a hi ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3910/Marketing-Optics-can-Cloak-Reality.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3910/Marketing-Optics-can-Cloak-Reality.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Build your list- 4 + 3 crucial things to avoid when emailing your list  </strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Online marketing may have developed a sudden surge 
these past few years, but many in the know how have 
felt its rise even from way then. As more 
internet based businesses are put up, the need to 
develop new marketing skills and knowledge based on 
this new medium have arisen. More and more marketing 
strategies are being discovered and developed to cope 
with the changing face of business the business world. 

The demand for online marketing tips and strategies have 
drastically grown and a new form of business has been born, 
internet marketing strategies. While there are companies that 
are all too eager to help your site and business build a 
clientele for a fee, there also many ways that can spread 
the word about your sites subsistence in a more cost free 
way. One of this is Opt-in email marketing, also known 
as permission marketing. 

From your list, you will get your targeted customer, this 
is a good list since they already have shown interest in what 
you have to show and sell since they have willingly signed in for your 
list. These are the people who have liked what they have seen 
in your site and have decided they want to see more and maybe 
even purchase what ever product or service your company and 
site has to offer.


Many people would think that building their lists would take 
hard work and a lot of time to build and collect names and addresses. 
This is not so, it takes a bit of patience and some strategies but 
in doing this list, you open your site and your business to a whole 
new world of target market. Take the effort to take your business 
to a new level, if traffic increase and good profits are what you want, 
an opt-in list will do wonders for your business venture.

There are many sources and articles in the internet available for 
everyone to read and follow in building a list. Sometimes they may be 
confusing because there are so many and there different ways. Different 
groups of people woul ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3909/Build-your-list-4--3-crucial-things-to-avoid-when-emailing-your-list.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3909/Build-your-list-4--3-crucial-things-to-avoid-when-emailing-your-list.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Super Size Your Door Hangers</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Are you looking for a new and fresh idea for your door hangers? Well look no further. One simple but very powerful idea for door hanger printing is to super size them. Yes! The great American tradition of super sizing can also apply to promotional materials like door hangers. Super sizing offers distinct advantages that improve the efficiency, look and impact of your door hangers.

The “Wow Big!” impact – The initial advantage of super sized door hangers is that “Wow Big!” impact. If you can imagine seeing a 14-inch long door hanger in your door you should understand this. Large things demand attention, whether the message is good or bad, small or long people, will always notice the large door hanger by itself. This is pretty important since this makes the experience of the large door hanger very memorable. 

People will always remember that night they got home and saw that big door hanger promotion at their entrance. This makes the door hanger a very effective medium with almost a 100% success rate in people noticing the advertising message.

Immediate message delivery – Of course besides the impact, large super sized door hangers offer you immediate message delivery. Since your large door hangers are very noticeable, almost everyone who discovers it will wonder what is the “big” deal anyway in hanging on in their door. No one will mistake it for junk mail or a prank. With the enormity of it, and the probable cost it entails to print such a work, everyone will really want to see what the message is. This means that besides a 100% positive impact, door hangers also have an almost 100% chance of delivering its message to the people that you want. This makes large door hangers a very efficient and useful material in promotions.

Return of investment – Lastly, you door hangers should be able to pay for themselves even though they cost more. It is true that larger door hangers will cost you a lot more than your usual normal sized door hangers.  ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3908/Super-Size-Your-Door-Hangers.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3908/Super-Size-Your-Door-Hangers.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>How To Get Your Subscribers.7 Ways To Make Money Using Nothing More Than Your List </strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[

An opt-in list can be quite crucial to any site or internet 
based company. Even for a small venture such as a niche profit 
site an opt-in list can make a world of difference and also 
add some extra income for your pocket. 


Just as an experiment, a friend of mine subscribe to ten 
different opt-in e-mail marketing lists to see which ones 
are effective. Many websites and online businesses have resorted 
to sending promotional materials to people who have subscribed 
to them in an effort to boost their sales or traffic. Opt-in 
email marketing sends newsletters, catalogs updates and many 
more promotional materials to website visitors who have agreed 
to be updated whether monthly, weekly or semiannually. 

Through e-mail, an internet user that is on the list will 
receive their updates through email. If a promotional material 
piques their interest they will go to the site to learn more 
or to purchase outright. For the website operators or owners, 
this is a chance to remind their list of their existence and 
parlor their wares.  With the numerous sites in the internet 
that offers the same products or services in one way or the 
other, the competition can get pretty tight and it is easy 
to be forgotten. 

Back to my experimenting friend, he tried to find out which 
opt-in marketing strategies grabbed a person into begging 
for more. Some would send in very simple fashion, some would 
very outlandish while there are some that would just lie in 
between. The differences could easily be noticed and some 
have gotten the idea of an effective opt-in marketing strategy. 
He dubbed them effective because he felt like he just 
couldn’t wait to go their site and learn more, the more 
persuasive ones even got him halfway to reaching for his wallet 
and to his credit card before he realized this was only 
for an experiment. 

Many companies and site present their promotional materials 
in a wide variety of concepts. Each has t ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3906/How-To-Get-Your-Subscribers7-Ways-To-Make-Money-Using-Nothing-More-Than-Your-List.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3906/How-To-Get-Your-Subscribers7-Ways-To-Make-Money-Using-Nothing-More-Than-Your-List.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Using Free Reports and Landing Page to Build Your List  </strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[
One of the few success factors in list building is 
using free reports and landing page.

Aside from pre-selling your products and affiliated 
offers, the other purpose of your free viral report 
should be to build your mailing list.

This is because if you are unable to pre-sell, 
let alone sell, the products and services featured 
in your free report, the last ditch effort should 
be to collect leads. In short, if you cannot convert 
the reader into a ready buyer, you should then 
attempt to convert him or her into your subscriber.

In that manner, you can still follow up with your 
reader on future offers and have a chance at 
converting him or her into your customer, preferably 
lifetime.

You can do so by offering a lifetime update to your 
report or a unique notification list your reader will 
be interested in subscribing to, which leads to having 
him or her subscribed to your mailing list.

One of the few success factors in viral marketing 
of your free report is quality. If your readers find 
your information worth sharing, and you encourage 
them to do so by giving them the right to give your 
report away for free, you will be able to have your 
name, status and links within the report passed 
around without any effort on your part – simply 
because others are willing to do so for you!

Also known as the “name squeeze page” or “lead capture page”, 
you can build your mailing list by funneling all 
of your would-be subscribers through the creation of 
a landing page. Not only do you do the work just once, 
your traffic driving efforts can be focused onto just 
one effective method.

The following are tips in creating a successful 
landing page that converts visitors into subscribers 
on a very huge percentage.

Success Tip 1: Offer a freebie in exchange for your 
visitor’s email address. I very much endorse this method 
of building your mailing list. You can offer a special 
report or a sample of  ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3904/Using-Free-Reports-and-Landing-Page-to-Build-Your-List.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3904/Using-Free-Reports-and-Landing-Page-to-Build-Your-List.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Mailing List for Affiliate Marketers– Product or Mailing List?</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[
If you are an affiliate marketer who wants to make 
a comfortable living from referring your prospects to 
other people’s product or service for decent commissions, 
then you must consider building your own mailing list.

Building your mailing list of hungry prospects can 
be one of the best investments you will ever make, 
as it is time and effort worth spending on. When you 
strike on a Joint Venture and have a new product or 
service to endorse, you can look no further than your 
own mailing list.

Granted, that most affiliates, as in more than 90 
percent of them, are not making money from affiliate 
programs, but this often results from the same amount 
of effort focused on least effective methods.

While having your own mailing list is, by a long mile, 
not the only effective affiliate marketing method, you 
can make affiliate sales very quickly even in the next 
few hours after sending a sales message, provided that 
your mailing list is huge and responsive.

This is often true, because owning your own mailing 
list for you to endorse products and services to is 
one of the fastest-producing results, beating other 
affiliate marketing methods imaginable.

In a nutshell, the affiliate marketer who gets ahead 
of the pack is the one who owns a huge and responsive 
mailing list of prospects.

If you would ask this question, “Which one is more 
important – the mailing list or the product?” any 
savvy marketer would answer you, “The mailing list”.

Principally, any wise business person puts the importance 
of hungry demand (and not just any demand) in front 
of the product. In other words, there is no product 
if there is no demand! And a mailing list represents 
the demand or your business if you would like to 
call it.

If you frequent the Joint Venture forums and membership 
sites of any kind, you will find that product and 
service owners need mailing list owners more than 
the other way round. This i ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3901/Mailing-List-for-Affiliate-Marketers-Product-or-Mailing-List.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3901/Mailing-List-for-Affiliate-Marketers-Product-or-Mailing-List.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Ezine - step-by-step how to start.</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[

Here is to find a step-by-step guide to getting your 
newsletter or ezine set-up.

 1 Create Your Free Report

You’re going to need a digital product of some form. 
It can be an eBook, which is the best by far, or it 
can be another type of free report. Either way, they need 
to be full of real, useful information. You don’t want to 
just send something to your people that is really vague and not
helpful. It’s all about providing them with a good, free 
gift that is helpful to them. This will keep them coming 
back for more. You will also be using this as something 
to get people to sign up on your list for, so it needs 
to be good. The more people you are getting to sign up, 
the more money you will be able to make.
  
A free report can either be sent as a Word document or 
a PDF document. These are two file types that most 
people are easily able to open. If you are giving away 
some sort of software trial, then it will be a program 
in an .exe format. 

Creating a free report is simple. All you have to do 
is begin typing. You will want an eBook to be laid out 
in a similar form as a traditional book. You will 
also want to have a cover page,preferably with a graphic.  

 2 Get an Autoresponder

An autoresponder is a program that sends out pre-written 
Email messages to your subscribers.You write out your 
ezine issues in advance and store them in your 
autoresponder system. You can then set them up to 
send out at certain time intervals.For example, you 
subscriber will receive the first email, which is 
normally a confirmation email that they signed up. 
The second and third emails are sent out by the system 
based on your schedule. You can also set the 
system up to do the following:

· Thank your subscribers
· Send out ezine issues
· Send out endorsement letters
· Send out free reports, etc.

Once the autoresponder is set-up it does all of the work 
for you around the clock.

 3 Create Your Sales  ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3900/Ezine--stepbystep-how-to-start.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3900/Ezine--stepbystep-how-to-start.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Steps To FAST Poster Printing Online</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Poster printing online is the fastest way of printing posters. It has superseded traditional poster printing as the partner of choice for most businesses with poster printing needs. This guide will show you how to use poster printing online and how to do it fast. There are four things that you need to know to do this.

F - Free yourself from the traditional process – First, you need to shed any kind of habits that you had with traditional printers. You do not need to go to their printing house, and you do not need to waste time talking, negotiating and scheduling your printing schedules. With online poster printing, you can set all your parameters in poster printing yourself and it will be done. You can dictate the arrival time of your posters, and you can even have them delivered to your home or office. Basically in online printing, everything revolves around the service for you as the customer. You do not have to dance around paperwork, transactions and consultations any more.

A - Acquire the proper text and images – Second, once you have your mind set, it is time to prepare. A good way to speed up the process of online poster printing is to acquire the proper text and images early on. As early as the conceptualization stage, try to find the key images that you want to use. Couple this with composing your poster content already, with tag lines, general information and contact numbers. Make sure that the images are in high resolution for the poster printing to work, and of course have the text screened for grammatical errors. Acquiring these things early on should let you quickly design your posters since all you have to do is enter your data unto the working design.

S - Setup up everything before sending – Thirdly, once you have all the information that you need with a poster design to boot, you have to setup everything in your design before sending it to the online poster printer. This allows you to minimize the possible problems that may arise when ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3898/Steps-To-FAST-Poster-Printing-Online.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3898/Steps-To-FAST-Poster-Printing-Online.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>How to finding targeted subscribers.</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[
After you have set up a list, you need to begin narrowing 
it down to targeted visitors.

It is best if you can get these targeted subscribers 
right off the bat, that way you don’t have a list of 
20,000 and only about 1,500 who are really interested. 
In order to do this you need to drive those targeted 
people to your sales page and talk them into signing up. 
There are several ways that you can attract your 
target market, including:
  
 1 Advertisement Swapping

This involves finding other ezines that are in your 
niche and then offer to swap advertising space with 
them. This is a win-win situation and its great if 
you already have some subscribers.

 2 Barter with Other Ezines

If you are just starting out and you don’t have any 
subscribers yet, then you can always barter for 
advertising space. Offer the other ezine owner a free 
product in exchange for advertisement space. You can also 
make them an affiliate and give them a commission on 
sales of your product in exchange for advertising space.

 3 Give Away Ventures

Here you will sign up for a Joint Venture account with a 
Give Away website. After registering, you upload a free gift, 
such as a free report or eBook, to the website and provide 
a description as well as how subscribers can receive the 
free gift.
   
With a Give Away venture a bunch of Internet marketers 
have free gifts available on the website. Each marketer 
also endorses the Give Away campaign to their subscribers.
These are usually free to join and can easily send you 
thousands of leads.

 4 Blogging

Blogs are great because the search engines absolutely 
love them! They index blogs constantly and this provides 
you with a great chance at getting a great spot on the 
search engines for a variety of keywords. They are also 
free through WordPress.com or Blogger.com. They allow you 
to set up a small website and keep it updated continuously. 
They are also great because you can s ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3897/How-to-finding-targeted-subscribers.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3897/How-to-finding-targeted-subscribers.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Cheap Magazine Printing Decisions</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Are you hunting for cheap magazine printing? Whether you want to make a catalog printing magazine for your products, or you want to feature your services in a company booklet or newsletter magazine, the budget is always an issue. Do not worry though. Budget problems for printing can be solved with the right decisions and information. Below are a few examples of these decisions and information for cheap magazine printing.

Choosing the correct printing type. First, you must choose the correct printing type. Magazines can actually be printed in different forms. They can be magazine catalogs, booklets, newsletters or of course a true magazine in the true magazine format. Each of these forms can be more appropriate than others depending on your content. For people with little content to work with in their magazines, newsletter magazines and booklet formats should do well. If you have lots of products to advertise then the catalog printing type should be fine. Of course if you really need the magazine format with pictures, feature articles and the like, then true magazine printing is the one you want. If you choose the right type you can avoid the extra cost of printing your magazine especially if you wrongly choose the wrong and bigger type.

Getting the best deals. Secondly, to make cheap magazine printing a possibility, you have to get the best deals in printing. This means looking for printing services that offer the best packages and wholesale printing quotations for printing magazines. The name of the game here is to search exhaustively. Look at the Internet, the yellow pages and even try to ask your colleagues and friends. By making your search exhaustive you will find the best deals with the cheapest possible rate.

Emphasizing the cover. Thirdly, you can make your magazine printing cost less by just emphasizing all the quality on the cover and then leaving the inner pages with simpler colors and paper stocks. Since magazines are usually about the cover, al ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3896/Cheap-Magazine-Printing-Decisions.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3896/Cheap-Magazine-Printing-Decisions.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Advertising Strategies That Still Work</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[The purpose of advertisements is to influence decision-making processes. Advertisements should be able to convince clients or customers to give a particular product or service a shot. That is essentially the core of advertising. So how then do you persuade people to change brands or try a new product?

There are many ways to advertise. Different media can be used to advertise a particular product or service. There is the TV, radio, newspapers, magazines, print posters, giveaways, inserts, etc. There are just so many ways to influence decisions. You just have to be creative and innovative to achieve desired outcomes.

Advertisements, however, entail costs. This is a fact that all business owners should contend with. Businesses have to invest in advertising campaigns to promote their products or services. They have to realize though, that these expenditures can actually be recovered. For instance, if a company invests $500 on poster printing, they should expect two to three times the return on their investments. If you do not achieve this result then something is probably wrong with your advertisement or your product itself.

It is easier to correct advertising flaws than to correct defects in products or services because it is easier to manipulate advertising strategies. You just have to sit down again and discuss with your marketing team the strengths and weaknesses of your print posters and design something with the lessons learned from the previous campaign.

Usually, advertisement strategies come in different styles. We all know that there is the informative kind. This style is straightforward, no nonsense, direct-to-the-point advertisement. The ultimate purpose of this style is to create awareness. This is usually used to introduce a new product or service or for technical products like medical equipment, precision tools, etc.

Persuasive advertising on the other hand, aims to create a following, a preference, if you like, This is the most difficult of ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3895/Advertising-Strategies-That-Still-Work.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3895/Advertising-Strategies-That-Still-Work.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Where your leads come from?</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[
When you are building a list it is all about quality and not quantity.

Once you begin building your list, you will begin making sales 
if they are responsive and that will begin to earn you money on 
a weekly basis. Now, you may be wondering how you are supposed to 
get these responsive people

Why Do You Need Leads?
You need leads to make money! You need people on your list to 
buy your products! Now,there are several different types of leads 
and we will explore those here.


1.Low Grade Leads
These are leads that you purchase through a company.

2.Good Leads
These are leads those that you can get through Free Ad Programs, 
Co-Opt Programs and Giveaway sites. These are better than those 
that you get from companies because they have signed up 
through your squeeze page.

3.The Best Leads
These leads are those that you receive through paid advertising 
websites. You can use sites such as Google AdWords or Overture 
to obtain these leads.


4.Landing Pages and Squeeze Pages
These are perhaps some of the most important pages you can 
have on your website. These are the pages that help to generate 
your good leads. This where you get the contact information of 
interested parties and add them to your autoresponder.

These are sales pages, so you have to sell yourself. This is very 
important and there are two different categories that these fall 
under.


5.Gift Pages
These are pages where you offer a gift to sign up on your newsletter 
or mailing list. You will provide some sort of free item.


6.The Benefits Page
With this type of sales page you will sell the benefits of being a 
subscriber to your newsletter.


One of the most important things to remember is that your list will be 
useless if the people on it are not responsive. At the same time, you 
are going to need to lure them into buying your products as well. 
You can do this through a variety of ways.

· Use advertisements on your newsletters and pro ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3893/Where-your-leads-come-from.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3893/Where-your-leads-come-from.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>5 Ways To Be Effective In Marketing</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[An effective strategy is one very important element that any business should not be without. An effective strategy is what any business needs to continuously improve its products and services. It has to be up there in the priority list if a business would ever want to be successful in its industry.

An effective and dynamic strategy is what you need for your business in order for it to succeed. Whether you are looking at hiring a poster printing company or doing your custom poster printing yourself, the bottom line is to have a marketing strategy that is continuously improving so as to keep up with the ever changing times.

Developing your strategy is no ordinary task. In fact, it is not easy at all. It takes time, energy and almost all your resources if you want to have an intense marketing strategy that produces high results. It is indeed complicated, yet not impossible. All it takes for any business – be it a small poster printing company or a Fortune 500 mogul, is to invest on effective strategies that are surefire winners in every way.

Here are five (5) of these strategies:

1. Continuously enhance and adapt your strategies to the current market conditions. As times change, so should your marketing campaigns such as your custom poster printing. It does not do you any good to rest on your laurels. What can be a success today may not be the same winners tomorrow. Hence, marketing is a continuous process that you need to update and provide your target clients with fresh new strategies every time.

There is such a thing as a product life cycle. There is the launching, growth, maturity and decline of any product or service. You need to consider this life cycle in order for you to have a marketing strategy that have more chances of succeeding. Knowing the life cycle of your product, you can provide a more effective campaign that can help you position yourself in your industry.

2. Consider strategies that differentiate you from your competition. If you ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3892/5-Ways-To-Be-Effective-In-Marketing.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3892/5-Ways-To-Be-Effective-In-Marketing.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>The Frustrated Air Conditioning Guy Who Birthed My Press Release Business</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[I was working for an organization in the D.C. area, performing PR back in 1997. Someone telephoned who currently wasn't a client of ours but who was hoping to enlist a PR concern. He had recently been honored with a country wide award in his business, heating and air conditioning. 

He was very stirred up. It symbolized a lot for his firm, and this was a leading accolade in his business. He was seeking a PR company to basically create and arrange a [URL=http://ereleases.com]press release[/URL] for him. 

As I spoke with him, it looked really plain that he wasn't matching our criteria for a good prospect. At that moment, we were looking for a customer who was glad to contract to a minimum of two quarters, actually preferring a full year or more. I think our minimum  booking was $35,000 at the time.

So I explained this and he was simply sort of downhearted. He said, &amp;quot;You know, I guess I've phoned every public relations company in the Yellow Pages, and no one will take my money. I have a real simple requirement. I want someone to make and develop a press announcement and then  to the media.&amp;quot;  

Back then, there weren't many choices. There was just one press release firm online, and it was only specializing in technology.  He still had the big firms like PR Newswire and Business Wire, but that was essentially it at the time. 

I stated to the caller that he could have better luck calling around and inquiring some small and medium sized concerns if they could recommend someone who was hunting for work in the public relations industry. 

I could feel he was truly disappointed because he had a demand and he knew my company was in the business of providing media release development and distributing press  releases, and it simply didn't make sense to him that we wouldn't take his money. 

He didn't see that for propsect recruitment, our company was outlaying probably $5,000 just in developing reports, research, brochures, and even more background mat ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3890/The-Frustrated-Air-Conditioning-Guy-Who-Birthed-My-Press-Release-Business.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3890/The-Frustrated-Air-Conditioning-Guy-Who-Birthed-My-Press-Release-Business.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Easy Ways to Ensure Your List is Profitable</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[
Many people have tried to start lists and failed. However, even if 
you have failed in the past you can rejuvenate your list and start anew. 
Whether you have had little success in the past or if you are just starting, 
you can follow these simple tips to get your list up and going.

1. It’s All About Trust

It really is all about trust.Provide them with good and useful information 
on your website to start with. It’s always best if your business is over 
something that you know well and that you can write about easily. Be sure 
that you look like a credible and professional business, and people are
likely to purchase your products and sign up on your lists.

The money will come when people know you and you show you are trustworthy. You
need to hold up your end of the deal as well by providing your customers with products
that are useful and worth their money.

2. Offer a Service that People Need or Desire

If you are able to meet the people who are interested in your website and what you 

have to offer, then you will be able to provide a service or product that people need 

or 
want. It is said that people come to the Internet for one of two things – information 

and to shop. If you can provide both, then you are going to have a very useful site. 

3. Become Friends with Others Who Have Been Successful

If you are in the process of building a successful list, it never hurts to learn from 

otherswho have been successful. Do some social networking and become friends with 

those who have become successful and remain successful. There is nothing better than 

first hand information.



Eugenijus Sakalauskas publisher &amp;quot;List Building Newsletter&amp;quot; 
 Subscribe to my exclusive 12 lessons e-Course
&amp;quot; Every Business Needs Opt-In Email Marketing &amp;quot;
and learn  how to start building your own optin list.

http://ezine.pluginnetproefit.com/]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3889/Easy-Ways-to-Ensure-Your-List-is-Profitable.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3889/Easy-Ways-to-Ensure-Your-List-is-Profitable.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Managing My Booklet Size</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Custom booklet printing for your own purposes comes in many sizes. What size or dimension that you decide on for your own booklet printing plays a vital role in the impact, use and cost of your booklets. You should always take a note of the properties of each common size prints in booklet printing so that you know how to manage your custom booklet’s size. Here is a minor guide in choosing what kind of booklet that you need for a specific purpose.

Mini-booklet sizes: The mini booklet size comes in really small dimensions. It is basically the size of a booklet that can fit into a well sized pocket. The common dimension for this is a 6 x 4 inch booklet, but some even print smaller booklets of custom sizes for custom booklet printing. These kinds of booklets are usually used for quick reference content or small content for mass distribution. For example they can be small novenas, or prayer books, instructional guides for small gadgets like watches or they can even be used as primers for gatherings and conferences. If your booklet needs to be given to a mass audience and it has a short and concise content, then the small mini booklet sizes should be your best choice.

Standard sizes: Now for the mainstream booklet printing jobs you use the standard sizes. This can come in various sizes from the big letter-sized booklet measuring 11 by 8.5 inches, to the smaller half sized 8.5 by 5.5 inches. Some others even use a long type 6 by 9 inch booklet size which looks almost like a brochure.

These standard sizes are basically used for all your run of the mill booklet printing. They can be your instruction manuals, tutorial guides, event programs, story booklets and all the other uses for booklets. The basic rule of use here is that if you have a decent amount of information to give that also includes images and objects then the standard booklet size should apply. Of course there are several variations of the booklet dimensions, and you may probably want to use the long  ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3888/Managing-My-Booklet-Size.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3888/Managing-My-Booklet-Size.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Being Successful In A Highly Competitive Setting</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Being in business is one heck of a competition. Whether you are just starting or have been in the industry for many years, competing in the market is one common fact. Many business owners are always on the chase for that seemingly elusive dream of being on the top. But the pursuit may not be easy, yet it is not entirely unreachable. Having the right business and being successful is not an impossible dream at all.

The key is to strategize in order for you to win. There would be more than enough competition and a dozen more trying very hard to be on top of you. But the thing that would help you survive is to have a strategy to woo your target market to your business. It is like going through the dating game again. With so many other guys competing for your lady love’s attention, you need to have a strategy to stand out from your competition. Similarly, when your client is being wooed aggressively by your competitor, you definitely need to increase your commitment and provide better services to become more appealing than ever.

This is definitely true with your marketing campaign, be it newsletter printing, flyers printing, print brochures or print newsletters. With so many information bombarding your target clients everyday and every minute, it is no wonder that you have less than a few seconds to actually get the attention of your readers. It actually takes less than 11 seconds for you to grab their interest ad keep it. Within those seconds, you have to convince them of your value and benefits over those of your competition. Within those few seconds, you have to wow them through your newsletter printing or print newsletters for example. So you need to focus your efforts on getting those few seconds to work for you.

So how do you do it? You can start with the benefits. What is in it for them? What benefits can be derived from your business? Consider putting forward your key points. And as always, make sure that your target audience is at the center of your m ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3883/Being-Successful-In-A-Highly-Competitive-Setting.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3883/Being-Successful-In-A-Highly-Competitive-Setting.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Building Your Lists – 5 Must Do’s</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[

By Eugenijus Sakalauskas

Online marketing is huge and most people are on the Internet, so it is safe 
to say that the Internet is one of the best places to market your business. 
There are several ways to build an opt-in list, but you want to ensure that 
people are interested in your products. This means that there are several things 
that you need to do on your website to ensure that you are setting yourself 
up for success.


 1. Set Up a Web Form on Your Site

Place this form on the side of your site or directly at the end of your homepage’s
content. A good form is simple.It should provide a short statement about 
your newsletter and have a call to action. The form will automatically save 
and the send you the information. This is by far the most popular way to 
build a website opt-in list.

 2. Ensure that Your Website is Impressive

Your website, especially the homepage, needs to be impressive. You will want
to have content that is well-written and useful. You also want to let people know
what your site or business is all about. Your website should also be simple and
not overwhelming. You also don’t want to overdo it with Flash graphics or photos
that take a long time to load. The longer they take to load, the faster your visitor
will leave.

 3. Provide a Useful Service or Product

If your service or product is useful, then you are more than likely going to make a
sale. You are also likely going to get return customers as well. Your customers
are also more than likely going to recommend your website to someone else if
they are happy with your service as well. As your clientele grows, so will your
list. The more members you have on your list, the more likely you are going to
have people take advantage of your offers in your newsletters and promotions.

 4. Keep Your List Clean

Your list should be free of profanity, nudity and anything else that a child should
not see. 

 5. Keep Your List Private

People hat ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3880/Building-Your-Lists--5-Must-Dos.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3880/Building-Your-Lists--5-Must-Dos.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Give Content Your Priority In Your Design Process</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[If you are like many marketers and designers who often relegate content writing at the last minute, then it is time for you to refocus your priorities and look at your content as the most essential element in your design.

Too often that the focus is on the visual and what will instantly attract the target clients to your marketing collaterals such as your catalog printing. Content writing always comes last, when it should be the other way around. Content writing should be given top priority or your readers will not return to your printed catalogs without valuable, relevant and up-to-date content for them to use.

The key to having a great redesign of your marketing collaterals such as your printed catalogs is to combine it with content and functionality. When you do, you are more than likely to achieve your goals in your marketing campaign.

And contrary to what we think, content do not just come in neat packages where you will be able to assemble them easily for your catalog printing. Content writing needs planning and careful designing in itself. It does not come easy. And fresh and up-to-date content surely does not exist just anywhere or anytime you feel like it.

Considering your content as an asset instead of just another element to contend with in your printed catalogs can help you re-prioritize your strategy. Content done at the last minute is often the biggest factor for project delays. Because the process of content writing is not considered essential, many marketers and business owners underestimate the task of completing the exercise. Only at the last minute do they realize the amount of resources, effort and energy it takes for a marketing campaign such as catalog printing to have quality and excellent content to convey the right message. And they often resort to getting people who are experts in content writing to come up with their copy. And these people do charge a lot.

Still, there is a way around this. As there is always room for improv ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3879/Give-Content-Your-Priority-In-Your-Design-Process.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3879/Give-Content-Your-Priority-In-Your-Design-Process.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>When is it time to ask for Debt Management Help?</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[If your life is running on debt, you better watch out for the following signs just so that you know the last drop of debt, after which you will seriously have to consider debt management help…

1. Every time you pick up the phone, it’s a call from your creditor badgering you about overdue bill payments.

2. You now pay all your bills from your savings, your retirement funds or your kids’ college funds.

3. You are cutting down on family time and working overtime just so that you can pay your bills.

4. Approximately 20% of your monthly income is drained away settling your debts (excluding mortgage).

5. Credit cards, not cash, are found mostly in your handbag!

6. Banks are not too interested in lending you money and credit card companies reject any applications you make to them for credit cards.

7. You always have a new credit card to pay off your existing credit card bill.

8. You never pay more than the minimum amount due on all your bills and you are just a few dollars away from your credit limit on all your cards.

9. Bills are put aside at least for a few days or few weeks before being paid.

10. Every time you look at the amount you owe on your credit card, you are shocked because until then you had no idea how much you owed on your cards.

11. You applied for a debt consolidation loan and it has been rejected, most probably because your debt-income ratio is too high.

12. You have more than 2 cards since at least ONE card can be used whenever you go shopping.

13. You don’t let any of your family touch your credit card statements.

14. You take the cheapest insurance policy on you so that you have to make small insurance payments.

15. You are unemployed and feeling suicidal because you have no idea how you are going to pay off your credit card bills and loans!

If any of the above signs apply to you, you better start thinking of some means of debt relief or debt management! Start looking NOW…Remember, even the larg ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3875/When-is-it-time-to-ask-for-Debt-Management-Help.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3875/When-is-it-time-to-ask-for-Debt-Management-Help.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Diamonds Are A Cereal Marketer's Best Friend</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[When C.W. Post started a small business in 1895 with his first batch of &amp;quot;Postum&amp;quot; (breakfast cereal) he probably did not foresee his company getting into the diamond business. The cereal company has &amp;quot;followed a path of delicious innovation, creating cereals that have defined the breakfast experience for generations of families&amp;quot; and now it has literally put a twist on its &amp;quot;Shreddies&amp;quot; product by offering the cereal in the shape of diamonds rather than squares.

Something New from Something Old

It's a playful, yet brilliant marketing scheme that is reaping the cereal a lot of consumer attention.  The breakfast cereal, produced by Post Cereals and General Mills has been a favorite for years in the U.K., Ireland, New Zealand and Canada. It looks like small squares made of malted, interwoven whole grain wheat. Believe it or not the name of the cereal is the slang term used to describe men's undershorts. (This is a not a piece of trivia used in marketing campaigns for the cereal.) The last time it got this much attention was during the &amp;quot;Wayne Gretzky&amp;quot; Shreddies cereal box era. 

If you were thinking Post didn't actually do anything different to the humble square other than tip it on its corner to produce the diamond shape you are absolutely correct. The point is that the company has offered a new perspective on a product that has been around for years and it's making an impact on the public awareness of the food. It's all about putting a new spin on an old thing. 

Post has come up with a promotional campaign that is getting consumers involved by voting on either the square or the diamond version of the Shreddie. A cereal box design is offered for each version while the official Diamond Shreddies website allows you to vote for your pick and download printable posters to put up around the office promoting the options. A ticker tape constantly scrolls across the face of the website revealing the latest voter news such as &amp;quot; ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3874/Diamonds-Are-A-Cereal-Marketers-Best-Friend.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3874/Diamonds-Are-A-Cereal-Marketers-Best-Friend.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Encourage your kids’ cooking their own way in the kitchen</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Teaching your kids to be independent and responsible is important in order to make them good citizens.  But how do you do it and where do you start?  The best place to start teaching your child is at home.  Moms make use of this opportunity and encourage them to help you in the kitchen.  Kids cooking their own dish will be a thrilling experience and give them the freedom to decide on the recipe.  Take them out with you when you go grocery shopping, and let them select the ingredients they need for their dish.  You can help them with the quantities, and at the same time show them that is important that they purchase only the amount required for the dish, and that waste of food means waste of money.  
 
Once you have got the stuff into the house, teach your kids the importance of good hygiene and cleanliness.  Leave it to your kids to have the required ingredients washed and ready.  Having a cook book with picture illustrations will be advisable, and let your kids follow step by step and guide them only when it is necessary and if help is needed.  It is important that you teach your kids first what they can do and cannot do in the kitchen.  Take them around and explain the importance of keeping away from stoves, cookers and take precautions to move out very sharp objects, and appliances and tools that can harm them.  
 
Have a separate set of kitchen utensils and tools for your kids, and let them take over the kitchen.  Expect a mess, but it is all worth when you see the happiness on the little faces.  At the end of the day teaching your child to clean up the mess is equally important.
 
Kids Cooking is enjoyable and rewarding.  Let your kids do their own thing in the kitchen.  Even if the dish is not turning out the way it should, do not try to correct them.  It is important that at no time that you move out of the kitchen.  Keep an eye on your kids at all times.  
 
The Kids will no doubt look to you for your approval at the end of the day.  When the dish is ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3871/Encourage-your-kids-cooking-their-own-way-in-the-kitchen.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3871/Encourage-your-kids-cooking-their-own-way-in-the-kitchen.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Building strong Community Friendships</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Establishing relationships with other members from a variety of communities is extremely vital for your community and your personal growth. This can largely determine how much your community can enjoy your life today and tomorrow. Unless your community actually has giving and caring relationships with other communities, your kind, as a whole, could probably miss out on the joys of interaction and socializing. At least take time to listen for others and watch out for them; it’s amazing how many wonders these simple gestures can do.

It is truly difficult to build up a healthy friendship with another community without having relationships of “convenience.” Remember that the essence of a true and righteous friendship is the sacrifices that you will make for one another with no expectation of gratitude or a return compliment. The sacrificing act is truly out of the feeling for the people and that feeling is unconditional in nature.

To establish strong friendships, have listening ears and open hearts so that you can partake in the emotions of the other. Being open to other’s emotions will mean that you will also end up having plenty of people with whom you can multiply your joy and divide your sorrows. This true form of friendship can eventually transform into love between members of different sections. 

To continue a healthy relationship, stay away from conditions and make sure that there are no strings attached among both parties. Always be willing to help out with a mind which is totally free of any preconceived conclusions that you will receive something in return; this is probably the only actual way by which you can build strong community friendships. 

Nothing can substitute or be as valuable as a caring attitude. Individual actions by a few members of your community could greatly affect members of other communities! Make time to reach out and connect with other people. While it can be easy to confine your love and care within the home and among  ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3870/Building-strong-Community-Friendships.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3870/Building-strong-Community-Friendships.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Why Skin Care is Important to Prevent Lines and Wrinkles</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Lines and wrinkles are positively things that are not on your skin’s “wish list,” now or ever! So how can you keep it all away?? Excellent skin care can help keep both lines and wrinkles at bay for quite some time.

A key contributor to wrinkles is dry skin! To make sure that wrinkles don’t adorn your skin, it’s absolutely important to keep your skin moisturized at all times and at any cost. Pick an effective anti-aging moisturizer to fight away wrinkles. But how do you know which skin care products are effective ones?

Your skin loses its luster with age as a result of lack of collagen production. So to get back the glow, look for ingredients which stimulate collagen production. This will make sure your skin is soft and smooth at all times. Ingredients which can help with collagen production are keratin. This helps to speed up both collagen and elastin production and on the whole, prevent lines and wrinkles too. Also look for products which contain Natural Vitamin E, Phytessence Wakame, active Manuka honey (a rare type of honey found in New Zealand) as these stimulate collagen production. Other ingredients you might want to look for are natural oils live olive oil, grape seed oil, avocado oil, macadamia oil and other herbal and fruit extracts. On the whole, if you find a 100% natural and organic product, GRAB IT! It’s just what you are looking for.

On the other hand, there are plenty of products which “claim” to contain ready made collagen. Don’t get misled by such products because it’s important that the skin makes its own collagen. Only the collagen the skin produces on its own will actually be of any benefit to the skin.

Although you may not be able to find all of the above mentioned ingredients in products, you are sure to find at least some of the ingredients in a product. Also, keep in mind that some of the more popular or renowned products may contain only a few or may contain NONE of these key ingredients. Even if you find a lo ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3869/Why-Skin-Care-is-Important-to-Prevent-Lines-and-Wrinkles.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3869/Why-Skin-Care-is-Important-to-Prevent-Lines-and-Wrinkles.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Universities with a Richer History Promise a Quality Education</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Experience matters in the field of education. The longer an educational institute has been in existence more challenges would have been faced by the institute. The rich experience gained will help the institute to improve the quality of education provided by the institute. This applies to universities as well. Students of diverse religions and races with different ideas and views pass through the universities. The university management can make use of this experience to formulate the courses to benefit the society and the students. So a university with a richer history promises a quality education.

There are prominent universities with proud and rich histories which have been serving mankind for over 75 years. Some of these universities are providing an education par excellence with facilities in a large number of locations geographically. These institutions are certainly moving forward with a steadfast commitment and dedication to education. These universities have been instrumental in leading thousands of graduates to launch into lucrative careers.

Prospective students should take note of the above too, in addition to all the other criteria when selecting a course of study and a university. The track record of the university and its acceptance in society also matters.

Another criterion on which a university can be judged is the position achieved by its past students. The achievements of the products of a university give a clear indication of the quality of education provided by the institution.

Many universities with long and rich histories understand the need to make their courses available to intelligent students who are unable to pursue studies as they are unable to pay the high course fees. So they have come to the rescue of these students by offering grants, awards and loans which are helping these students to come to the limelight. These universities have a great commitment towards education which should be appreciated by all. Another factor is t ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3858/Universities-with-a-Richer-History-Promise-a-Quality-Education.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3858/Universities-with-a-Richer-History-Promise-a-Quality-Education.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>The Importance of Choosing an Accredited University</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[The acquisition of a degree from an accredited university is important to your career. What is an accredited university? It is where the educational system is recognized by the accreditation bodies, where these agencies oversee that certain educational standards are maintained. These accredited universities are recognized by other institutions and universities and also by employers when seeking employment. As such careful study of the university you intend to pursue your education is very important.
 
Many students have been misled, by attending universities that are not accredited, whereby the money spent on obtaining a degree from that institute has been a waste. Some universities even go the extent to make the student believe that they have received accreditation, in the way they promote their institution. As such, before investing on your degree, adequate research should be done, to verify the facts stated, and with the modern technology, and living in the computer era, this is not a difficult task. There are many articles in the internet where accredited schools are listed. Hence, research and ground work is important, so that you will be able to comfortably make a decision, as to where you wish to study. Students should make note that the only way of knowing the educational standard of the institution is by checking if such schools had received accreditation. This is even more important if the course of study you wish to take is on-line.  As you do not have firsthand experience about the school and you will not be studying in a classroom environment, when selecting on-line studying, pay attention to the above details, so that you are certain that you are obtaining a degree from a university that is recognized, reputed and accredited. 
 
With a degree from an accredited university you are certain that it is recognized internationally. Even when seeking employment, you will have the assurance and comfort of knowing that you have graduated from a recognized u ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3850/The-Importance-of-Choosing-an-Accredited-University.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3850/The-Importance-of-Choosing-an-Accredited-University.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Building and Promoting a Business The 50/25/25 Rule</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[
Recently, I was reminded of the 50/25/25 Rule in building and promoting a business. The rule, as outlined by copywriting expert, Bob Bly, states that as a business owner, time should be divided in this way: 25% on administrative duties, 25% on marketing and self promotion and 50% on billable client work. By dividing time in this way, it avoids the plague of business owners: never marketing themselves. 

How does marketing get squeezed out of a business strategy? As the result of some successful marketing strategy or technique, a business owner gets exciting new business in the form of a new client, project or customer. The business owner, eager to impress the client (and to be able to bill the client) snaps to with all attention on pleasing that client. And as a result, marketing for new clients essentially comes to a standstill. 

Worse, is something called service creep. Service creep occurs when you allow a client to put just a little more responsibility onto you, just a little something outside of your original contract, and then just a little more, and so on.  

Many times, acceptance of service creep comes because you actually volunteer for the bucket brigade. You volunteer because you know you are good at that particular task, and you see your beloved client struggling, and so, service creep. It pinches your time and what gives can be the time you would have allocated to marketing.

Recently, a close associate complained to me about service creep, and how it was not only hindering his efforts to market his company and services, it was actually hampering his ability to do what the client had hired him to do in the first place. 

We agreed that he should speak gently but candidly to his client, offering to complete this task as a team building exercise, but reminding him of the number of dedicated hours in his contract, and asking for the client to establish future priorities that would be within the hourly contractual guidelines.
 
Using the 50/2 ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3848/Building-and-Promoting-a-Business-The-502525-Rule.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3848/Building-and-Promoting-a-Business-The-502525-Rule.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>On -Line Degrees and the Guarantee of a Good Job</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[With the day and age where education is a must, and where higher the qualification you have received, the more chances that a person has in securing lucrative jobs with higher salaries and perks, more and more are thirsting for education. Gone is the era where men held all the top positions. Now more and more women who are highly qualified are taking up high positions diligently performing their duties with professionalism. 
 
With the new technology of e-learning or on-line learning, more people have the easy access to study, at a time of their choice.  For all those, stay-at-home and working moms, this is an ideal opportunity to pursue your career by enhancing your education. There is never a start and end to education. It is a lifelong process. Balancing the usual household chores and not finding time to attend the regular, traditional school indeed is a blessing in disguise. With on-line learning, all those who desire to start off where they left by continuing their studies, or starting a higher level of educational program, can look at doing so, via on-line learning. The advantages of on-line learning being that you are able to do your studies at the comfort of your home, schedule classes at the time that is convenient to you and also obtain a degree from a reputed, accredited university. 
 
The best universities have dedicated teams of professionals to guide students in their studies, and to help them out in the best way possible for them to acquire their degree to suit their skills and interests. Individual attention is given, and each student is entrusted to a tutor, who takes every aspect of the student into consideration when counsel or guidance is given. Graduates passing out of these universities are able to secure employment within a short period after graduating. This is noteworthy for all those whose prime intention in studying is to better their prospects. 
 
These universities have dedicated and committed teams of counselors, to guide the stud ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3838/On-Line-Degrees-and-the-Guarantee-of-a-Good-Job.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3838/On-Line-Degrees-and-the-Guarantee-of-a-Good-Job.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Creative Thinkers and Problem Solvers</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[KidzArt aims to make parents and kids aware of the fact that knowing to draw can help bring out an entirely new perspective to the world around them. Feeling uncomfortable and “unwelcome” about art can make kids feel like a fish out of the sea. From experience, KidzArt strongly believes and knows that

Drawing skills, abilities and the “talent” is not inborn; it comes with time and understanding and proper knowledge of the fundamentals and plenty of practice too! Remember that Art needs the same individual elements as music, dance, poetry or any other aesthetic subject; Art is not as “alien” a subject as people may think. Once your child has a strong foundation, there is no place that your child can’t go or can’t venture into. KidzArt will provide your child with plenty of support, guidance and encouragement which will give them the ability to do anything on or off-paper.

By learning to draw children learn how to render images and to interpret them. They are able to think of things that they see from different perspectives and angles and figure out which is the best to bring out on paper. With Art, children learn to evaluate and weight out different options and make choices. However, Art gives children the best chance to learn how to make choices without worrying too much about whether it’s right or wrong; after all it is Art, there are no rights or wrongs. 

KidzArt has also seen many of its students bring out a variety of inner talents and abilities after having gone through the dynamic and diverse KidzArt curriculum. This is because art helps to reach into the depths of a child’s mind and tap into the intelligences hidden away deep inside. KidzArt provides children with the chance to create and shape their thoughts and feelings onto paper and even onto clay rather than having to give shape to all their thoughts within their mind. This gives children plenty of opportunities to feel good about themselves and their talents. 

Art is very ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3836/Creative-Thinkers-and-Problem-Solvers.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3836/Creative-Thinkers-and-Problem-Solvers.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Fighting The Fear</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Exhibiting in economically turbulent times is problematic.  Yet the challenge may not lie exactly where you think it does.

It's not the falling Dow Jones that's the problem.  It's not the S&amp;amp;P, nor the price of oil.  It's not even the constant reiteration that we're headed into the Great Depression II.

No.  The problem instead lies in the resultant consumer confidence crisis.  People -- both on an organizational and individual level -- are afraid to buy.  The constant bad news has created a perfect storm of economic turmoil, leaving people frozen in place, uncertain what to do.

How do we, as exhibitors, address that fear?

The first thing to do is to assess and understand what the changing marketplace actually means to your industry.  Not all sectors are hit equally by an economic downturn, and it is never safe to assume that what is happening to your organization is representative of what is happening in the market as a whole.

Before determining an exhibiting strategy, it is a wise step to take an objective look at your industry, as well as the markets for organizations that purchase your products and services.  A consumer confidence crisis means one thing in the high end apparel market, for example, that it may not mean in a health care or financial services market.

Throughout this assessment, consider the following:

What are the biggest challenges and concerns my target market is facing?

What are the biggest challenges and concerns the customers of my target market face?

If you want to be an effective exhibitor, one route to success is to articulate your understanding of both sets of challenges and present concrete examples of how your products and services can help attendees address them.  

There is a time for soft, suggestive selling: that time is NOT in the middle of a consumer confidence crisis.  This is instead the point where savvy exhibitors adopt a leadership role, positioning themselves as the expert within a marketplace,  ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3835/Fighting-The-Fear.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3835/Fighting-The-Fear.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Settlement help - where to find it</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[As the country goes through a recession with the rising costs of gas, food and so many other essentials, more and more people are getting into debt since the income has not risen in proportion. 

Due to the inability by many people to pay off their unsecured debts, they are now turning to ‘debt settlement’. In a nutshell, you go to a ‘debt settlement’ company and explain your debt problems. The company will then speak with your creditors, and make them agree to an amount which is less than the full value of your debts. The consumer will have to make a monthly payment which will be agreed between the creditor and the debt settlement company, till the reduced debt amount has been fully paid. 

You may wonder why the creditor will agree to such an arrangement. The whole thinking behind this is that the creditor will be more than happy to at least get something from you rather than nothing. 

Using the services of a debt settlement company is a much better idea than you going to the creditor direct, because settlement companies have a proven set of tactics which will be successful in reducing your debt, and you can also avoid any potential harassment by the creditor by allowing the settlement company to do the work for you. 

Generally, debt settlement takes somewhere between 1 and 3 years, and charge a certain percentage of the amount by which they have reduced the debt by. Freedom Financial Network has a fascinating record of debt settlement that I find to be quite phenomenal. In July 2008, they managed to reduce a credit card debt of $23,287 to a final settlement of $2500, which is about 10% of the original due amount, which is simply incredible. Therefore, if you want my opinion on the best of the debt settlement companies out there.

Bizymoms has been helping provide moms with information on everyday matters and important issues. Now they have partnered with [URL=http://www.bizymoms.com/debt]Freedom Financial Network[/URL] to better inform moms ab ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3832/Settlement-help--where-to-find-it.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3832/Settlement-help--where-to-find-it.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Common Causes and Prevention of Problem Skin</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Simply speaking, acne can be found to be synonymous with problem skin. Acne is typically a skin disease which pops up as changes take place in the sebaceous gland. Acne can appear on your skin as blackheads, whiteheads and even pimples. Although adolescents are the biggest sufferers of acne, there are (surprisingly) plenty of adults who suffer from acne too! So where does this acne come from…?

Hormones
Most acne sufferers break out from puberty when the body produces hormones which cause the sebaceous glands to enlarge. However this may sometimes continue into adulthood where it pops up during the menstrual cycle or during pregnancy.

Extra Sebum
Hormones can cause the sebaceous glands to produce extra sebum. This extra sebum may cause clogging and cause acne.

Follicle fallout
Usually around puberty, dead cells within the follicle are shed very rapidly. These may then mix with extra sebum forming a plug in the follicle and not allowing the skin to renew itself.

Bacteria
The bacterium P. acnes normally lives on all skin types and is part of the skin’s natural sebum maintenance system. However if a follicle is clogged, these bacteria multiply quickly causing an inflammation in the follicle and skin around it.

How to prevent all this…??

Use an astringent to get the rid of any excess oil. Keep away from daily moisturizing. You can use an oil-free moisturizer if your skin is extremely rough.
Go for water-based products rather than oil-based products. This will control the oiliness of your skin. Also look for a sulfur-based soap and wash your face twice a day with it. This can be ideally done before you go to bed and just after you wake up. Don’t scrub or irritate your skin though.

Use a honey mask at least once a week. Honey is a great disinfectant which can heal small discolorations on your skin whilst destroying any bacteria present on your skin.
If you are bombarded my pimples, you might want to consider taking a chromimum supplement  ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3826/Common-Causes-and-Prevention-of-Problem-Skin.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3826/Common-Causes-and-Prevention-of-Problem-Skin.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Individual Attention Is Crucial For On-Line Learning</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[With modern technology in the ever evolving world, new methods are found to move away from classrooms, and traditional way of learning to virtual studies. Distance is no barrier now. With this new concept of studies, students all over the world can reach for their goal, in the universities of their choice, without much ado.

Sometimes in the classroom individual attention by lecturers to students is very helpful. Is it possible to give individual attention to online students? This is a matter which is often not fully understood. Actually, individual attention is not only possible, but it is also crucial for online learning. In fact good online universities provide a panel of highly qualified lecturers who guide the students in their lectures and course assignments. Each student is allocated to a specific professor. The professor in turn will guide the student. This is of course done on line. Individual attention is provided with easy accessibility.    
 
With time a constant issue with the day to day work and commitments, and also constantly keeping up with the ever challenging targets, it is important to keep up with the rest of the world. And for those who find it difficult to fit into the traditional classroom, this is an ideal opportunity to pursue your studies, in the comfort of your own sitting area or lobby in your new virtual environment. This is an ideal setting for those moms who juggle with studies and work. With work out of the way, you are able to prepare your own time-table. On-line learning has become an incentive for moms who long to study in order to better their careers. 
 
It is important however, that the on-line degree program you choose is from a reputed school or university. With more and more listing on the web sites, trying to allure students to get a degree fast and for a very nominal amount, research should be done before you register to do such courses. Do not fall prey to these tactics. Living in the world of new technology with co ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3825/Individual-Attention-Is-Crucial-For-OnLine-Learning.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3825/Individual-Attention-Is-Crucial-For-OnLine-Learning.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Metabolism and Weight Loss</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Metabolism is the rate which the body burns calories and uses up energy.  Whilst metabolism works the same way for each and every person, the rate in which it metabolizes nutrients may vary from person to person.  As such knowing your basal metabolic rate is important to know the amount of calories that get burnt when your body is resting.
 
The following formula will help you get a general idea as to what your Basal Metabolic Rate should be. = Multiply your weight x 10 = BMR.  For example, if your weight is 100 pounds, your BMR will be 1000 kcals.  (BMR = 100 x 10 kcal/lb = 1000 kcals)  This formula permits 10 kcals to every pound of body weight.  As such, your body can burn up to 1000 calories a day.  In excess will make you gain weight, and less will result in weight loss.  It is important that one keeps in mind that this is only on estimation and will depend and vary according to other factors such as exercise and diet.  For an accurate estimation it is advised that one consult his/her dietician or physician.
 
Metabolism is largely based on your body composition, and the body composition will consist of a percentage of muscle and percentage of fat.  Your body determines the metabolism rate, thus making it easier for some people to burn up calories faster.  
 
Metabolic slowdown will take place on a calorie reduced diet and a low-carb diet. These results in reduce intake of calories and will result in weight loss.  Therefore, it is important to keep in mind, when on a diet that the calorie intake is reduced gradually. And, insufficient calorie in your body can lead to loss of fat from the body stores.  This leads to a metabolic slow-down as the body fights to retain and conserve energy.  This results in glycogen depletion and the body in return oxidizes more protein regularly to cover the severe reduction of calories.  This process reduces water in the body and weight loss occurs dramatically, and unfortunately the weight loss is acquired from the body tis ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3822/Metabolism-and-Weight-Loss.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3822/Metabolism-and-Weight-Loss.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>10 healthy snack choices you should reach for every week</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Quite often, people have incorrect views when it comes to healthy snacks or being on a healthy diet.  Eating healthy does not mean that you are depriving yourself of food, it is being aware of what is good and bad for you, and taking precautions to avoid diseases and other health hazards, and living healthy and eating healthy.
 
In the past, snack foods has come under rap as it is associated with food that people go on a ‘binge’, as it is commonly termed.  But research has revealed that eating four to five healthy snacks a day to the usual diet of three main meals per day, cuts cholesterol level by 8% and reduces the risk of heart disease by 16%.   Healthy snacking also helps prevent over-eating and also keeps the metabolism at work and thereby burning unwanted calories.  It helps fight fatigue and keeps the blood sugar at a normal level.  
 
The following healthy snack choices have been gathered for your benefit.  It is important in selecting foods that contain the adequate nutrients and energy required for the body.
 
·	Whole grain snacks are rich in fiber, and selecting low fat whole-grain crackers and whole grain crisp breads will give the required energy. A 200 calorie Bagel contains the 11% of the recommended iron.  A Bran Muffin has three grams of fiber and 1.8 mg of iron, which is 10% of your daily intake.
·	Fruits – Banana rich in potassium (11%) also contains 35% of daily intake of Vitamin B6.  Cantaloupe rich in vitamin C, gives you the required amounts of vitamin C required for the body.  Fruits and vegetables will provide vitamins, minerals and other nutrients which are essentials for healthy living.
·	Nuts and seeds are high in protein and calories.  Eating in small quantities is advised.  Nuts are rich in fiber, phyto-nutrients and anti-toxidants.
·	Raw vegetables, such as celery, carrots, green beans and cucumbers with a low fat dip are excellent healthy snacks.
·	Fresh fruit juices and smoothies, unsweetened are a must with your ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3821/10-healthy-snack-choices-you-should-reach-for-every-week.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3821/10-healthy-snack-choices-you-should-reach-for-every-week.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>The Benefits of Choosing a Career Focused University</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[There are many who have graduated but who are still unemployed. Careful studies have shown, obtaining a qualification is not the only criterion to secure employment. The university you have graduated from, your achievements, your capabilities and confidence play a huge role at the time you look for employment. 

A good accredited University plays a dual role in the student’s life, during your period of study. With education the priority, it guides the student in every area of their lives, taking every minute detail into consideration. Whilst making the student feel safe and secure in an environment that is comfortable they cater to the needs and wants of the student individually. This is very important as adult learners, who move out from their comfort zone at home initially look for an environment where they would be recognized. Adults pursue education in a late stage in life mainly for personal development, to continue a career from where they have started or to start off with better prospects in life. As such, a number of universities have recognized the wants and the needs of this category of people and have taken every move possible to see that there needs are met.

With prominent universities also being career focused, it is indeed an incentive to all moms, to start off a new chapter in their lives. With time in hand, and with classes that are convenient for the student, also with institutions nationwide, whatever locality you are placed at, you will be able to find an institution.

With securing employment being an important task, top universities guide the student in this area as well, according to the qualification you have achieved. The committed career guidance team gives each student individual advice and guides them step by step in the best way possible to help secure employment. It is very important therefore, that you have a clear picture of the university you wish to study. You can easily select the University of your Choice by browsing the i ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3818/The-Benefits-of-Choosing-a-Career-Focused-University.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3818/The-Benefits-of-Choosing-a-Career-Focused-University.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>The causes of High Cholesterol</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Cholesterol is a waxy, fatty substance that is an essential body fat (lipid) in the blood.  This is found in the body cells.  The cholesterol is produced in the body by the liver and also from the food that is consumed.  The body requires a certain amount of cholesterol, but excess of it can cause coronary heart disease and stroke.   As cholesterol does not mix with the blood, it binds with other proteins in order to be moved around in the bloodstream.  This is known as lipoproteins.  There are two types of lipoproteins,    Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) also known as the ‘bad cholesterol’, and High-density lipoprotein (HDL) known as ‘good cholesterol’.  The major cholesterol carrier is LDL, and excess of this substance can build up on the artery walls.
 
What causes High Cholesterol?
 
There are causes that you can and cannot control.  The primary causes that you cannot control are:

Genetics or family history – (family hypercholesterolemia)
Sex – Women have a lower level of cholesterol before menopause.
Age – With age the cholesterol level also rise.
 
Causes that can control High Cholesterol:
 
Being over-weight or excess weight increases the cholesterol level. This can cause heart disease.
Regular exercise reduces LDL cholesterol and raises the HDL cholesterol.
Diet is an important contributory factor for high cholesterol, and this is found in   food items such as egg yolk, dairy products, shell fish and meat.  According to American Heart Association, the average daily cholesterol intake should be less than 300 milligrams.  Since cholesterol is found in many foods taken from animals, it is advised that not more than six ounces lean meat be consumed.  It is important to note that the liver provides the cholesterol needed by the body.  An egg contains 300 milligrams of cholesterol, as such if you consume an egg daily you have reached your requirement for a day.
Fruits, vegetable, grain and nuts will help prevent cholesterol forming and  ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3816/The-causes-of-High-Cholesterol.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3816/The-causes-of-High-Cholesterol.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Don’t Forget To Consider Career Services When Considering a School</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Career is a lifelong process. Your choice of study depends on your skills, interests, aptitudes and qualifications. Once the qualification is achieved, the next task would be to find suitable employment. A good university not only helps you in guiding you in achieving your academics, but goes a step further to make your dreams a reality. An efficient professional career service team will guide you to secure suitable employment. The career services provided by the university must be taken into consideration when a decision is taken with regard to the university with which you are going to pursue your studies. This is a very important aspect. After all, the main reason to pursue studies is to improve your position in life. To achieve this objective it is very important to ensure that there will be an advancement in your career. The career services provided by the university can help you immensely in this matter.

Learning doesn’t end at the time you leave college with your primary education. Due to various reasons or financial difficulties, you may have had to make alternative decisions, where your education in concerned. It is never too late, to start off where you have stopped. Do not under-estimate your capabilities. We sometimes feel that we would never be able to fit into society now, where age is a barrier and in an age where more and more of the young are highly qualified and far thinking. Older folk try to take the easy way out by thinking ‘this is not for me’. Gone are those days; such thinking should be trodden. Pursue your dreams of achieving your goal. In the pursuit of excellence, the only obstacle that stands between you and your goal is “YOU”. Be positive and think positive. It is all in the mind-set. Once you overcome this initial hurdle, it’s a clear run.

Careful research has to be done in the selection of a school, where you intend doing further studies. As adults, it is important, that the choice you make will be at a convenient loc ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3814/Dont-Forget-To-Consider-Career-Services-When-Considering-a-School.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3814/Dont-Forget-To-Consider-Career-Services-When-Considering-a-School.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Ways to Stop Attracting New Clients &amp; Kill Your Small Business in Recession</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[One of the most reasonable approaches to surviving an economic downturn is to slash all unnecessary business expenses.
	
In their panic to save money, wild-eyed and frothy-mouthed entrepreneurs begin looking suspiciously at their marketing plans.  On the surface, advertising cutbacks would seem to be a logical choice.

Why Entrepreneurs Make the Mistake of Cutting Their Marketing Budgets

If you have taken a close look at the magazines that arrive in your mailbox every month, you may have noticed they've been down-sized... and it wasn't the publisher's idea.

Advertisers are running for hills in droves as they pull back and slash their marketing budgets - in many cases by half. The result is formerly burgeoning magazines that are now a shadow of their former selves.

It's a tempting… but very dangerous strategy.  Especially when you consider that your company thrives on both client retention and new growth to survive.  

To stay out of economic harms way, you need to keep your marketing momentum at full throttle even during a recession. And now is the BEST time since your competitors are hiding from potential customers. Your marketing will really stand out even more!

But, if you think that &amp;quot;hunkering down&amp;quot; through an economic storm is the way for your business to survive a recession...

Here Are the Top 10 Sure-Fire Ways to Kill Your Small Business

1.   STOP MARKETING and pretend everybody knows who you are and what you have to sell.
2.   STOP MARKETING and fantasize that you have more important worries than promoting your business.
3.   STOP MARKETING and make believe your customers won't notice that you discontinued your monthly client newsletter. 
4.   STOP MARKETING and keep telling yourself that your customers would never abandon you. 
5.   STOP MARKETING and ignore the potential new clients that would buy your products or services if they were contacted by you.
6.   STOP MARKETING and stop thinking about your competitors an ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3810/Ways-to-Stop-Attracting-New-Clients--Kill-Your-Small-Business-in-Recession.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3810/Ways-to-Stop-Attracting-New-Clients--Kill-Your-Small-Business-in-Recession.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Ten words that sell- make the most of them in your text ads</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[One of the most powerful tools in marketing is the prudent use of words in advertising. Judiciously used words have the power to entice and hold the attention of potential customers. This leads to either immediate sale or sales in the future, but most importantly it can establish the all important relationship between customer and brand. On the flip side words can result in the loss of potential customers and create distaste towards your product.
 
Using the right words in the right place under the right circumstances is key to any advertising effort, but it is especially important when ads are purely based on terminology like in the case of text ads. Text ads are common in e-mails and on the web but many marketers are only beginning to realize it’s potential. Statistics claim that text ads gain better results on search engine sites than on other websites, the explanation being that web users enter search engines looking for these ads while they fail to notice them in other websites because they simply aren’t looking for it. Using the right words can make all the difference in attracting customers to your text ad and holding their attention long enough to make a sale.
 
Here are ten words that will help you hone your sales vocabulary and lead to productive advertising home business.
 
1.	FREE- this is a timeless motivator. It may sound cliché but it still works and probably will continue to work for many years to come. Sub consciously human beings just can’t seem to resist something that’s free.
2.	GUARANTEE- makes a customer feel secure.
3.	SAVE- this suggests that you are offering the customer an opportunity to save his money. Although in reality this may not be true, customers still react favorably to the “save whatever%” offer.
4.	LIMITED- the word creates a sense of urgency that is appealing to many potential customers.
5.	NEW- everyone wants to get in on what’s new. This word arouses our curiosity and never fails to deliver resulting i ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3808/Ten-words-that-sell-make-the-most-of-them-in-your-text-ads.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3808/Ten-words-that-sell-make-the-most-of-them-in-your-text-ads.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Improve Your Rejection Rate with Promotional Gift Baskets</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Promotional gift baskets are great if you own your own company or small business.  If you are a small business owner and understand the term &amp;quot;brand marketing&amp;quot;, then you know that using incentives in your business can help increase repeat customers and brand awareness.

Naturally, any small business owner wants to generate more leads and increase profits.  The problem is, many don't know exactly how to achieve this.  Using incentives in your business is a great way to get customers and keep them.  Making your business unique so that it stands out from the rest will increase customer loyalty.

Promotional gift baskets are the perfect gift for all occasions.  Whether a client is having a birthday or new baby, or you just want to thank them for their patronage, this is the perfect way to do it.  If you want to subtly advertise new services and products, this is an ingenious way to accomplish that as well!

More than likely your clients come from many different backgrounds, and have varied interests.  Why not give them a gift that can be customized to their profession or hobbies?  Your customers will be very impressed that you thought of them, and they will remain a valued client.

Promotional gift baskets are a clever way to attract new clients as well.  Many businesses offer free consultations with potential clients.  This is the perfect time to present your prospect with a special gift.  They will be surprised, and the gift will make them feel special.  They will also recognize the fact that your business and clients are important to you, which will build an element of trust.

Many businesses give out promotional items to their customers.  Some of the most common are ink pens and calendars. What does this imply?  That their business is just average, like any other business.  Promotional gift baskets give the impression that your business is anything but ordinary.

This is one important element of &amp;quot;brand marketing&amp;quot;.  You offer a thoughtf ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3806/Improve-Your-Rejection-Rate-with-Promotional-Gift-Baskets.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3806/Improve-Your-Rejection-Rate-with-Promotional-Gift-Baskets.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>5 Ways to Market your Business with a Free Sample</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Are you interested in growing your business? Would you like to have more clients interested in working with you? One of the best ways to attract prospective clients and grow your business is to create a free sample which communicates your expertise.

One of the most common complaints from business owners is not having enough prospects. Your website should attract new prospects and generate leads. If you’re not getting new leads each week from your website, something’s not working correctly.

If you want more clients, you need to build trust and rapport. One of the best ways to leverage your time and communicate with prospective clients is by marketing to an email list. So, what can you do to grow your email list?

One of the most effective ways to generate leads and grow your email list is through offering a free sample that can be downloaded or delivered electronically. This will allow you to automate your marketing and create an endless stream of new leads.

Andrea Lee, Author of Pink Spoon Marketing, uses an analogy to describe how Baskin Robbins sells their ice cream by offering a sample on a pink spoon. A free sample helps to communicate the value and the benefits of what you have to offer. What can you offer as a free sample?

Here are 5 ways to market your business with a free sample. Each approach offers a simple and easy method to build your list and grow your client base:

1) Article: You can create a short article to offer as a sample. Offer it exclusively through an opt-in offer. This can be completed quickly and easily.

2) Special Report: Develop a Special Report with about 7-10 pages of content. Include a cover page, table of contents, 4-5 pages of content, an offer and a bio page. This is a simple technique which creates value for prospects. A Special Report is also a great lead generation tool when you’re giving a speech.

3) ebook: An ebook is typically 30-60 pages and contains a lot of content. An ebook can also become the ba ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3800/5-Ways-to-Market-your-Business-with-a-Free-Sample.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3800/5-Ways-to-Market-your-Business-with-a-Free-Sample.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Leverage your Social Network</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[If you want to build a successful business, you have to build a network of people and learn how to leverage your network. Building a successful business used to be easy. You just had to advertise your business and people would contact you. The problem is that people no longer pay much attention to advertising.

People rely on their friends and associates to refer businesses and especially professionals. So, you make to make an effort to communicate with your network and educate them about what you do and who you serve. And you need to support your network by finding out what they need and offering advice, making connections and serving them.

The benefits to building your social network are tremendous. Here are 6 keys on how to leverage your social network.

6 Keys to Leverage Your Social Network:

1. Get Out and Meet People

You need to get out and meet people, in person. It’s much easier to develop relationships in person than over the phone or online. So, every good networking strategy starts with attending events and meeting people.
 
Service professionals have to work two to three times as hard as someone with a brick and mortar presence to gain people's trust. Potential clients cannot simply &amp;quot;drop by&amp;quot; and check you out. This is where local networking becomes vital. 
 
Go to local networking events, meet people, and, most importantly, let them meet you. This is where prospects and referrers can size you up and get to know, like, and trust you. 

2. Build Relationships

It’s not enough to meet people, you need to build relationships. And it takes time to build trust and rapport so a relationship grows and bears fruit. Talk about what you do in a casual, professional way. And follow up with everyone you meet. 

There’s no better tool to build and maintain relationships then the telephone. You can reach far more people by phone than in person. Schedule time every day to make calls and touch base with your network. You’ll benef ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3799/Leverage-your-Social-Network.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3799/Leverage-your-Social-Network.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Advertising a Home Business isn’t a “one shot deal” -it takes time</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Let’s consider a typical morning. The sound of an alarm wakes you up; you get up and tuck in your bed that INSTANTLY turns into a couch. You walk to the bathroom and brush you teeth with a tooth brush that promises INSTANT relief to sensitive gums, and tooth paste that will INSTANTLY whiten your teeth. Back in the room that INSTANTLY transformed from bedroom to living room, you watch the local station that swears by its INSTANT news and enjoy a cup of INSTANT coffee. The fast paced lifestyle in today’s competitive society has compelled us to rely on instant solutions, so much so that we have learned to expect immediate results for all our endeavors. But a good wine can’t be rushed, neither can advertising home business.
 
Time is one of the most important ingredients that go into a solid advertising campaign. Unsuccessful advertising occurs when businesses don’t spent enough time doing quality checks, research and testing to ensure the strategy matched the collateral.  
 
Advertising home business is a long term process. One shot ads may result in a sales spike but this is only temporary and it will not help your business in the long run. In fact even short term results may only be measured after a period of six months of starting a campaign.
 
The goal of advertising home business campaigns should be to build recognition and loyalty within the target market for your product. This is the only way you can ensure long term success and value for your advertising dollars. To build a clientele, businesses have to invest in a consistent yet evolving, long-term advertising strategy. Once the plan is in motion you have to be patient and give it time to bring in the results. Advertising should be considered an investment not an expense.
 
Successful advertising campaigns should be based around your business, the type of product you’re selling, your target market and your competitive position in the market. Think about the special benefits your product can o ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3797/Advertising-a-Home-Business-isnt-a-one-shot-deal-it-takes-time.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3797/Advertising-a-Home-Business-isnt-a-one-shot-deal-it-takes-time.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>What is Debt Negotiation?</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Do you have credit card debt or maybe hospital bill debt? What about personal loans or utility bills? Well, whichever debt you have, you can gain some credit debt relief for it through debt negotiation! But beware debt negotiation is applicable only for unsecured debt.

Before you approach a debt settlement company ensure that they have been in business for at least 5 years; remember that you are handing over your entire financial future to them. Check up on their fees and penalties (if any).

Once you have decided on your debt settlement company and contacted them, your negotiator will work with you and evaluate your debts and creditor list. After this they will estimate how much you will be able to save through this means. Ideally, they may negotiate so much leaving you with only about 30% - 75% of your pending debts to be repaid.

Your settlement company will update you on their progress and how the negotiations are going. They will surely inform you when they think that they have gotten a good settlement offer. Once you have enough cash on hand and have agreed to the settlement, the settlement will be made on behalf of you, with your creditor. Now you are free from that debt! Remember that this means of debt repayment will allow you to pay much less than what you ought to have paid!

On the other hand, your credit score may suffer by this method of debt management. However, it is very likely that your credit rating is already in pretty much bad shape. Since your credit score is already in bad shape, settling your debts will improve your debt-income ratio in the long term. This will eventually help increase your credit score within no time. So don’t worry too much about how your credit score will go down.

Credit Debt Relief: your easiest means of gaining debt relief instantaneously!

Bizymoms has been helping provide moms with information on everyday matters and important issues. Now they have partnered with [URL=http://www.bizymoms.com/debt]Freedo ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3788/What-is-Debt-Negotiation.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3788/What-is-Debt-Negotiation.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Know Your University! Review Their Requirements Before You Start a Degree</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Making the right choice, when selecting the university in which you wish to study is an important task. With many universities and institutions offering programs and degrees, careful study has to be done before deciding to follow your chosen path of study. In depth research and visiting the web site of the institution will give you some idea of the school you have in mind. Make sure that the degree you choose will provide the right credentials for the career you have in mind. 

The most important aspect when selecting the university is to find out whether it has received accreditation. Find an accredited school or university that will help you achieve the goal. With numerous universities many have been duped, as they have not gone that extra mile to check its back-ground and reliability of the university. Select a university where your academic and professional ambitions are met. With more and more adults wanting to continue their education at a late stage in their lives, opportunities for such learners continue to grow; as such find the university that fits your needs best. Once this is established, plan out step by step, the way to get about in entering the university. 

A sure way to find out, whether you have the requirements needed to follow a degree program, is by filling out on-line applications, where they are assessed free, and you will know whether the qualifications you have is enough to follow the degree program. Each university has its set of entrance requirements, depending on the degree you wish to follow.   Carefully analyze the requirements, and see the best way to get about it. Where the degree you wish to follow needs higher entry requirements, find out if a bridging course or diploma could help you, so that the degree could be done once the bridging course is completed. When in doubt, call the relevant university authorities or student counselors, who will be able to give you clear insight and answer your queries.  Do not let requirements nee ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3787/Know-Your-University-Review-Their-Requirements-Before-You-Start-a-Degree.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3787/Know-Your-University-Review-Their-Requirements-Before-You-Start-a-Degree.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Attract More Legal Clients for Your Small Law Firm &amp; Thrive in a Recession</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[The economy is the one subject that seems to have an impact on every business that wants to attract more clients. A recession can even have an effect on solo attorneys and small law firms.
 
How can this be? 
 
People still need legal assistance even in a difficult economy, right? Contracts still need to be written. Businesses still have problems. Why would things ever slow down for a small law firm?
 
Yes, it is true that the law moves forward in good times and in bad times. But, getting high-quality referral clients becomes a challenge for solo attorneys and small law firms during a recession. Referrals dry up in an economic downturn because many small business owners are not seeing as many clients as they have in the past. Since they don't see as many people, they may not hear of as many issues that could be relevant matters for your firm. Indirectly, the downturn in business for your referral partners may result in a lack of referrals to your firm.
 
Here Are 5 Low Cost Ways to Combat the Recession and Attract More Legal Clients for Your Small Law Firm
 
1. Differentiate Yourself
 
As times get tougher, many people will &amp;quot;dabble&amp;quot; in your area of expertise. Make your prospective clients aware that this is happening. Remind your clients that you do not handle issues in your specialty on a part-time basis. If you are a criminal defense attorney, explain to them that you are not a real estate attorney who takes a few criminal defense cases each year to &amp;quot;fill out his calendar.&amp;quot;
 
The reason people chose you in a good economy is more important in a down economy. There is more competition out there. Focus on your unique value proposition and hammer it home. 
 
You must be able to articulate clearly why you are the best choice for this client in this situation. Now, more than ever, your unique value proposition is critically important. Make sure you highlight it as often as possible.
 
2. Help Clients Understand the Consequences of B ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3786/Attract-More-Legal-Clients-for-Your-Small-Law-Firm--Thrive-in-a-Recession.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3786/Attract-More-Legal-Clients-for-Your-Small-Law-Firm--Thrive-in-a-Recession.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>The Importance of Art in a Child’s Life</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Children love to experiment with whatever media is available to them. Art, being a natural expression, gives children an easy and smooth outlet for them to express their emotions, ideas and thoughts. Often, as a parent, you might be surprised to see what your children have drawn at school or at home when you weren’t around. They reflect a variety of feelings and ideas which are hidden within your child. It is essential to provide plenty of encouragement to children to draw, paint, color, or even sculpt, in whatever form they are interested in.

Plenty of therapists recommend art as a form of therapy to help children open up and to build self-confidence. This applies especially in the case of children who have undergone abuse. They tend to produce the most talented artwork. 

Art provides children with many opportunities to express themselves. It helps them to use it as a language especially when words are not enough or when it is too complex or painful to talk about a subject. Children’s drawings are not as meaningless as they seem. Often, they will provide extremely valuable insight regarding the strengths, weaknesses, interests, and even the emotional status of the child.

If children are not provided with an opportunity to draw, it may be nearly impossible to connect at all with children who are disabled or even challenged. Art can be a key to a child’s mind. While children often find themselves incapable of smooth expression, art helps them to express themselves in a safe environment.

It is time that people realized the importance of art in a child’s life. It is absolutely important that children are exposed to this wonderful media of which is also a form of self-expression. While it might just be an “extra” school subject, encourage your child to make it a mandatory part of their own curriculum. 

Let your child unleash herself or himself and sit back and watch your child evolve into an expressive personality…

Bizymoms has been helpi ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3785/The-Importance-of-Art-in-a-Childs-Life.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3785/The-Importance-of-Art-in-a-Childs-Life.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Natural Skin Care for Infants- Which Products are Best</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[There are plenty of products filling up the market these days, advertising themselves as the best baby natural skin care for your little one(s). But there are lots of shortcomings in these ads especially since many of what these products claim to do just never happen or they fall short of what they are supposed to do. Eventually this leads to your baby suffering from skin irritations, rashes and allergies because of the chemicals and other irritating ingredients found in these baby products. If you are really looking for the top-of-the-line products for your baby, make sure that the products you buy don’t contain anything which would irritate your baby’s skin. The first step for you would be to go for products with natural ingredients rather than those with chemicals.

As you turn towards natural ingredients, remember to avoid ANYTHING (no matter how good it is) which has petrochemicals. Take care when buying lotions and moisturizers because these are the ones which usually contain petrochemicals. This means that you have to take off petroleum jelly from your baby skin care products’ list too.

To keep your baby’s skin as smooth as petals, go for baby lotions made from natural oils. Many of the best baby natural skin care products contain aloe which is an important ingredient in moisturizers and looks after irritations too. Another natural ingredient that you want to be looking for is chamomile. Chamomile is known for its soothing effect on the skin. Watch out what essential oils you buy and if in doubt, consult your pediatrician about prospective products.

Just because you want the best doesn’t mean it has to go out of your budget. There’s absolutely no necessity for you to buy expensive products just because you want good quality products. There are plenty of products out there which can fit snugly within you budget AND look after your baby’s skin too. Start looking from your local health food store!

Smaller companies might actually be the  ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3780/Natural-Skin-Care-for-Infants-Which-Products-are-Best.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3780/Natural-Skin-Care-for-Infants-Which-Products-are-Best.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>The Best Universities Offer Quality Education and Expert Career Counseling </strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[The initial step or the decision to advance your career, by pursuing your education is rather a challenging decision for those who desire to study at a latter stage in life. Time lost is lost forever. All you working moms, and stay at-home moms can make your dreams a reality. Prominent universities have opened doors for all those who feel that you will not fit into an environment where you will feel comfortable to study and for those who do not know where to start and how to start. It is important that the university you choose be a reputed and recognized university and also to make sure that it has received accreditation. Education makes you a better person, giving you more confidence about yourself, and the personal development you receive by graduating from a recognized institution, opens more and more opportunities to secure better employment, thus taking you to a different level in your career. As such, a career oriented education will put you in a great place. 

By enrolling with a reputed university, you have already marketed yourself to better your prospects in your career. In a world where education and professionalism is a must and with more and more looking for employment, you already have a head start, when looking for a career in your respective field. Most of the top organizations emphasize in their job requirement category, the need of a degree or a qualification from a recognized university.  . 

Are finances your problem? Do not let it prevent you from making a better career and better lifestyle, by attending a globally recognized university, With top universities offering scholarships and awards, the burden of wondering how to pay your fees is minimized.   Seek the help of the Student Counselors who make every effort to guide you in the best way to finance your education. They will help you to look at every avenue possible, to make your education more affordable. 

Prominent universities not only offer quality education and a highly respected ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3769/The-Best-Universities-Offer-Quality-Education-and-Expert-Career-Counseling.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3769/The-Best-Universities-Offer-Quality-Education-and-Expert-Career-Counseling.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Selecting a University That Employers Respect</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[If a successful career is what is on your mind, it is very important that money is invested wisely on your education.  In this day and age, where educational institutions offer students the incentives and grants to follow a degree of your choice, careful research and cross reference should be done before entering and investing on such universities.  With the advancement of technology, this is not a difficult task.  The most important factor is selecting a university that is reputed, recognized and accredited.  Selecting a college without an accreditation is like investing your money in a bank that gives you no return.  A college or institution that has received accreditation is internationally recognized. There are many universities which offer an education par excellence and continue to be instrumental in educating thousands of students.  
 
Some universities which are well known educational institutions have also earned recognition as leading global providers of career oriented degree programs. The students of these universities not only receive quality career education, and earn a highly respected degree; the Career Service Teams of these institutions will also guide the students personally to help them find employment in a suitable establishment. Top establishments and organizations have a high respect for these universities and are eager to provide employment to students graduating from these universities as they are confident that they will be good employees. These organizations find the best from a pool of talented and qualified candidates.  
 
With more and more candidates looking for suitable employment, competition is very high, and every student thus has to make sure that the qualification at hand is acceptable to the employer.  When selecting suitable candidates for a job, one important criteria of elimination of applicants by the employer, is by checking the school in which the applicant had received the education.  Study has shown that more and mor ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3763/Selecting-a-University-That-Employers-Respect.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3763/Selecting-a-University-That-Employers-Respect.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Reverse Aging Naturally</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Aging is an inevitable process; no matter what you do it’s going to take place naturally and so silently that you won’t even realize it’s happening until the symptoms start to show on your face. Although it’s IMPOSSIBLE not to age, what many people don’t realize is that they can slow down natural aging by doing some very simple things which will help you look a few decades younger for longer than you thought… 

Stay away from harmful elements
Keep your skin away from these as much as you can. Many of the things that you use daily contain plenty of harsh substances which will damage your skin. These substances can be UV radiation (from the sun), alkaline hair care, chlorine, harmful makeup, harmful artificial ingredients in your skin care products are just a few of many substances which speed up the process of aging. Protecting your skin from such harmful substances will make it more responsive to treatment. Use natural skin care products.

Periodic treatments
Just as is the case with a machine needing to undergo some routine repair and care, your skin needs to be looked after on a routine basis. Some very basic skin care treatment will make sure your skin is nourished, moisturized and fresh. This will help delay aging of your skin. Cleansing, toning, moisturizing and anti-scaling treatments are some of the most basic techniques which you may have to do regularly on your skin. You can do this daily or at least 4-5 times a week. Better yet, consult a dermatologist to figure out what sort of routine treatment would help your skin. 

Customized treatment for YOUR skin type
Different people own different types of skin meaning that it’s important for you to identify what category your skin falls in. Your skin may need some special treatments to stay healthy. This means that your routine skin care should be according to the type of your skin too. Once you figure your skin type, you can treat your skin in the right way. 

Your age
Your skin care tr ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3754/Reverse-Aging-Naturally.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3754/Reverse-Aging-Naturally.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Selecting a Degree that Achieves Your Goals</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[If you are at cross-roads, finding it difficult to make a decision, not having adequate funds to pursue your goal, you have visited the right web-site. There are universities with a reputation for providing quality education and focusing on career service.  For working moms, and stay-at-home moms who do not know from where to start, and for those who want to continue their education from where they have stopped, these universities will cater to your need, be it from the comfort of your home or in the traditional classroom environment.

With a wide range of associate degrees, bachelor and master degrees to choose from, whatever your interest and skills may be, you will be able to find the degree of your choice. When you enroll with a top university with accreditation, the money invested on your education, will reap its harvest, within a short period of time. 
 
For those who are working and finding it difficult to fit in to the traditional school time-table, but yet want to pursue your dreams it will be an ideal opportunity to join a recognized online university. With classes scheduled at a time convenient to you, many opt for e-learning, so that their normal routine of work is not disrupted. When selecting the degree, make certain that it will enhance your career and take you to a new level in your profession.  Take into consideration the line of work you are involved in.  And if you have been out of the office environment for a certain period of time, due to responsibilities at home or baby-sitting, and wish to start off a new career, select a degree that will interest you, and make your studies more enjoyable.  Recent survey has shown that the earning potential for a candidate with the recognized degree to be around $40,000.    
 
College can be expensive.  Do not let finances and funding for your degree, prevent you from achieving your goal. Universities offer millions of dollars in scholarships to subsidize the education, and in addition, scholarships are  ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3748/Selecting-a-Degree-that-Achieves-Your-Goals.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3748/Selecting-a-Degree-that-Achieves-Your-Goals.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Getting to know your University before enrolling to start your Education</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[In life, selecting the right institution for your future education is considered as one of the toughest decisions.  Therefore careful research should be done before you enroll, as education is a huge investment for any aspirant.  Keep in mind that your entire career and life thereafter will depend on the education you receive.  

It is important that the university you wish to study is of repute, and has received accreditation. Universities that are accredited have been recognized by the accrediting organizations and bodies, as institutions that meet the required level of standard and also continues to maintain same as an educational institution. With numerous fake and fraudulent universities trying to allure students and offering them quick diplomas and degrees, home-work should be done before enrolling.  How does one know whether a university has received accreditation or not?  The word ‘fully accredited’ alone is not sufficient. 

Check the website for verification and information about the university. These fake universities or now commonly known as ‘Diploma mills’, take advantage of lack of knowledge, by using the term ‘accredited’. And the accreditation they have received will be from a non-existing organization.  With the new technology, and resources available in the internet, take time to check and cross-check the authenticity of the institution. These universities offer degrees within a very short period of time for a very nominal fee.  Official government bodies and websites could enlighten you more on this subject and give clear guidance in choosing an accredited university.
 
There are accredited universities focused on education which have been educating the nation for long periods. They offer the students a wide range of associate degrees, bachelor degrees and major’s. Prospective students could contact student services of the universities, who are committed in guiding the students and helping in providing all necessary information ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3735/Getting-to-know-your-University-before-enrolling-to-start-your-Education.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3735/Getting-to-know-your-University-before-enrolling-to-start-your-Education.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Public Speaking - How to Present an Effective Speech</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Public speaking is a challenge in itself, let alone being effective at it. However, if you are going to make a speech you should strive to make it an effective one. 

In London's Hyde Park you can just get up
and speak about any subject you wish!

Public speaking is both an art and a science. There are specific steps that can be taken to command attention and results. A scientific means of presenting your speech will have a lasting effect on your audience. 

The following is a precise procedure that will enable you to make an impact in the lives of those listening to your speech. 

First and foremost be properly prepared.

Do your home work!

Make sure that you have content and that your content is worth knowing. Once you have completed ample research for your topic familiarise yourself with the material. 

An absolute must is that your topic is presenting only one main idea.

Your whole speech will be arguing for this one specific topic. If you have more than one idea you take the chance that your listeners will not remember what you said. 

One way to know whether or not you have a proper grasp on your subject is, &amp;quot;Could you have a Q&amp;amp;A session after your speech and adequately answer their questions&amp;quot;? 

Next, you will want to organise your findings in a logical sequence.

It must flow for your audience to be interested, understand, and retain it. Your organisation of your points should continuously support the big idea. Providing evidence and reasoning are a strong part of the persuasive process! 

Once you have completed the previous tasks you are well on your way to an effective speech. 

Now, it is time to consider going to the podium to present your message. 

Write out your opening and closing remarks.

You want to be sure that you know how you are going to get started and how you will end. I don't suggest that you write out your whole speech, but do write out these two areas. 

At this time you should have the op ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3733/Public-Speaking--How-to-Present-an-Effective-Speech.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3733/Public-Speaking--How-to-Present-an-Effective-Speech.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>What you need to know before working with a debt consolidation company</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Do you feel brain-dead on ideas of how to pay back your tower of debts? Tried everything you know and still not successful? Have you been pushed to the point of desperation where you just want to finance or even charge everything on your credit card? Fear not! A debt consolidator is all you need…

First and foremost, you have to realize that on each of your credit cards you have different and increasing interest rates, which further worsens your debt situation. What more, any late payment fees or any other kind of fees will push you further into debt. So decide that the only way you can get out of debt is through a debt consolidation company.

A debt consolidation company wants to merely work with you and try to lessen your debt. Initially the debt consolidation company will try to take over your debt by buying it from companies you owe right now. This will mean that you don’t have any debt with those companies; instead you have a debt with only your debt consolidator.

The wonderful thing about this is that you will become somewhat debt free once you have consolidated your debt! This is because you just have to worry about one loan to one company instead of brainstorming about when to pay which company and what amount. Simultaneously, you will have a smaller rate of interest too, meaning that you will probably pay less to the debt consolidator compared to what you would have paid to all your debtors.

But remember to keep tabs of what you owe your debt consolidator, and make it a point to pay them on time, promptly. As it is a one time payment, the chances of you failing to keep track of it are less; thereby you will hardly ever fall back on your payments. 

There are plenty of means by which debt consolidation can apply to you. The greatest thing it can do for you is to help you live debt free and recover from all that overpowering debts you owed all over. This helps you to get the most out of a debt-free life and will relieve a great load off your m ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3726/What-you-need-to-know-before-working-with-a-debt-consolidation-company.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3726/What-you-need-to-know-before-working-with-a-debt-consolidation-company.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>How Newsletter Marketing Creates a Constant Stream of Referrals</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[What would happen if you increased referrals by 20%, 40% or even 100% or more?
 
What would your business be like?
 
Could you expand your company?
 
Could you increase your rates?
 
Could you retire earlier and perhaps enjoy more of the good life?
 
Absolutely!
 
But, most businesses (both online or offline) will never experience any of these benefits of increasing their referrals. 
 
Why Referrals Dry Up After a Month
 
Most businesses are simply out of sight and out of mind. They allow their customers to forget about them. 
 
I know, it's so unfair, especially after doing such a great job for them. But it's a universal truth.
 
Life today moves at the speed of light. If you don't consistently work to remain in the awareness path of your clients, you can be certain they will never remember you or your company.
 
The GOOD NEWS is this problem can be easily fixed by a customer newsletter.
 
The REALLY GOOD NEWS is that a monthly customer newsletter will also create massive referral action by your clients. 
 
4 Ways to Get More Referrals with Newsletters
 
1. Educate clients and prospects. Most people who engage in newsletter marketing make the mistake of trying to pitch on every page. That's fastest way to get your newsletter in the trash can. If you want more referrals, build a trusting relationship by offering real content with high informational value.
 
2. Write newsletters that get passed around. Boring content doesn't get read, much less passed on to anyone. That means your content must be interesting and engaging… that means it shouldn't be all about you. You may love your business, but don't expect your customers to feel the same way. Your newsletter should include articles that inspire, inform and are fun to read. This is the ONLY WAY your newsletters will get passed around bringing you more referrals.
 
3. Get your newsletter out to as many as possible. If you follow my newsletter marketing system, people will read your ne ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3718/How-Newsletter-Marketing-Creates-a-Constant-Stream-of-Referrals.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3718/How-Newsletter-Marketing-Creates-a-Constant-Stream-of-Referrals.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Good Time Management skills Create Study Success</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[It is important that the required work is done to a work schedule within the required time. Many are aware of this fact but sadly, find it difficult to manage their time, thereby losing on time and resulting in losses. It is not unusual. This is where good time management is required.  Have a goal oriented strategy and aim for success.  Plan out your work schedule as we cannot turn back the clock, but if we are result oriented and disciplined we will be more focused in achieving the target required.

Time management is important for our personal life and career achievements.  Time lost cannot be retrieved.  People with the thinking ‘too much to do and with so little time’, blame time for their unachieved goals, lack of finance and poor relationships. At the same time precious time is wasted due to lack of proper time management skills. 

Through time management you can create the time you need to achieve your motive.  You will be amazed how you would be able to find time if you set your mind to it.  Prioritize your work for the day, and set a target and work within that frame.

With so many distractions and peer pressure, people are easily drawn away from the goals and targets they have in mind.  With TV, internet and movies taking so much of your time, good time is wasted and not spent.  Many students are finding it difficult to pursue their studies due to these activities, and not knowing how to find time for their studies.  Do not let external distractions keep you away from your dream.  To achieve your goal set a target and work towards it. 

What people fail to realize is that they are able to find time for most of the things they want in life, but finding time for studies and career has been a difficult task.  Identify the best time of the day for your studies.  Whether it being 2 or 3 hours, learn to stick to the schedule and maintain a good study habit.  This is the key to success.

Be disciplined and loyal to yourself.  Without education you c ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3713/Good-Time-Management-skills-Create-Study-Success.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3713/Good-Time-Management-skills-Create-Study-Success.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>The Origin of Science Fiction</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[The question of the origin of science fiction has fascinated the ardent followers of science fiction and the scholars and specialists in the field alike. The question has no single best answer available because science fiction itself is a very broad and diverse field.
 
One school of thought believes that science fiction is as old as civilization itself. When man began to imagine and tell fictional stories and tales, thus originated science fiction. The ancient Epic of Gilgamesh that belongs to the Sumerian civilization, or the ancient Hindu epics of Ramayana and Mahabharata that are both thousands of years old, carry several references to imaginary inventions that could not have been possible in that day and age.
 
There is a description of a devastating flood in Gilgamesh that bears resemblance to apocalyptic science fiction. In the Hindu texts of Ramayana and Mahabharata there are references to Vimanas (airplanes) and aerial weapons and missiles, and such ammunition that could cause mass destruction in a battle. At the same time, there are several ancient texts from different cultures and civilizations that include such fictional inventions and events that could be interpreted as examples of science fiction.
 
But there is another school of thought that points out to the difference between science fantasies and science fiction. They put forward the claims that science fiction began only in the late Middle Ages. A logical thought is that as the revolution in scientific inventions began with Galileo and Newton’s discoveries, so the science fiction also originated, in the same era itself. A few scholars claim that Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein might be regarded as the first authentic work in science fiction.
 
Some researchers claim that Dante’s “Divine Comedy” and William Shakespeare’s “The Tempest” contain hints of science fiction in some parts. “The Tempest” describes one Renaissance model that later inspired the sci-fi movie “Forbidden ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3706/The-Origin-of-Science-Fiction.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3706/The-Origin-of-Science-Fiction.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Learn from Successful Entrepreneurs </strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Entrepreneurs are those people who take risks. In other words, an entrepreneur is a risk-taker. In order for an entrepreneur to be successful in today’s dynamic and volatile and business environment, there are plenty of attributes and traits that they need to display and possess. 

So, for a new entrepreneur (beginner), there are plenty of things that they could observe and learn from by looking back at and into the lives of those successful entrepreneurs. This article is aimed at providing such a guide, as to what attributes and traits that newcomers could learn and develop by looking into those of successful entrepreneurs.

Explained below are some attributes and attitudes of successful entrepreneurs that both new and matured entrepreneurs could practice and develop in order to succeed in their field of business.

Successful entrepreneurs trust and believe in themselves
Entrepreneurs who have become highly successful have been found out to be those who highly trust and believe in themselves. Determination and perseverance is all what a new entrepreneur needs at the beginning, but more and more of it is required as he/she becomes more established and successful. Hence, being ambiguous and doubtful is not what is expected from a successful entrepreneur. It should always be kept in mind that a belief and trust in something (especially on one’s self) is all what is needed in order to obtain a positive outcome/ result.       

They are goal-oriented and hence follow a plan
Successful entrepreneurs are visionary. In other words, they have a vision and would strive to reach there. What is significant in them is that they think long term and act accordingly. Hence, before putting their thoughts into practice, they will plan every single move, so as to ensure that they never go wrong in the future. Their futuristic and focused behavior is all what makes them successful over other entrepreneurs.    

They believe in equity and hence gain respect by everybody ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3705/Learn-from-Successful-Entrepreneurs.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3705/Learn-from-Successful-Entrepreneurs.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Using Keywords to Identify your Target Market</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[A Target Market consists of groups of people with similar characteristics who are potential buyers for a product or service. Every business needs to identify their target market so they can customize their marketing efforts to these groups for optimized results.
 
Websites are one of the most valuable marketing tools for most businesses; therefore websites should focus their web visibility on attracting and keeping target audience. The most effective way to do this is to focus on keywords and search terms used by potential customers and establish effective search engine rankings. Your aim is to be ranked on the first page of results for your keywords, because research shows that search engine users don’t generally look beyond the first few pages of results.
 
Special attention should be given when choosing the right keywords. Incorrect keywords will result in you missing your target audience. Therefore to ensure you are making the right choices you need to dedicate significant amount of research to find the keywords that will bring you the best results.   
 
So how do you go about researching for keywords? A good place to start is your own website; consult server logs to find out what terms customers are using to find your website. You can then research competitors and find out what keywords are being used on their websites. Be attentive to your area of business and find out the popular Buzz words that are being used to describe your product. Finally your can use a tool like Word tracker or Keyword Discovery to find keywords people are using to find products and services.
 
Before choosing keywords for your website consider the following points
 
·        When you analyze potential keywords you will find that some keywords are highly competitive. It is better to avoid these and look for some that will offer you a niche opportunity. Find a relevant and suitable keyword with low competition. You can find out where competitors rank on major search engines  ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3704/Using-Keywords-to-Identify-your-Target-Market.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3704/Using-Keywords-to-Identify-your-Target-Market.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Starting a Cleaning Service</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Do you like the spruced up “spic and span” look? Do you like keeping things clean and in order always? Never mind if your friends consider you a clean freak, if the answer to the above questions is a yes, then you might have just stumbled across a great home business opportunity. 
 
Most people at some point or the other have utilized the services of a cleaning business. So long as there is mess, the need for a cleaning service business will always be there. This is also another way of saying that if you decide to go ahead with setting up a cleaning service and are good at what you offer, then this can be your one way ticket to business success.
 
Mounting work pressure and the evil of rush hour leaves the ordinary man with barely enough time to eat dinner before hitting the sack. Where is the time for cleaning and maintaining a house? 
 
Working moms are even more hard pressed for time as work and kids and family hardly leaves them any personal time. Most people who find themselves in this situation are only too happy to engage a cleaning service professional to keep their homes clean. 
 
Businesses and corporations are also increasingly turning towards cleaning services to take care of general cleaning and janitorial tasks. Instead of employing in house cleaners, today most businesses prefer outsourcing to a cleaning service. 
 
The reason primarily has to do with the fact that outsourcing works out a lot cheaper and does not laden the management with work that goes into maintaining accounts of salaried employees. Thus both parties involved are in a “win win” situation. 
 
Starting a cleaning service comes with rather attractive advantages. One of the most attractive aspects of this business is that it requires low start-up costs. All you need to start is a vehicle and some basic cleaning equipment.  Another advantage is that you have the option of working part time if you want to. If you have a family or other obligations and cannot go into do ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3701/Starting-a-Cleaning-Service.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3701/Starting-a-Cleaning-Service.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>How Nonprofits Raise More Funds Online in a Global Recession</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Fundraising for your nonprofit or charitable organization should be a positive happy experience, right?  
 
It's about helping a great cause - sending kids to a national competition, improving a community, finding medical cures, saving animals, and more. These are important issues in our lives, to the tune of over $1 trillion dollars a year in donations! 
 
But times have become more and more challenging for fundraisers.  
 
Here Are Two Challenges Fundraisers Now Face When Planning Fundraising Events &amp;amp; Activities to Raise More Funds: 
 
1. We deal with uncertain revenue streams, escalating overhead, and generating new interest from patrons and donors. Now as we're experiencing one of the worst recessions in decades, you may not be sure how to plan your fundraising. What can you expect from donors? Will they be there for you? Even if they want to give, do they want what you're offering? 
 
2. Another big challenge is the way we've approached the job in the past. Usually the process is shared by parents, kids, and small business professionals. We &amp;quot;fan out&amp;quot; with our products and ask for the sale or set up sites for donations. Then, since most of us don't like to actually &amp;quot;sell stuff,&amp;quot; we put it off. Ultimately, many people on the team end up buying &amp;quot;the stuff,&amp;quot; only to give it away or store it in the garage - again. 
 
So How Can Nonprofit and Charitable Organizations Raise More Funds Now 
 
 
One innovative alternative has evolved and is getting lots of attention. The concept is based on the rise and undeniable appeal of global e-commerce. According to independent business researchers at Forrester Research, online retail sales reached $175 billion in 2007 and are projected to grow to $335 billion by 2012 in the United States. E-commerce has consistently grown by double digits each year for many reasons like convenience, variety and savings. And, most importantly, online shoppers seem to be less sensitive to adverse eco ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3698/How-Nonprofits-Raise-More-Funds-Online-in-a-Global-Recession.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3698/How-Nonprofits-Raise-More-Funds-Online-in-a-Global-Recession.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Make Business Email List Visible to the Top Honchos</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[A good executive Business Email List is your conduit to the top echelon of an organization. It is at this foothold that all defining decisions are made. Thus to market your product or services to other businesses, it is crucial to reach the executives of the organization. The people at this level are always piled up with responsibilities and have very less time to go through your lucrative offerings. Hence while sending mails to the executive records of your mailing list, you need to focus on the usefulness of your product rather than its features. 

How Best to Utilize Your Executive Business Email List?

In case you are offering IT product and services you have to be especially conscious while shooting your mails to the top executives of the organization. They neither have time nor interest to know that the software you are offering runs at a precise speed and mode. Neither they are interested to know the features that your software has. They just want to know whether your product is suitable for their business or not. That is, whether it is reliable, quick in fixing up your problems, and will stem cyberthiefs and viruses from making in routes into the system.

Never assume that the executives know too much of the technical argots as they belong to the top level of the organization. So always take an overall view before scripting your sales message. Executive mailing lists can help you get square deals.

Check a Few Things before Buying Executive  List 

Before you purchase the executive email list, check out a few basic things about your list vendor. See, if your list vendor has long years of experience in this field. Interact with their other clients and find out whether working with them has really resulted in better ROI. 

In case you need an executive mailing list segmented on the basis of location, ask your list vendor if they can segment the list by:

State name
City name
Zip code
Goods route

Ask them if they can cater executives mailing ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3694/Make-Business-Email-List-Visible-to-the-Top-Honchos.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3694/Make-Business-Email-List-Visible-to-the-Top-Honchos.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Using Classified Ads to Market your Business</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Classified ads have been in existence almost as long as the existence of the newspaper itself. Classified advertising has remained one of the most traditional and successful forms of advertising within a low budget for home based, small, and medium sized businesses.
 
LOW COST
 
The best benefit of a classified advertisement is that it is affordable within a low budget, and it allows your business to get publicity through a widely circulated newspaper or magazine. The ad rates of the classified advertisements are the lowest in any print media, and they are suited ideally for the small businesses that have very low budgets for advertising.
 
LOCALIZED FOCUS
 
Many newspapers have different editions for different cities and states. Also, certain supplementary newspapers and magazines are even more area specific, catering to a specific area or zone within a city itself. In such cases, the target market becomes well defined, and the advertiser can concentrate only on the specific market as per the requirement of his business. This way, maximum response can be achieved at a low cost because the target is focused and wastage is reduced drastically.
 
OPPORTUNITY OF REPEATED ADVERTISING
 
The business can afford to advertise a number of times in a classified ad section. This helps to increase the brand recall in the mind of the customer, and enhances visibility of the business. Sometimes, it may be better to have a small advertisement repeatedly, instead of just one big advertisement that consumes a lot of the budget. Repeated advertising has a better potential to influence the customer’s buying decision. It also improves brand recognition and familiarity with the company.
 
WIDE AND EFFECTIVE MARKET REACH
 
Newspapers or magazines that have a high circulation are the best vehicles for your classified advertisement. These publications reach maximum households, and provide a high visibility and reach to your business. All segments of customers, including m ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3693/Using-Classified-Ads-to-Market-your-Business.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3693/Using-Classified-Ads-to-Market-your-Business.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Opportunity knocks for People who have Technical Training</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[With development and advancement, many organizations are opening doors of opportunity for those who have skills and knowledge.  And, students who wish to pursue a career in their fields of interest opt to join the technical colleges, to follow a course of study.  Many of the reputed institutions offer specific technical programs and degrees to suit the candidate.
 
Technical studies are different to the regular classroom studies. With advanced laboratories, equipment and high-tech environment, students have found technical training enjoyable and interesting. With diplomas and associate degrees, which approximately take 1 to 2 years of study, students have found these programs a foundation or a training ground for other courses of study or a degree program.  This provides one-on-one instruction to develop their individual talents and skills.  With hands-on experience, internships are offered during training or on completion of the education.  
 
With many associate degree programs and bachelor degrees on offer in the fields of Engineering Technology, Health Services Management and Criminal Justice and Hospitality, students are able to choose a discipline that interest them best.  
 
There are leading accredited universities in technical based business education which have been in existence for over 75 years offering degrees in technical management. They are recognized internationally and have earned accreditation for Engineering and Technology over 50 years ago.  This speaks volumes to their commitment to education. These universities have expanded and grown as elite and reputed institutions in the field of education. For those who are career focused these are ideal institutions to launch off your career. Being career oriented institutions their career services teams are committed to serve the students in the best way possible and to guide the students step by step in finding suitable employment.  Technical Management degrees take less time and is less expensiv ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3691/Opportunity-knocks-for-People-who-have-Technical-Training.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3691/Opportunity-knocks-for-People-who-have-Technical-Training.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>To be a good Basketball Shooter you must learn the Techniques</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Basketball is a popular sport, and the most exciting part of the game is shooting of the ball that makes all the spectators, fans and players go into a tizzy of excitement. Every basketball player dreams of becoming a great shooter and especially kids want to practice basketball shooting more than anything else.

Like in every sport, even in basketball shooting, technique is everything. If you learn the good techniques and practice them consistently, your shooting aims are bound to improve and you can become a recognized shooter of your basketball team.
 
PERIMETER BASKETBALL SHOOTING TECHNIQUES
 
ONE-HANDED SET SHOT: The fundamental rule of shooting is that before going ahead with the shoot, ensure that your basic body set-up is correct. Place your feet apart up to your shoulder width, and let your body mass be divided evenly between them. Bend your knees a little, and relax your back and hips. Place your right foot marginally ahead of the left (do the opposite if you are left-handed shooter). Now hold the ball near your chest and beneath your chin. Spread your fingers of the shooting hand so that the ball should be held in your fingers without touching the palm. Now you are set for your best shot.
 
JUMP SHOT: The technique is very similar to the set shot, so follow the same instructions here. But the only difference is in the jump shot; your objective is to gain an extra advantage of height through your jump before letting off the shot. Maintain the balance so that you do not overshoot yourself in your attempt to gain extra jump. The secret of this shot lies in your swiftness, and not in making an attempt to out-jump your opponent. The key is to make your shoot without giving sufficient time to the opponent to react.
 
FREE THROW: This is a special opportunity that comes in almost every basketball game. So if you try to master this shot, you are always going to get your big chance to show your skills while the entire team looks up to you with hope. The  ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3687/To-be-a-good-Basketball-Shooter-you-must-learn-the-Techniques.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3687/To-be-a-good-Basketball-Shooter-you-must-learn-the-Techniques.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Your Child and Positive Discipline</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Discipline is an important part of a child’s upbringing, both at home and at school. But discipline must be like a helping hand that assists the child to learn the ways of living in a society. It inculcates in him a respect for the rules and regulations of living among other people in a civilized world.

But the big question is the methodology adopted to inculcate discipline in a child’s life. If a parent or a teacher or a caretaker is impatient or anxious or stressed out by nature, he runs the risk of taking out of his own frustrations on the child in the name of disciplining. Such a person will tend to impose too many restrictions on the child, and be dictatorial in his attitude. That is negative disciplining that will only harm the child’s psyche in the long run, and probably turn him into a rebel against discipline some day.
 
Against that, positive discipline focuses on “doing the right things” rather than “not doing the wrong things.” A child will always respond to a positive reinforcement that respects his innate qualities and abilities, and encourages him to perform at his best behavior. Positive approach will enhance the child’s self-esteem that is so delicate at a tender age and must be handled with utmost sensitivity.
 
A critical component of positive discipline is to first of all find time for the child, listen to his points carefully, pay attention to his needs, and try to understand things from his perspective. By giving sufficient time and attention to the child you are giving him great respect, and he is bound to respond back in equal measure to you.
 
Secondly, it is an important part of positive disciplining to be creative and engage the child in constructive activities. Since an empty mind is a devil’s workshop, it is much better to encourage the child to develop some good hobbies like reading, writing, sports or music. This will channel the boundless energy of the child in the positive direction, and he will begin to ga ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3686/Your-Child-and-Positive-Discipline.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3686/Your-Child-and-Positive-Discipline.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Using Online Coupons to Market your Business</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Discount Coupons serve as a great marketing tool and help to promote any product, service or business. Particularly, with the rising popularity of the Internet, Online Coupons are fast taking over from the traditional printed coupons.

Online Coupons cost much cheaper than the traditional physical paper coupons. They have a wider reach, greater flexibility and can be managed more efficiently than the paper coupons.
 
In a highly competitive business environment, all competitors struggle with each other to win the customer’s attention span, and achieve the sales. Due to stiff competition, many players in the market offer the same quality and the same price as you. Therefore, it becomes difficult to differentiate your business on these parameters.
 
In such competition, the business with more innovative marketing techniques and more creative offerings has a better chance to achieve a larger share of the customer’s dollar.
 
HIGHER VISIBILITY FOR YOUR BUSINESS
 
Online Coupons help the business to attain a higher visibility for business by rising above the clutter, and offering something special and attractive. The business achieves quick word of mouth publicity that spreads around and fetches substantial results in terms of sales. Customer recall for your product will be better if the customer has seen a Discount Coupon of it. So while making a purchase decision, he may try to obtain the coupon and make his decision in your favor.
 
INFLUENCING THE CUSTOMER’S PURCHASE DECISION
 
Sometimes two rival products or services may be offering almost identical value for money to the customer. In such a case, a business that is offering an online Discount Coupon may succeed in attracting the customer and influencing his buying decision in its favor by adding something additional.
 
EXPANDING THE MARKET REACH OF THE BUSINESS
 
Online Coupons have the power to widen the reach of your business at a very low cost. In case of paper coupons it may be unafforda ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3681/Using-Online-Coupons-to-Market-your-Business.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3681/Using-Online-Coupons-to-Market-your-Business.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Starting a Craft Business</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[A craft business is one of those unique ventures that let’s you combine both creativity and an optimal earning source. If you are reading this article then you probably already are artistically inclined, which means you already have the first aspect of getting into this business in place. The second aspect, and in a lot of ways the more important of the two is learning to harness your creativity in a manner that will let you make a living doing what you love doing. 

All businesses have a few ground rules as does the craft business. And knowing how and where to tread can have a huge impact on your success in this business venture. A careful consideration and thought should be given to a few things before you go ahead. 
 
Passion vs. money
 
I know this may sound an unfair comparison, however at the end of the day it all bottles down to this aspect. Think carefully if you are getting into this solely for money or because your passion and love of crafts is greater. 
 
Although money is an underlying reason behind a lot of thing we do, if you want to succeed in the craft industry you have to have a higher motivation than money to keep you going in lean times. It helps to know that every business cycle goes through periods of highs and lows and while tiding the highs is easy and fun, the true test of your passion comes out when your business is not doing well. 
 
Be honest with yourself; if money is your only consideration then getting into this business is not a good idea. 
 
Is there a Market for your Craft? 
 
Once you are sure that you are getting into the craft business because you absolutely love it, your next consideration is to determine whether or not you have a sound and valid market for your crafts. 
 
No point in jumping into the pool only to discover half way that you forgot to fill it with water!
 
Start slow and small
 
In all likelihood you will be catering to a niche crowd. Now that kind of an audience does not sprout up over night ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3680/Starting-a-Craft-Business.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3680/Starting-a-Craft-Business.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>The Effects of Divorce on Teenagers</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Divorce, it has become the norm in the modern society.  In the years gone by, parents whatever the circumstance may be, tried their best to keep the marriage and live as husband as wife for the sake of their children.  Even in difficult situations, they thought of divorce as the very last option, and most couples preferred to live together though there may not have been any love between them.  But with time this has changed.  In a society where people have equal rights, even in marriage couples expect equal rights in the way they live, compromising, patience, and giving more than receiving is so limited and hardly spoken of.  In that mind-set, when their expectations are not met, they opt to divorce or separate.
 
What every couple should keep in mind when such decision is taken is the negative impact it has on your children.  The harm and the psychological affect on a child due to parents deciding to divorce are immense.  Though to a certain extent you may think if the children are of a very young age that they may not realize the gravity of it, according to study whatever age they may be this tends to have an affect on their little lives.  But worst hit by this outcome are the teenagers.  Being of an age that they are able to understand, and walking into adulthood of their lives, they are at cross-roads as to their future and try to analyze on their own as to why they are in such a situation and the cause of their parents divorce.  As such parents must discuss with their teenagers as to why they are divorcing and also assure them of their love and minimize the effect that would fall upon them.  By continuing the usual family outings and gatherings, they could be strengthened and made to realize that though divorced that they still have their mom and dad.  The hardest fact that the teenagers do not want to accept is, if one parent or both have another partner in their lives.  This is very detrimental and has caused teenagers to retaliate and rebel, and as a resul ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3669/The-Effects-of-Divorce-on-Teenagers.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3669/The-Effects-of-Divorce-on-Teenagers.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Starting your own Online Store</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[With all the online transactions happening, it’s easy to get confused about what exactly you should do on the web. Opening an online store is a good decision and a good start. We’re here to help you get started.

Step 1- What do you care about? 
This is a good question as any in business. If you are passionate about an area or a product type, it goes without saying that you’d be good at promoting it. Interest also creates knowledge, the kind that others will pay for. Plus, you don’t want to branch out too much at the start of your online store. It’s best to first concentrate on one line of products or services so that you can devote your time and energy towards that. Another important reason to sell something you are passionate about is that it gains you competitive advantage, especially over large companies that have a variety of products/services. Finally, when you do something you enjoy, you’ll be that much more committed and, as they say, ‘you’ll never work another day in your life!’

Step 2- Choose a service provider
To set up the store, you need to get in touch with a company such as Zilo. You can open your online store through them. They will provide the necessary infrastructure so that you won’t have to worry too much over the store front, the format of the store or legal considerations. In short, the process of opening a store will be made very convenient by a service provider. Remember that Zilo does not allow store owners to keep their own physical catalog. Amazon.com is another service that you can try but the catch here is that you’ll be selling their products and getting a commission. On the other hand, a Yahoo store front gives you the chance to create and sell your own physical inventory. 

Step 3-   Expand your inventory 
Add selected products/services to your web store. Don’t delay this process trying to be very careful in your selection. You need to catch the interest of customers quickly. People will grow tired of ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3668/Starting-your-own-Online-Store.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3668/Starting-your-own-Online-Store.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Increased Learning means Increased Earning Potential</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[“The root of education is bitter, but the fruit is sweet”.

Living in a society where education is a must for career success, and better living, every person should take note to make the best of the time available, and put it to good use. Education is an integral part of your life.  It is a life long process.  

With education not only do you gain a qualification, it builds confidence.  Thus, many are looking at continuing their education from where they stopped, or starting off again, knowing that without education, the chances of promotions, and pay raises are minimal.  It is important that from time to time, people look at ways and opportunities to grab every possible means of gaining higher education.  For those, who have found less time in hand, due to work, or other commitments, with the new technology, on-line studies, or e-learning has opened up doors of opportunity for the aspirants.  It is really an incentive for all those who are interested in pursuing their studies.  With e-learning, you are able to do your studies in the comfort of your living room, at a time that is suitable and convenient to you.  These classes are scheduled according to your needs, thus bringing education to your door step.

Reputed and accredited universities are recognized for their contribution to the nation as leading educational institutions.  Graduates from these universities have been successful in securing employment within six months of completion.  This is adequate evidence with regard to the importance of attending such institutions and also the fact that, those who are qualified are recruited by the top organizations and companies.  It is also important that every student choose an institution that is accredited by the accreditation organizations and bodies.  Research has shown that all leading organizations give preference to candidates with qualifications from accredited institutions. But many have not even looked at the possibility of applying to these univer ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3665/Increased-Learning-means-Increased-Earning-Potential.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3665/Increased-Learning-means-Increased-Earning-Potential.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Can you trust your skin care products? Reading labels will tell</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[As a consumer, you should have natural skin care education. Without it, it would be difficult for many consumers (like yourself) to make the best choices about natural skin care. It’s extremely import to know what ingredients you should NOT be putting on your face and body. With so many products out there in the market, it’s important that you have an idea of what ingredients you should look out for on labels. All the ingredients mentioned below are those which you should avoid at ANY and ALL cost…

Imidazolidinyl Urea and Diazolidinyl Urea
These are very commonly used preservatives and known to cause contact dermatitis. 

Methyl, Propyl, Butyl, and Ethyl Paraben
Again these are preservatives which increase the shelf life of products. These “parabens” are commonly used and their toxicity cause allergic reactions and skin rashes in many.

Petrolatum 
This is a mineral oil jelly which can cause sun damage since it promotes photosensitivity (sensitivity to light). It also tends to interfere with the body’s own mechanism to moisturize itself. This can cause dry skin and chapping too. 

PVP/VA Copolymer 
This chemical (obtained from petroleum) is used in hairsprays, wave sets and plenty of other cosmetics. Its particles may affect the lungs making it toxic in nature.

Sodium Lauryl Sulfate 
This artificial ingredient is used in shampoos to increase the “foaming” capacity of shampoos. It can cause eye irritations, skin rashes, hair loss, dandruff and other allergic reactions. SLS can pose some serious health threats like eye damage, depression, diarrhea and even death so watch out. 

Stearalkonium Chloride 
This highly toxic chemical, usually found in hair conditioners and creams, can cause allergic reactions. This chemical mostly used in fabric softeners is being used as a cheap substitute to proteins or herbals in hair conditioners.  

Synthetic Colors 
These colors which make cosmetics “pretty looking” are a big NO-NO. They are  ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3662/Can-you-trust-your-skin-care-products-Reading-labels-will-tell.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3662/Can-you-trust-your-skin-care-products-Reading-labels-will-tell.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>How does Debt Settlement affect your Credit Rating?</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Debt settlement is not only an aggressive means of gaining debt relief but it has an instantaneous positive effect on your debt management too. This is because it will reduce or even eliminate your debt very quickly. People who resort to debt settlement are usually in desperate need of debt help.
During the process, the creditor agrees to be paid an amount lower than what is actually owing to him. Creditors agree to this arrangement since they know that if you go bankrupt, they would get nothing; something is better than nothing!
In the usual situation, if you have been pushed to the point of opting for debt settlement, your credit score has probably already taken a plunge! Your debt to income ratio, debt to credit ratio are probably already high and you may have defaulted some payments too.
On the other hand, the good news is that debt settlement will probably NOT have such a dramatic and worsening effect on your credit rating! The important reason for your credit score to be going down is the defaulted payments. So settle those first and soon you will realize that your credit score is slowly starting to soar again.
The effect on your credit score would only be very short standing and temporary when compared to how badly your credit score may suffer when it comes to paying off your debts over a long period of time. So what you have to realize is that NOT settling your debt immediately will set your credit score soaring downwards for a much longer time than debt settlement. By going for debt settlement, you will not only settle all your debt but all your accounts will go to “zero” balances too!
Now that you know that your credit score is not going to suffer anymore than it has already suffered, start looking for a reliable and reputed debt settlement company…catch up on all the sleep you have missed because of all these debts!

Bizymoms.com has been helping provide moms with [URL=http://www.bizymoms.com]information[/URL] on everyday matters and importan ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3649/How-does-Debt-Settlement-affect-your-Credit-Rating.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3649/How-does-Debt-Settlement-affect-your-Credit-Rating.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>The Importance of Maintaining your Books and Finances</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[The success of your business depends partly on the management of your finances. You need to know how to effectively collect money, keep a record of it, save it, spend it, and invest it in the proper manner. This is where a good bookkeeping system comes in to your business. While it does not need to be a complicated system, the basics of accounts received and accounts payable need to be recorded.
 
It is important to study and analyze your finances based on your records. Accurate bookkeeping will allow you to see how your business is doing; whether it’s going forward and making money, or whether there is trouble ahead. Your bookkeeping system is a vital part of your financial information for your business. It is important to record the dates of each transaction, their purpose, the amounts involved, and the methods used for the transactions (cash or credit). Further documents such as receipts, bank statements, paid bills and cancelled checks should be filed properly.
 
The first step in creating and maintaining a good bookkeeping system is keeping good records. Someone in your business has to take on the responsibility of putting in the relevant data on a daily or weekly basis. The key is to consistently update your books. If your books are not kept up to date, you will not know where your business stands with finances. You should know how much you have spent and how much you have earned. 
 
This information will help you answer the questions needed to know where your business is heading. You will know exactly how the money is being used and whether you are making a profit or a loss. This vital information will allow you to make correct decisions to plan your budget and what you need to do to avoid problems that may arise in the future. By keeping good records, you will be able to anticipate problems before they arise, and then take steps to avoid them. 
 
Your accounting books will show how much money is in the business, what is owed to others, as well as w ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3647/The-Importance-of-Maintaining-your-Books-and-Finances.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3647/The-Importance-of-Maintaining-your-Books-and-Finances.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Lead Generation Tips</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[The year has gotten off to a fast start and many sales managers and sales representatives are trying to get a jump on the year to offset losses from recessionary woes. Since the beginning of the year, my email has become inundated with questions about lead generation and cold calling techniques. Selling professionals are hitting stonewalls and getting nowhere. 

The art of cold calling is serious business. Cold Calling requires patience, persistence and professionalism. The trick is to remain constantly positive and vigilant. More important, you must remember that cold calling is meant to generate leads… not business! Too many of you reading this believe that when you cold call you are to sell something, this is far from the truth. Whether stocks, insurance or any other product the concept behind cold calling is to generate a prospective lead that results in another appointment.

I want to give you some tips on generating leads and cold calling in this article. However, I want to get you in the proper framework so that before you pick up the telephone you remember the proper cold calling techniques. The comedian Jeff Foxworthy uses a moniker with every joke that states, “You might be a redneck if”. Before you read each of the ten tips say to yourself, “You might be a cold calling nuisance if…”

1.	You pick up the telephone and have no idea who you are calling. Someone called me recently and asked for the proprietor. Know whom you are calling.
2.	After hello you begin with chitchat. Speak with conviction and have a purpose for every call.
3.	You call and have conversations with gatekeepers. Call only decision makers. Stop wasting time with gatekeepers that are paid to detain you. Research the person you want to reach before you pick up the phone.
4.	You do not know anything about the business or industry you call. I had a gentleman call me this morning to sell me a copier without an iota of knowledge of my business. Imagine the shock when he disc ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3644/Lead-Generation-Tips.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3644/Lead-Generation-Tips.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Boost Your Business Visibility with Search Engine Marketing</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Consider the situation - You have a website. You have run from pillar to post to get the right design for your site, ensure your navigation works, and add all the content. Now its time to get some business out of it...

What will you do? Well, You have to market your site over the web. Search Engine Optimization is an effective way to do this. 


What is Search Engine Optimization?

Search engine optimization or marketing, is a type of Online Marketing that seeks to promote websites by enhancing their visibility in search engine result pages

Benefits of Search Engine Optimization to your Business

Timely

Search engines play a crucial role in online marketing. They enable the prospects to reach the service providers at the very moment of want and also avail them exactly what we want, when we want it. They are very efficient and exist as long as the Web is around.

Targeted 

The traffic driven by Search Engine is very targeted. The visitors who visit your site to find your product and services through search engines are seeking relevant products and are predisposed to hear your marketing message. Rarely, you will find a more qualified prospect than these.

Non-Intrusive

Search marketing is a non-intrusive marketing tool. All other advertising means intrudes upon customer behavior. Whether newspapers, radio, television... advertisements are forced upon you. In search engine marketing, the user is actively looking for your products, services, and information. They are glad to have reached your site. Thus it is non-intrusive. 

Cost-effective

Surveys show that online purchases made through traffic delivered by search engines are 6 times more compared to banner advertising. The expenditure incurred due to online marketing campaigns using search engines is quite less than that for banner advertising. Thus they are cost efficient. 

Wide Usage

Most of the Web users browse the web on a daily basis. Only thing that is done online more often  ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3641/Boost-Your-Business-Visibility-with-Search-Engine-Marketing.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3641/Boost-Your-Business-Visibility-with-Search-Engine-Marketing.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Baby Sign Language: Helping your Baby to Communicate</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Nothing can be more disheartening than the sight of a crying baby; compounded by the fact that you probably have no idea why the baby is crying. Every mother goes through this phase which is accompanied by a feeling of acute helplessness. If however you want to do something constructive and effective to get past this stage, then learning baby sign language is something that you should seriously consider. 

If you haven’t heard about baby sign language already then this may come as a surprise to you, but by using simple hand shapes and motions or associative gestures, you and your little one can learn to communicate with each other. Anyone new to baby sign language may question the validity of using or teaching a baby sign language which on most parts is based on ASL, the language that the hearing impaired use to communicate.  

Consider this – your baby finds if easier to communicate through signs and gestures than through actual words. This is because a baby can hear; comprehend and respond to sights and sounds even before he completes a year. However till the age of 3 years and above, the motor skills and abilities that are required to master language are not fully developed in a child. And since speech requires the use of trained vocal chords, most babies and toddlers have a limited vocabulary.  

Baby sign language and words 
Some of the most common actions and signs that are used in baby sign language are &amp;quot;hungry&amp;quot;, &amp;quot;milk&amp;quot;, &amp;quot;wet&amp;quot;, &amp;quot;hurt&amp;quot;, &amp;quot;sleepy&amp;quot; and “hug”. However, over a period of time this limited language can grow and expand. Of course, you have to make provisions for the fact that all babies are not the same. So while some babies may respond much quicker, others might take a little extra time. 

Does baby signing help or hinder? 
The answer to the question whether baby signing hinders is simply a big no. Innumerable studies and research conducted over a period of time have proved that baby ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3640/Baby-Sign-Language-Helping-your-Baby-to-Communicate.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3640/Baby-Sign-Language-Helping-your-Baby-to-Communicate.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Five Benefits of Online Education</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[1. Improve your career
Following the correct path of education is the key to success in a professional career. Many people find it useful to have some extra educational qualifications to meet the demands in a rapidly changing business world. Professionals already qualified and experienced in certain fields are included in this batch. Full time conventional education schemes are not options for you unless you have lot of free time. Most of us lack time as a resource, considerably in our lives. For that reason, online education is a fine technique to pursuit advanced knowledge in the area you are currently employed on. Many employers want their staff to improve in the job-relevant functions by gathering further knowledge. 

2. Avoid traveling
The process of education is based upon the acquisition of knowledge. If you can have the facts in detail, it does not matter the way you get it. So why travel just to get the facts when you have an alternate, efficient and low cost method? Have you ever thought about the environmental effect you can make by avoiding travel to your college? You can help the planet to stay greener by not engaging yourself in fossil fuel burning. Besides, online education is the only hope for many people who are generally less-movable, such as differently able persons.

3. Do not miss out your normal life
Gaining education needs sacrifice and commitment. However, can you do it effectively while you are working full time? Especially if you are a parent, you are well aware about the duties you have. Can you manage your household tasks with your education? Absolutely, there is no better way to do it than learning online. Most of the traditional education limits are not valid in online education. You may be young or old, employed or unemployed, married or single; you can still participate in online education.

4. Gain experience while learning
Another aspect of online education is that you can both earn a degree, and obtain experience in a rel ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3639/Five-Benefits-of-Online-Education.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3639/Five-Benefits-of-Online-Education.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Divorce- How you can minimize the Effects on Children</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Divorce, it is a sad, end result.  When parents decide to separate or divorce, at the time that this decision is made it is only the couple that is affected.  Again, it is a decision that they make as mature adults due to various reasons, such as extra-marital relationships, incompatibility, finances or even personal or selfish reasons they might have.  At this point they divorce for their personal reason or gain.  The ones who suffer most in this equation are the children.  Thus, it is important that every parent who decides to divorce make all endeavors to see that their children do not suffer in the process, and that these children are brought up in a manner so that their lives too are not ruined in the process.
 
Children are able to feel and know when their parents are going through issues in their lives.  According to research a baby within a few week of birth is able to recognize the voice and tone of his/her parent.  As such, when there is constant disharmony and disagreement in the home, it affects the child psychologically.  This is the beginning of the behavioral changes in a child’s life.  Therefore it is important, that parents discuss matters of great issue in privacy, so that your children are safe from undue pressure as a result of this.
 
It is advised that when parents decide on divorce, that they discuss this matter with the children, if the children are of an age they could understand.  As children rebel and feel that they are not wanted when such things occur, and could find solace in ways that are not acceptable and could be detrimental to them.  Once divorce is formalized, whether they are in sole custody of one parent or joint custody, always remember that your child needs both father and mother.  Whatever difference of opinion you may have of each other, make sure that you do not talk negatively about your spouse with the children.  You may not love each other, but the role of a parent or the love that a parent has for the child should ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3636/Divorce-How-you-can-minimize-the-Effects-on-Children.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3636/Divorce-How-you-can-minimize-the-Effects-on-Children.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Why every Couple should have a Will</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Marriage is a joint union.  As they start a new life together as husband and wife, each spouse must give first place to their partner in their lives.  It is important that the new couple share responsibility and be open to each other’s views and opinion to matters that are of importance.  Every major decision they make should be after discussion and with consent or agreement by each spouse. This is indeed helpful and will avoid so much unpleasantness in their lives.
 
One important aspect every couple should make note of, is planning their future lives and the best way to do so.  It is helpful that all bank accounts or saving one may have is made as a joint account in case there is a need for one spouse to withdraw money.  Also, on the long run, this is helpful in the case of ones untimely demise.  Though it is not very heartening to discuss such matters, this is reality.  And if one could face such situation with minimum of difficulty or worry, the best it is.  It is the same outlook one should have in the case of their wealth too.  Many have gone through undue hardship to obtain their dues, due to lack of planning well beforehand, and not having a ‘Will’(a legal document stating the beneficiaries of his/her wealth drafted and legalized by a certified lawyer) in place stating how their wealth should be distributed or handed over to.  Thus it is important that if the sole beneficiary of your wealth, whether it is your Husband or wife, or if the couple intends to hand over their wealth, property, and whatever assets they may have to their children, such document is legalized so that one may not have to go through any hardship to receive your own.
 
By having a ‘Will’ in place, you can also avoid unpleasantness amongst your children.  Many families have fallen out due to this reason.  When there is no proper legal document in place, the distribution of wealth and assets are done legally, and each child will have to prove and state as to why she/he should ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3635/Why-every-Couple-should-have-a-Will.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3635/Why-every-Couple-should-have-a-Will.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Care and Cleaning of your Gemstone Jewelry</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[The jewelry we buy is precious to us and may hold certain sentimental value. Therefore, it is important to take care of them so that not only their outer look is kept intact but also that its value is not diminished by wearing, using or storing them incorrectly.

Your jewelry must be cleaned at least once a year. It is advisable to get them cleaned by a professional; however you can also maintain them on your own by following some basic guidelines.

Jewelry containing gem stones are easily damaged if worn when washing, cleaning or in other activities where chemicals maybe used. Soap, detergent, perfume, powder, oils even make up can cause for them to lose their luster. It is advisable to remove any such jewelry when doing household chores, bathing or even before you put on your daily make up. If you engage in activities that may cause for the jewelry to get damaged like in physical sports, it is good practice to remove any jewelry as it may not only harm the item but may also injure the wearer.

There are two types of gemstones; transparent and opaque. Gemstones can easily get damaged if one doesn’t clean them in the proper manner. To best clean transparent gemstones wash them with warm water with a mild detergent. A toothbrush or any soft brush can be used to clean the item. Once cleaned, rinse with lukewarm water and dry with a soft cloth.  Opaque gemstones need to be cleaned with a damp, soapy soft cloth.
High temperature or extreme cold weather can be harmful to some gems; hence jewelry needs to be protected when wearing outside. Once the gem is cleaned, it needs to be stored in a place where they won’t tangle with other items or in a soft lined box where the gem will not get scratched.

Careful handling, cleaning and storage of your jewelry and gemstones will ensure a long lifetime for them to be enjoyed.

BizyMoms is bringing quality expert information on many topics of high interest to the mom community. Visit BizyMoms' [URL=http://www.bizymoms ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3630/Care-and-Cleaning-of-your-Gemstone-Jewelry.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3630/Care-and-Cleaning-of-your-Gemstone-Jewelry.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Starting a Bake Shop Business</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[If baking is your forte, then starting a bake shop business can prove to be a good business proposition. 
 
Making a living doing what you want requires both passion and commitment in equal amounts. Anyone who bakes will know the kind of effort and attention that goes into coming up with all those delectable cakes and pastries, pies and scones and all those other bake “what not’s” that can get your mouth watering. However if you are passionate about baking, are creative and experimental and like the idea of being your own boss then opening a bake shop business is where you should think of channelizing your efforts and energy.
  
Home or Retail Outlet?

The best part about this business is that it can prove to be just as profitable even if you decide to run it from home! Your kitchen probably has all the necessary equipment already. Things such as an oven and baking pans are commonly used in almost all homes. This means you don’t have to worry about a huge investment. But before you do anything first make up your mind, from where you plan to run your bake shop business. Are you going to make it a “home business” venture or plan on taking up a retail outlet?
 
Running a business from your home is a simpler and cheaper option obviously. And with the internet, you don’t really need to have a physical location to do any kind of business. A lot of small and medium business owners create a website for their business and use it to successfully invite clients and customers and to advertise their products. A retail unit is an option if you have the monetary funds and resources required. Again as mentioned earlier, where you plan to do business from is for you to decide.
 
How do the others do it?
 
Although there is a good market for all kinds of cakes and bakes, it is advisable to check out competition as well as what sells, what is in demand and most importantly how people advertise and sell their products. In order to do this, make a list of all t ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3627/Starting-a-Bake-Shop-Business.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3627/Starting-a-Bake-Shop-Business.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Music and its Soothing Properties</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[“I have my own particular sorrows, loves delights; and you have yours. But sorrow, gladness, yearning, hope, love, belong to all of us, in all time and in all places. Music is the only means whereby we feel these emotions in their universality.”
~H. A. Overstreet (writer)
 
Music has been a part of human life for centuries. References to music were found in the Vedas, the ancient scripture of the Hindu tradition. India is home to one of the oldest music traditions ever. 4000 year old cuneiform from Ur indicates the earliest written records of musical expression. The history of the traditional court music of China stretches for more than 3000 years. Music had a prominent role in Ancient Greek theatre. In the 9th century, Arab scholar al-Farabi invented several musical instruments and also came up with the Arab tone system of pitch organization.
 
These historical findings are supportive of the statement made by American educator and poet, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, that;
 
“Music is the universal language of mankind.”
 
For many, music is a need as basic as the need for food, drink, love and sex. This is closely linked to the soothing properties of music. It’s only natural that we seek, and even yearn for that which soothes and comforts us. This is especially so today, with the high stress levels that plague most people.
 
“Music is the friend of labor for it lightens the task by refreshing the nerves and spirit of the worker.”
~William Green
 
Music therapy, specially that involving classical music, is fast gaining popularity. The School of Nursing in Hong Kong Polytechnic University, conducted a pilot study based on music. The study was conducted to investigate the effects of music on the anxiety of patients on mechanical ventilation. This study proved that such patients, who were exposed to music, showed greater levels of relaxation than those who weren’t. The experts conducting the study then concluded that music therapy can act as  ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3626/Music-and-its-Soothing-Properties.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3626/Music-and-its-Soothing-Properties.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Top 10 Online Degrees for Women</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Many single mothers are now thinking that if they could go back to school, they could finally make ends meet. But how can you select the correct degree to follow? Following are a glance on some of the popular online degrees, especially suitable for women.

1. Accounting
Not only men are genius in number processing, women are quite capable of handling complex mathematical formations – especially in watchful and detailed analysis. Accounting degrees can be completed fully over the Internet and it is one of the easiest of all to do online.

2. Marketing
The world economy depends much upon the marketing community. When humans discovered marketing for the first time, they realized the importance of marketing in business. Marketing is never going to stop as long as there is business. Marketing degrees may require some fieldwork, such as market study and research.

3. Finance
In the current financial world, many women are working as Financial Advisors, and this is one area they are very talented in. Finance related degrees may require lot of work to be completed, but this is one of the fields where you have many career opportunities to explore.

4. Computer science
Women are involved in computing related opportunities now, more than ever before. Women can lead in many areas of major computing correlated businesses such as software developing, especially on subjects such as splendor of user interfaces. If you are a computer enthusiast, this stream is for you.

5. Information Sciences
Most people think Computing and Information Sciences are the same but they are not. Information content transfer is a rapidly growing business theme with the increasing use of mobile communication equipment. The world has a growing demand for employees who are experts in Information and Communication Sciences.

6. Healthcare
Health and fitness studies are another major branch of learning among females. In the busy society, many people forget to take care about their own heal ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3616/Top-10-Online-Degrees-for-Women.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3616/Top-10-Online-Degrees-for-Women.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>8 Ways to Market your Candy Wrappers Business</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Candy Wrappers business holds great potential due to its uniqueness as a multi-purpose gift item and its ability to serve as an advertisement at a low cost.
 
The following are some innovative ways to market your candy wrappers business:
 
WORD OF MOUTH PUBLICITY: One of the cheapest and the most effective ways to promote your candy wrappers business is to spread the word that you are providing this unique product. Word of mouth can spread fast in your friends circle and through social gatherings and events.
 
OFFERING FREE SAMPLES: One of the best ways to demonstrate the effectiveness of your product is to create free samples to give away. Since it is a low-cost item, you can create attractive candy wrappers providing your corporate contact details, and include a delicious chocolate candy with it. Everyone welcomes candy, and it can bring you a lot of potential customers.
 
FLYERS OR DIRECT MAILERS: In your local area, it is always beneficial to spread the word with the help of creative flyers or direct mailers that ensure awareness for your product. With your creative designing, you may even be able to print the flyers or mailers yourself, at a low cost, and distribute them at the most potential places.
 
ONLINE MARKETING: This technique of selling your product is becoming increasingly popular due to its low cost, wide reach and effectiveness. Due care must be taken to create a strong sales pitch and outline the multiple uses of this product for a variety of prospective customers.
 
PARTICIPATION IN EXHIBITIONS: Due to the uniqueness of the product and its gifting potential, it may be a highly productive effort to promote it through exhibitions, particularly gift exhibitions. Such exhibitions and fairs draw the specific target customers who may be actually looking for unique gift items for various purposes, whether corporate or personal. Therefore, the chances of you gaining new customers is quite high at such events.
 
PLACING ADVERTISEMENTS IN LOCA ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3613/8-Ways-to-Market-your-Candy-Wrappers-Business.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3613/8-Ways-to-Market-your-Candy-Wrappers-Business.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>How to Compare Online Investment Brokerages</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Interested in investing in the stock market? You will need an investment broker to help you decide on a stock market investment. An investment broker will also help you make the transaction once you’ve made your decision on an investment.

How will you decide on your online investment broker? Ironically, the best place to compare online investment brokerages- is online.
 
Try visiting a few selected websites and then making your decision based on your findings from those sites.
 
·Try www.consumersearch.com, this site even gives links to other “expert and user review sources.”
·You can also try www.smartmoney.com. Their “annual broker survey” gives great reviews on features ranging from commissions to customer services.
 
You can also search based on the feature you’re looking for. For instance, if what you’re looking for is a firm that has great banking services; most sites list the firm Fidelity’s banking services as among the best.
 
Some of the features you should look into before you decide on your broker are commissions and fees, research, trading tools, banking services, mutual funds and investment products and customer services.
 
Commissions and fees
 
·Even in some discount firms, the commissions vary by the frequency of trades.
·Commissions may also vary according to number of shares and prices of shares.
 
Research
 
·Look for firms that have the most in-depth research, Fidelity is a good choice in this respect.
·Look for special research features, like TD Ameritrade’s “portfolio planner.” This feature lets you manage the allocation of your investments.
·E-Trade’s “quotes and research” section has links to outside experts’ commentary on stocks.
·E trade’s “bond and mutual fund” centers have been revamped to enable quicker links to advanced charts and screeners.
 
Trading tools
 
·Look for firms that have faster “trade-execution” options
·TD Ameritrade and E-Trade allow customer ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3612/How-to-Compare-Online-Investment-Brokerages.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3612/How-to-Compare-Online-Investment-Brokerages.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>What makes great Skincare Products Great?</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Plenty of skin care products that you use today are probably brimming with chemicals which can worsen your skin’s state and its health. So why not stay safe and go for the BEST OF THE BEST: Herbal skin care!  And so you ask, what makes these great herbal products so great after all….

It’s a good idea to use herbal skin care products because they are after all, 100% NATURAL with little or even NO side effects at all! How much better can things get? It’s also important that you remember that your skin, literally, EATS whatever you put on it. This means that whatever you rub into your skin will eventually end up in your bloodstream; so it’s of utmost importance that the ingredients of what you use on your skin are actually things which you would eat.  So great skin care products can actually (literally) be eaten!

Herbal products also contain a great variety of natural ingredients ranging from coconut oil to honey. Such ingredients can be easily absorbed by the skin and will in turn promote healthy glowing skin! Go for a natural herbal exfoliator made up of ground almonds or walnuts; such a product will help remove dead skin cells and will therefore allow your skin to absorb more nutrition.

Most great skin care products are packed with natural ingredients like almond oil. Almond oil is a great skin nourisher since it’s loaded with nutrients which your skin will die to have. Furthermore, sesame oil is another vital ingredient in many products.

Other infamous ingredients include tea tree oil which is a proven, 100% effective antiseptic. Aloe Vera is known for its cooling effect and its ability to take years off your skin. It also has antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory and immune-stimulating actions as well as large quantities of vitamins E and C, zinc, and amino acids giving it plenty of healing properties. For those with acne prone skin, the best skin care product for you will have basil and turmeric as ingredients. These have anti-bacterial propert ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3611/What-makes-great-Skincare-Products-Great.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3611/What-makes-great-Skincare-Products-Great.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Writing Ads to sell your Product or service</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Effective ads are those that attract attention and lead to new customers. So what does it take to write an effective ad and why is it so important? Research shows that you have approximately 0.5 seconds to grab a reader’s attention. It doesn’t seem like much time but that is all you’re going to get therefore it is vital to make the most of it.    

Highlight a principle selling position. Decide what makes your product or service different or better than others available in the market. It could be the quality, price, safety, convenience etc…. Choose your selling position and highlight it in your ad.
 
Reach your target demographic. Think about who you want to target with your ad. This will be important in helping you decide when and where to place your advertisement.
 
The Headline is the most important part of your ad. Information clutter has forced people to skim read, therefore writing an attention grabbing headline is crucial. The headline should be based on your principle selling position and should ideally contain no more that 7 words. Compose the sentence with some action words to make it more effective. Headlines should be typed in all caps or cap the first letter of every word for maximum effect. Study advertisements from similar industries to get an idea, and then write down several headlines before choosing the one you decide to go with.      
 
Keep it short. People pick up a magazine to read articles not advertisements; they switch on the TV to watch their favorite show not listen to advertisements; so keep the ads short and sweet but also informative and effective.    
 
Create an emotional connection. Develop a list of features for your product and translate them into corresponding benefits for the consumer. This benefit should be emphasized to create an emotional connection to the product. For example, you’re selling a car and its feature is that it’s safe and reliable. The benefit of this feature is that incase you meet with an  ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3603/Writing-Ads-to-sell-your-Product-or-service.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3603/Writing-Ads-to-sell-your-Product-or-service.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Avoiding Online Education Scams </strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Do you know that back in 2003 they found the deputy chief information officer of Homeland Security Department had a fake Ph.D.? That is the bare truth about online education. It is a huge selling where anyone can buy an online degree for just $100! The shocking part is, there is absolutely nothing to be completed to get the degree, because it is offered for the individuals so called “life experience!”

Education swindles are also known as “Diploma Mills”. Diploma mills offer various kinds of degrees ranging from pre-diplomas to postgraduate levels including medicine, engineering, psychology, rocket-science and even ethics as majors! Sometimes it is very difficult to distinguish between genuine degrees and fake degrees since diploma mills provide professional looking certificates, transcripts and even toll-free numbers for the employers to verify bogus qualifications! These forged universities also name themselves resembling some legitimate organizations. For instance, “The Columbia State University in Louisiana” is a false university, which was closed by a court order, as it was an imitation of a bona fide university.

The Internet is an easy way to search and catch or to be caught by online fraud educational organizations. More people now tend to turn in to these diploma mills to have a few qualifications to show their potential employers rather than just including phony lines in their resumes. To get an online degree, one should have only two things - An Internet connection and a credit card! The transcript will be posted to the person in the next morning!

Students searching for genuine education are being misguided by tricking websites too. Many diploma-mills charge a fee varying from $50 to $5000. Other diploma-mills want the purchaser to complete odd jobs such as making a short paper, prior to throwing out the degree.

Some individuals qualified from these online education frauds have served as sex-abuse counselors, college vice presidents, ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3596/Avoiding-Online-Education-Scams.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3596/Avoiding-Online-Education-Scams.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>5 Marketplace Implementation Lessons</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[The best-laid strategic plans often go awry once exposed to the light of day and the rudeness and ruthlessness of reality.
 
Former President Lyndon Johnson understood that. He often told a story of a man who had applied for a job as a flagman at a railroad crossing. The man was told he'd be handed the job if he could pass a test consisting of just a single question
 
The applicant was told to imagine that he was a flagman at a crossing consisting of a single track when he suddenly observed the Continental Express bearing down from the east at 95 miles per hour. Coming from the other direction was the Century Limited at 100 miles per hour. With the trains only 500 yards apart, the man was asked, what would he do under these circumstances? Without hesitation, the would-be flagman responded that he would go and get his brother-in-law. 
 
Puzzled, the railroad examiner inquired, &amp;quot;What good would that do?&amp;quot;
 
The job applicant promptly replied, &amp;quot;He ain't never seen a train wreck.&amp;quot;
 
Clearly the would-be flagman didn't understand the overarching strategy of his potential employer (prevent accidents) nor his potential role in executing that strategy. Unfortunately, this is not unlike the current state of corporate strategic execution as evidenced by the train wrecks (AIG, Lehman Brothers, Citigroup, and the automotive industry) we see everyday in the marketplace. 
 
How would I know? Well, my name is Scott Glatstein and I help companies execute their strategies in the marketplace for a living. In fact, I've been doing so as a corporate executive and a consultant for over 25 years. 
 
I even wrote about strategy execution in my book, &amp;quot;Strategy Activation: How to Turn Your Vision into Marketplace Success.&amp;quot; In this book I present a breakthrough, holistic planning discipline that links strategic vision to marketplace reality.
 
Here's What I Learned During My 25+ Years Executing Corporate Strategy:
 
1. Organizations who have mas ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3591/5-Marketplace-Implementation-Lessons.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3591/5-Marketplace-Implementation-Lessons.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Write what you Love </strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[“Writing isn’t generally a lucrative source of income; only a few exceptional writers reach the income levels associated with the best-sellers. Rather, most of us write because we can make a modest living or even supplement our day jobs doing something about which we feel passionately. Even at the worst of times, when nothing goes right, when the prose is clumsy and the ideas feel stale, at least we’re doing something that we genuinely love. There’s no other reason to work this hard except that love”
~Melissa Scott (science fiction and fantasy author)
 
As Melissa Scott once said, most writers choose to write because they love to do so; despite the fact that writing is not a “lucrative source of income.” Writers are indeed artists who take great interest in their craft. Many argue that writing is at its best when it comes from the heart, that a writer performs best when he writes what he loves. Others argue that this won’t help a writer to make money. That one should write instead, on subjects that will get people’s attention.
 
The wonderful thing about writing is that there is no one way to do it. There is no one subject that you need to focus on, no one style. But for someone to read what you’ve written, it has to be good. As famous author of science fiction Ray Bradbury once said, a writer really does write best when he does what he does with enthusiasm. This is the case with any profession. We tend to perform best in areas that interest us.
 
“Zest. Gusto. How rarely one hears these words used. How rarely do we see people living, or for that matter creating by them. Yet if I were asked to name the most important items in a writer’s make-up, the things that shape him and rush him along the road to where he wants to go; I could only warn him to look to his zest, see to his gusto.”
~Ray Bradbury (writer of science fiction)
 
For some people the greatest motivation is money, as in the case of those who write blog posts. Bloggers, ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3590/Write-what-you-Love.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3590/Write-what-you-Love.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Talking to your Daughter about Breast Cancer</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[According to research one in every eight women are diagnosed with breast cancer.  This is disheartening news for all women, but as a mother how can you talk to your daughter about this sad reality?  However difficult it may be, it is important that every mother educate her daughter, the pros, cons, myths and facts about breast cancer.  It is very important that you do not put fear in the mind of your child in the process.
 
It is vital that all women should take note of that breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths in women.  Age is no barrier, whether you are in your teens or a mature woman, cancer can creep into your life without your knowledge.  Negligence could result in diagnosis of breast cancer in later stage whereby the risk factor could be great.  With the focus of breast cancer in older women and the myth that only mature women are likely to get breast cancer the literature and informative material are mainly catering to the older and not the younger population.  As such every mom should take it upon her self to educate her daughter the importance of awareness and prevention on breast cancer.  The chances of a young woman developing breast cancer is as small as 5%, but with new trends, and lifestyles in the younger population, there are ever increasing changes to the findings.  Every mom’s prayer is that her daughter would not fall into this category of 5%. As such, talking to your daughter early could prevent disaster. Do not leave room for your child to gather the wrong information as it could lead to wrong misconceptions about breast cancer. 
 
When dealing with the young, a mom should always keep in mind, in a world where peer-pressure plays a strong impact on your child’s life and living in a technology and computer era, the chances of picking up good and bad and wrong information is very high.  Hence, make sure that you as a mom, has fulfilled your responsibility to educate your child with the correct information. You owe it to her ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3589/Talking-to-your-Daughter-about-Breast-Cancer.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3589/Talking-to-your-Daughter-about-Breast-Cancer.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Steps to Writing a Marketing Plan</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Developing a Marketing Plan is a key factor to the success of your business.  The Marketing Plan maps out where the business is heading. It is one of the most important written documents for your business, telling you, your company associates and employees where the business will be heading and how you hope to market your products, at least for the year ahead. It’s important to remember that as time goes on, markets will change, and employees and customers will come and go. 
 
When it comes to writing a Marketing Plan, it may even take a few months to complete. Take the time to make sure you really understand your business and where you want to go with it. While plans don’t always go according to expectation, it is important to have guidelines to follow and chart what you hope will happen.
 
Gather information about your company and your business environment (target market, competitors, trends, location, strategies, budget etc.). The main purpose of your Marketing Plan is to find your market, customers and competitors, and to expect and prepare for change. Consider the following questions when planning your Marketing Plan:
 
What is your product?
How is it different to the competitor’s product?
What will customers gain from the product?
Who is your target market?
What do the customers want? 
What do your customers like and dislike?
How will you gather customer feedback?
Where is your product needed?
Where does your company fit in with the competition? 
Who are your competitors? 
How are your competitors performing in the market?
What are your competitors doing to attract customers?
Determine a price for your product.
Is your price competitive in the market?
How will you project your business? 
How will you attract new customers?
How will you encourage customers to come back to your business?
Where will you market your product?
Is your location convenient for customers?
What is your marketing budget?
What items will be included in your ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3585/Steps-to-Writing-a-Marketing-Plan.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3585/Steps-to-Writing-a-Marketing-Plan.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Market Your Information Marketing Business - Get More Sales No Matter What!</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Direct response marketing expert Diane Conklin likes to remind business owners of the difference between sales and marketing using this analogy: 
 
It's always easier to sell if you offer the fish instead of the fishing pole.
 
Marketing is the ability to create an opportunity and a desire within a prospect to buy your products or services. The big picture is, nobody wants to put forth the effort to catch the fish. 
 
That is what makes information marketing the big business that it is today. The industry is fuelled by the lack of time available to people and a growing desire for work-life balance. As an information marketer, you can meet this great demand by gathering information and selling it in convenient forms to people who don't have the time to do things themselves.
 
3 Reasons Why Diane Conklin Loves The Information Marketing Business
 
1. No other business provides the revenue, flexibility and lifestyle that information marketing provides. Much of the work is home-based, part-time and requires very little start-up costs.
 
2. Because there is such a demand for information products, anyone can use their own expertise to create a million dollar business within 12 months or less. Information marketing is an emerging and ever-growing field made up of knowledgeable and marketing savvy entrepreneurs who package their expertise into convenient forms such as DVDs, books, e-books, CDs, magazines, websites, teleseminars, webinars, coaching programs, seminars and conferences. 
 
3. There is a market for creating an information marketing business for just about every topic you can think of. 
 
Using information marketing, Diane offers her proven business building secrets including marketing systems that help you effectively market your new business. She teaches all there is to know about using direct response marketing methods which concentrate on getting clients and making sales. And, she helps you measure results so you know which methods are getting  ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3582/Market-Your-Information-Marketing-Business--Get-More-Sales-No-Matter-What.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3582/Market-Your-Information-Marketing-Business--Get-More-Sales-No-Matter-What.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Starting an Event Planning Business</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Celebrations and events are a major part of our lives; be it a wedding or a Bat Mitzvah, a graduation party or a product launch or even a fashion show, all of us at some point of time have either attended or planned for an event or celebration. 
Gone are the days when events were mostly dinning room and backyard affairs; today a lot of planning goes into organizing and putting up of an event or celebration. 
 
Most people would rather just hire an event planner to do this for them instead of taking on the responsibilities themselves. For an event to be a success three important criteria’s need to be fulfilled – detailed planning, co-ordination of events and tasks and execution of a plan. Of course a lot of people may be capable of handling these aspects very well on their own; however there is an equally important consideration to bear in mind – how many people, working regular 9-5 jobs, with families can afford to dish out the kind of time and attention that goes into planning an event?
 
This is why event planners are in big demand and if you are interested, there is good money to be made if you decide to start your own event planning business. 
 
This brings us to an important question; what does an event planner do?
 
Look at some of the tasks that an event planner typically takes care off –
 
•        Conducting research for any upcoming event
 
•        Coming up with an event plan or design
 
•        Finding the ideal site or location to hold an event
 
•        Taking care of decorations, planning a menu and ordering food, planning and  
         organizing suitable entertainment.  
 
•        Planning and arranging for transportation 
 
•        Taking care of invitations 
 
•        Arranging accommodations for attendees if required
 
•        Coordinating activities, tasks and responsibilities of every one involved
 
•        Supervising and managing on-site tasks
 
•        Evaluation of the even ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3566/Starting-an-Event-Planning-Business.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3566/Starting-an-Event-Planning-Business.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Using Baby Sign Language to Understand what your Baby Wants</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[The one thing that can eclipse the joys of motherhood is not knowing what your baby wants or needs. A crying baby does not always translate into “feeding time” or a “diaper change” every time they cry. As your baby grows, so do his needs and wants, and yes eventually he does manage to learn how to voice those needs. 
 
However, this may take time for typically a baby starts communicating vocally around the ages of 12 to 15 months. And in the mean time, both the parent and the baby have to contend with not being able to communicate. Sometimes, this inability to communicate in a baby can lead to him throwing tantrums as well. It can be extremely frustrating for a child if he is unable to express himself. 
 
In the earlier days, most parents resigned themselves to the fact that any kind of verbal or vocal communication with their baby would occur only after a year or so. 
 
Today however things have changed. Using ASL (American Sign Language is the official name of the official sign language for the deaf) in conjunction with invented hand gestures, you can learn to communicate with your baby.
 
What you need to understand is that motor skills that are essential for speech and language are not non-existent in a baby, they are simply not developed. However a baby can comprehend and master the use of signs and gestures (active vocabulary) much earlier and much more easily than speech. 
 
Therefore a baby can be taught to communicate and express his needs much before he even turns one year old!
 
Most babies respond to sign language when they are around 6 – 7 months. Gestures and signs that convey when your baby needs something can literally revolutionize the parent/caregiver and baby relationship. 
 
Knowing what your child wants can be one of the most important aspects of ASL or baby sign language; however it is not the only aspect. There are other equally important benefits of using baby sign language. Consider the following –
 
•        Ba ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3565/Using-Baby-Sign-Language-to-Understand-what-your-Baby-Wants.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3565/Using-Baby-Sign-Language-to-Understand-what-your-Baby-Wants.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Best of Both of Worlds - On Campus And Online Education</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Online learning is much regarded as a way of improving career objectives. Individuals already qualified with a university degree wants to pursuit more education online to enhance their professional qualities.

In the modern demanding world, time is the most difficult and most important resource to manage. Don’t they say, “Time is life and life is time”? Then why waste time traveling to your college every day? In the knowledge delivery process, what you need is data in detail. It does not matter the way you get it, until you are willing to read and observe the topic under discussion. But in traditional education, the time counter will tick faster due to the other non-education relevant activities, such as traveling. To concentrate on a subject, you need to settle down, focus with awareness and have periodic breaks. You need a fair amount of time to do all these and for that reason, it is critical for you to save some time from the available 24 hours!

Despite many difficulties, most students successfully carry out online education. Apart from your student status, you may be young or old, employed or unemployed, married or single, technologically sound or not-very sound. Compared to conventional education and employment, with online education you can continue towards achieving your dream, without failing in your everyday responsibilities. Besides, online education is the only hope for many people who are generally less-movable, such as differently able persons.

Furthermore, many universities allow participating in a variety of educational programs online. The levels available are certificate, associate, diploma, bachelors, masters or even doctorates. Your local university may have some constrain set on these programs keeping you away from applying to them. Fortunately, you can find many other recognized universities providing the same curriculum online with a different set of entry requirements.

Many employers prefer some experience with potential cand ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3564/Best-of-Both-of-Worlds--On-Campus-And-Online-Education.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3564/Best-of-Both-of-Worlds--On-Campus-And-Online-Education.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>3 Sure Fire Ways to know your Online Ads are Working</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[There are many different online advertising methods; site links, articles, ezine advertisement, banner ads, forum postings and email marketing promotions are just to name a few. Many seasoned marketers spend significant dollars advertising in a variety of online media but do not know which methods have brought them success.
 
Advertising does not always portray a clear picture because it is not an exact science. There is no accurate way to measure the success or failure of an add campaign. A great deal of money and effort can be wasted on advertising that doesn’t even reach your target demographic. However there are techniques companies can adopt to gauge the power of online advertising efforts. Some are old remedies that still work and others rely on modern technology.
 
(1)   Talk to your Customer- Don’t neglect this tried and tested approach; ask your customer how they heard about you. Motivate customers to tell you they are responding to one of your advertising efforts. For example offer a percentage discount on their first order for mentioning the ad they are responding to. Include a coded coupon with your ad that can be redeemed for a discount with a purchase. The code can help you determine where the ad was seen by your customer. 
 
(2)   Use Tracking Methods- Track traffic to your website before and after you begin each add campaign. By comparison of these numbers you can get an idea of whether or not your campaign is hitting the target. Comparing traffic is not by it self a reliable source, you also need to compare sales before and after the advertising campaign. While you’re doing this it is important to keep in mind that advertising campaigns often have a delayed effect resulting in ad-driven sale materializing after a lapse of time.

You can also track the click through rates. Click through rates are the percentage of viewers who click on your banner ad. Websites that provide ad spaces can track click through rates and provide you with a re ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3563/3-Sure-Fire-Ways-to-know-your-Online-Ads-are-Working.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3563/3-Sure-Fire-Ways-to-know-your-Online-Ads-are-Working.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Virtual Assistants: The New Generation Office Assistants</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Virtual Assistance today occupies one of the top berths in the home based businesses arena. Providing much needed support and structure to a business owner, Virtual Assistants (VAs) are a new breed of office assistants operating out of the virtual world. 

Once again it all bottles down to the amazing miracle called the “internet.” Indeed, today the internet provides opportunities and a platform for all kinds of businesses and services to operate virtually (pun not intended). Now if you can have and run a business over the internet why not provide the required services to run that business over the internet as well?

Before going any further, let me just outline a comprehensive list of the tasks that VA’s handle –
 
•	Routine secretarial/office assistant tasks such as take care of emails and regular mail, making appointments, maintaining schedules, making/answering phone calls/inquiries, faxing, all kinds of research, planning meetings and events, handling travel arrangements (business and personal), handling reservations for seminars etc., buying of gifts/cards for customers of a client
•	Writing 
•	Proof reading/ Transcription and Dictation 
•	Copy editing 
•	Desktop publishing - Newsletter publishing (print and internet) 
•	web design/hosting 
•	Reminder service 
•	Paying of bills/maintaining of receipts etc.
•	Bookkeeping — business and personal 
•	Manage vendor relations 
•	Create/maintain databases
 
Most home based and small business owners operate and run their businesses on relatively low and tight budgets. Thus most of them are forced to take care of mundane business tasks that eat into precious time that they could have spent on furthering their business. This is where you as a VA can offer your services. You might ask if a business owner is going to hire someone to do a job, why not hire someone to work for him in real time. 
 
Is the VA business for me?
 
Contend with the fact that running a business ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3556/Virtual-Assistants-The-New-Generation-Office-Assistants.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3556/Virtual-Assistants-The-New-Generation-Office-Assistants.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>The Importance of an Annual Mammogram</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Mammogram is probably the most important tool used to diagnose or detect breast cancer.  Mammogram is an x-ray of the breast, which detects changes, irregularities, lumps and tumors.  It can also find micro calcifications (very small deposits of calcium) in the breast, which sometimes can lead to breast cancer. Mammogram is a safe procedure, and has been successfully used for the past 30 years or more.
 
Studies suggest that over 25-35% of women between 40-50 years of age have been able to lower the risk of dying from breast cancer as a result of taking adequate precautionary measures by going through the mammogram procedure and diagnosing early. Detecting breast cancer early with a mammogram also means women being treated early and thereby been able to avoid resorting to breast removal (Mastectomy – surgery to remove the breast).
 
Women quite often avoid getting a mammogram done due to the discomfort during procedure.  Generally this procedure takes about 5-10 minutes and pain is minimum and with a small amount of radiation.  As lumps and tumors at an early stage is painless, and the patient does not feel any discomfort, the doctors recommend that a mammogram be done annually.  This is very important, so that, if and when there is an abnormality in the breast, it could be detected early and proper medication and treatment could be done to avoid disaster.  For this reason, women are advised to take this matter seriously so that the mammogram is done regularly. 
 
According to research one in every seven women are detected with breast cancer if they live to the age of 80, at some stage in their lives.  Thus every woman should make it a priority in their lives to make every endeavor to see that they look after their health, so that this dreaded disease could be minimized.  After all, it is every woman’s duty towards their family as a woman, wife and mom.
 
Over the past 25 years, with advancement in mammography, it has been made possible to detect tissue  ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3554/The-Importance-of-an-Annual-Mammogram.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3554/The-Importance-of-an-Annual-Mammogram.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Starting your new Surfing Hobby </strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[If you love the beach and the whole “hanging out at the beach” thing, surfing may be just the hobby for you. Imagine soaring through the air, riding a beautiful curling wave! It’s one of the most exhilarating feelings in the world. Some people actually center their entire lives around surfing. This sport, which originated from an ancient Polynesian custom, is now so popular that it has spawned an entire culture. This “surfer” culture is most rampant in California, Hawaii and North Carolina. In fact, today surfing represents a multi-billion dollar industry.
 
This is what James Cook, who observed a Polynesian native surf, had to say about what he saw. “I could not help concluding that this man had the most supreme pleasure while he was driven so smoothly by the sea.”
 
Unfortunately, surfers are usually portrayed as laid-back, slightly stupid individuals with bleached blonde hair and funny accents. This however, is an unfair stereotype. Surfing is a sport that requires a lot of skill and endurance. Surfers don’t just get on a board and start riding the waves. They have to spend a lot of time training before they are able to do what they do.
 
Train with an expert. It’s better if you take someone along, for as long as you are in that training period. Some of the best surfing spots are found in the beaches of Hawaii and Baja California in Mexico. If you’re just starting out though, it’s better to go for the small waves first. Any good beach on a calm day will be fine for a beginner.
 
It’s better to start with a soft-Doyle, beginner’s surfboard. The ideal surf-board for a beginner is one that has as much surface area as possible; and one that is rounded, thick, wide and soft. A board of this type will easily enable you to get a hang of your balancing skills. You can also get a leash for your surf board so that you don’t lose it.  Make sure you’re appropriately attired. It’s important to wear something that will keep you warm, bec ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3553/Starting-your-new-Surfing-Hobby.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3553/Starting-your-new-Surfing-Hobby.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Why work towards your Degree Online</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Managing education with employment is no painless task. It is nearly impossible for some people to do this due to the amount of time and dedication required by traditional education. Nevertheless, what if you really want to pursuit further education, without losing your current job? The answer is online education methods. Online education allows you to achieve your education goals while working fulltime as an employee. Individuals already qualified with a university degree, are now going for education online to enhance their professional qualities. You also get the chance of practicing the new knowledge you are gaining, straight away in your working environment!

Push your limits

What are the other factors that limit your higher education? Not the time aspect? Then maybe it is about the strict policies of your local university. Various universities maintain their own set of rules and regulations when in-taking students. This involves assessing the educational background of the candidate. Sadly, some constrains are quite high to reach; you may not have the standard/qualifications required by some universities. However, you can find many other universities that provide the same academic path online, with different set of entry requirements. What you have to do is do some research, find the program that fits in to your requirement, and proceed with submitting the application. What’s more, there are plans available that allows you to accomplish qualification levels ranging from certificate to even doctorates, completely over the Internet!

Get the same recognition

Some people think that an online education programs is a less respectable way to earn a highly praised degree. This is a proven myth and any accredited online degree should have the same recognition just like a brick-and-mortar degree offered by the same university. You have to be aware that online degrees are not very different in the difficulty point of view, and sometimes the curriculum can be m ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3552/Why-work-towards-your-Degree-Online.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3552/Why-work-towards-your-Degree-Online.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>How to Choose the Right Make Up Colors for your Complexion</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[How to pick the right make up color for your complexion? This maybe one of the questions all women ask but sometimes fail to get the correct answer to or it may be that we have got the correct answer, but when it comes to applying it somehow the results don’t appear as we would like it to be. If this sounds familiar, then the answer you’re looking for might be found in the next few minutes of your reading.

The secret of picking the best make up color for you according to experts begins by simply understanding your skin.  Before any colors or products are applied to your outer layers of skin, you need to understand and identify your skin, its color, tone and texture. This will help you better determine the correct products that will not only give you the appearance you’re looking for but also help you take better care of your skin.

To do this, first take a mirror and have a good look at your facial skin. Do you have spots on your face? Is your skin dry? Do you have wrinkles or ageing spots? These are some of the observations you must make before anything else. If you feel that you can’t decide your skin type, you can always seek advice of an expert.

Depending on the answers you get for these simple questions, you can decide to choose the colors that will not only suit your skin but also compliment your natural look.
For ladies with skin that may have spots or uneven tone, a more natural and liquid foundation is suitable that blends to even the skin.  If your skin is dull, dry or looks lifeless a foundation that boosts your look is needed. For this a foundation with moisturizing is more suited.

If you’re skin tone is more of a cool color, then go for colors such as blue or pink undertones. But if you’re more of a warm skin tone person, try a slight yellow hue. To test if the color you’ve chosen compliments you, examine yourself in the mirror under good sunlight or in a well lighted room. If the color has blended well with your natural skin c ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3549/How-to-Choose-the-Right-Make-Up-Colors-for-your-Complexion.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3549/How-to-Choose-the-Right-Make-Up-Colors-for-your-Complexion.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Print Newsletters vs. Email Newsletters-Why You Should NOT Just Do an Ezine</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[With everyone bombarded by email overload, do you really think your ezine is being read? 
 
A Nielsen Norman Group Report revealed that the typical email newsletter gets 51 seconds of your reader's time. 
 
That was three years ago. Today, many say its closer to 26 seconds. And, that's if your email newsletter is even opened. 
 
You're Not as Popular as You Think
 
While you believe YOUR ezines are special and opened like gifts on Christmas morning, remember this: Dozens of emails are routinely wiped out daily in one swoop with the push of the delete key. 
 
Even if the reader recognizes your name, you can be expunged just because they're having a busy day or your email got caught in a large block of spam.
 
Now, I'm not suggesting that you stop doing email newsletters. In fact, I advise you to do an email newsletter on a weekly basis. But, I also suggest doing a monthly print newsletter. 
 
Here's why...
 
6 Ways Print Newsletters Beat Email Newsletters – And Why They Need to Be Part of Your Marketing Mix 
 
1. Printed mail gets delivered – It's never blocked or caught in spam filters.  Faulty connections, email authentication and webmail service idiosyncrasies are not issues. And, you have no worries about connection speeds.
 
2. Print newsletters have more perceived value – Think about it: How many companies are willing to do this? Your clients aren't stupid. They understand the energy, cost and time required to send them a great newsletter every month. It will get their immediate attention.
 
3. Print newsletters let you use unlimited amount of images – A picture really is worth a thousand words. Print newsletters are not shackled by bandwidth. That means you can use a variety of text, graphics and formatting styles to capture the interest of your clients.
 
4. Print newsletter are sticky - Print newsletters have great 'hang-time'. Not only are they likely to be read from start to finish, they usually get passed around. Hand-along ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3548/Print-Newsletters-vs-Email-NewslettersWhy-You-Should-NOT-Just-Do-an-Ezine.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3548/Print-Newsletters-vs-Email-NewslettersWhy-You-Should-NOT-Just-Do-an-Ezine.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Debt Relief through Credit Counseling</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[With more and more of the working population drowning in the deathly sea of debt, credit counselors seem to be the Gods of the modern age… The services that credit counselors provide may be the exact ones that you need to solve your credit problems.

Firstly, you have to find a credit counselor or credit counseling company and talk to them about your credit problems. Not only will they advise you on how to improve your debt situation, but they will also tell you how to get rid of existing debts.

Credit counselors will then negotiate and discuss your debt situation with your creditors. As a result, a debt management plan will be drawn up by your creditors and credit counselor, taking into consideration both your debts and incomes. Following this, the counselor will try to get a reduced interest rate under the assumption that there are better chances for you to pay back if you have a lower and more feasible monthly repayment amount. Thereby your monthly payments will fall and you will eventually settle your debt too, with minimum damage done to your credit rating!

The greatest advantage of a credit counselor’s services is that all your monthly payments are pooled into one single payment, reducing the headache of managing payments which may queue up one after another. Also the amount you pay every month will be much smaller than the total payments you may have made before. However, remember that although a counselor may claim to give a 50% reduction, a 10%-20% reduction is more feasible and probable.

Also credit counseling may help you to settle your debts faster. A debt which may have taken 10 years for you to settle on your own, maybe easily settled within half the time, with the assistance of a counselor who negotiates a lower rate of interest for you.

On the other hand, beware of scams where credit counselors claim to give you debt relief within a year and then run off with your cash!

Once you have obtained some sort of debt relief, remember to ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3535/Debt-Relief-through-Credit-Counseling.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3535/Debt-Relief-through-Credit-Counseling.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Think Skin Care</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Your skin is one of the most valuable assets of your body. Not only does it help act as a protective layer for all the organs packed inside your body, but it also contributes to your appearance. People judge your appearance, age and even mood from your skin. Skin which is looked after properly can make you a healthier and a better looking person too…so start looking after it!

It’s important to keep your skin clean at all times. Wash your skin gently but thoroughly and use an appropriate cleanser. Once it’s clean, exfoliate to remove the layers of dead cells which are dulling your skin. By exfoliating your skin, your skin will start to breathe now that its pores have been opened up. This should be followed by the use of a toner to tighten up the pores and re-vitalize the skin. Finish this off with a moisturizer which will help nourish your skin and maintain the moisture balance of your skin. It will also supply your skin with the oils necessary for a glowing complexion.

Always remember that it’s extremely important to exfoliate your skin on a weekly basis so as to remove any dirt, grime and dust which may have gathered on your skin’s surface. By exfoliating, not only will the dead skin cells be removed but you will be ridden of other impurities too. This will help unblock your skin pores and make sure that your skin won’t be attacked by blackheads or pimples!

When you start thinking skin care, it’s important that you start thinking about WHAT skin care you are going to use too. Don’t use products made up of harsh and strong chemicals. Products made up of natural ingredients and herbs are better for the skin and will probably contain plenty of vitamins and minerals which your body is thirsty for.

If you are planning to leave the shelter of your house during broad daylight, don’t forget your SUNSCREEN! That’s right! Before you leave the house make sure you get some sunscreen on at least half an hour before you leave the house. If you are ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3534/Think-Skin-Care.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3534/Think-Skin-Care.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>How to Choose a Major</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[The human kind has gathered a tremendous amount of knowledge since their appearance on this world. This magnificent wisdom is subdivided in to many categories for the purpose of education. To reach the summit of a knowledge area, your university major is a crucial fact. But how to select a major from the hundreds and thousands of degree titles offered by universities? 

Following is a glance on the aspects you can consider when you are going for a major.
The most important of all is your interest on the subject. You have to select an area of study not only based upon the career objectives. Select a field that you love to investigate and that triggers your enthusiasm on it. Do you know that some Nobel Prize winners even did pursuit their fancy learning objectives that seemed silly at first?

The time and commitment you can spend on your learning is another aspect. Learning is not a simple walkover and needs sacrifice. A number of specialties need lot of effort, practice and experience while others can be done in a much-relaxed environment. You also have to think about the real-world situations you have to face, if you are employed in a relevant occupation. The sum of pay you are expecting, the endeavor it takes to succeed in the duty you are going to perform and the way you are going to live your life are matters to be considered in deciding a major. 

As a starting point, you can set goals in your life with appropriate periods. What I am expecting in five years from now? How can I achieve my life ambition? Answering these questions will give you an insight of your own aspirations and dreams you are hoping to realize in your life. Your education should be a robust foundation to build your life on it and you have to be aware that decision of the major will affect the rest of your life!

There are many ways to gather information on the majors. The first thing you can do is to collect a list of major titles that you think you are interested in. To collect furth ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3519/How-to-Choose-a-Major.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3519/How-to-Choose-a-Major.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Baby Sign Language Builds Happy Families</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[“… Signing enables babies to tell the family what they're interested in. That means they can initiate conversations and feel like an active member in the family instead of just a family-member-in-waiting…&amp;quot;
 
There are no words to express your happiness when you know that your child has the skill to communicate with you. It’s practical, natural and beautiful when we are able to communicate with our child.

Sometimes your child may come up with a sign of his/her own, don’t try to ignore or discourage the child; try to accept and recognize the sign. The creative use of hands should be encouraged; it’s worth remembering that the basic reason for using sign language is to communicate. It has been confirmed that understanding and communication can easily be built with sign language.They are using signs because it makes easier for them to communicate and express their feelings with you.

Apart from benefits of learning communication skills by using sign language early there are many other benefits, such as the child and parents been kept happy and occupied when a baby uses sign language.  

Your baby might feel discouraged and bothered by not being understood. Baby sign language will help your child when trying to express his/her needs like food and, toys. With the use of signs your baby will have a way to tell you his/ her needs. When you give a baby a way to express his feelings, he/she soon discovers that signing is more helpful than crying or whining.

In early developments the feelings and emotions are built in a structured way, with feelings increasing as the baby grows bigger. The other benefit of sign language is the feeling of achievement your child will experience when he/she is rewarded with what the child wanted or needed after those close to him/her had understood the sign language. The baby will be satisfied that his/her needs are supplied early.

Parents who teach their babies sign language also get their reward with happier babi ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3506/Baby-Sign-Language-Builds-Happy-Families.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3506/Baby-Sign-Language-Builds-Happy-Families.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Lessons your child can learn from playing Basketball</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Taking part in sports, especially a team sport like basketball, can teach your children a lot of things.
 
“........There is no ‘I’ in team........”
Popular TV series “One Tree Hill”
 
“My responsibility is getting all my players playing for the name on the front of the jersey, not the one on the back.”
Anonymous
 
Basketball is about teamwork. You simply cannot play a basketball game, alone. You cannot be selfish either, not if you want your team to score. This teaches your child that he does not have to do everything all by himself. There will certainly be instances in life where he will have to seek the help of others, and wherever possible, he will have to return the favor too.
 
By working with his teammates your child learns to interact with others. He learns that there are instances where he will have to sacrifice in order to benefit the team as a whole; because not all the winning baskets are going to be his. At the same time he will also learn to handle healthy competition; which will eventually bring out the best in him.
 
When it comes to achieving goals, you child will have to face obstacles in the real world. This is almost inevitable in today’s dog-eat-dog world. On a basketball court your child has the opportunity to learn a very practical lesson on facing obstacles. In a basketball game he will have to fight his way to making that basket. He’s not going to have it easy from his opponents who will be trying their best to stop him from making his “slam dunk.”
 
When a player from the other team rushes at your child there is no time for slacking, he has to think fast and act fast. This way your child is forced to use all his strength and intelligence to combat the problem. Overcoming obstacles in this way lets your child identify his strengths and weaknesses. This way he can work on building up his strengths and eliminating his weaknesses.
 
Basketball is a sport that requires your child to be in good shape, in or ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3495/Lessons-your-child-can-learn-from-playing-Basketball.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3495/Lessons-your-child-can-learn-from-playing-Basketball.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Five great Scuba Diving Locations</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Scuba diving is a truly unique way to get close to nature. Today, there are several locations throughout the globe that will allow you to have this experience of a lifetime.

The Caribbean
 
The Caribbean’s mix of exotic islands, offer a large number of diving destinations. Clear warm waters surround you as you survey the fascinating underwater creatures and beautiful coral formations. Adding to the beauty of this underwater realm are schools of colorful tropical fish.  
 
Try the Cayman Islands which have more than 175 dive sites for you to choose from. Here the deep underwater walls are surrounded by colorful corals and sponges. One great specialty here is “stingray city” in the North Sound; deemed to be the “world’s best 12 foot dive.” The marine life here is quite non-threatening, as long as divers are careful to be just as peaceful.   
 
For more information visit:  www.caribdiveguide.com.
 
Great Barrier Reef, Australia
 
This world heritage site in Australia is the largest system of coral reefs in the world. It is also one of the seven natural wonders of the world.  This makes it a very popular tourist destination, especially for scuba divers. The natural beauty of this coral reef is almost ethereal. The fascinating underwater life here includes; giant clams, green turtles, dugongs, 1500 species of fish and 4000 types of mollusc. Being able to photograph this uniquely beautiful underwater kingdom is a truly great experience in itself.
 
For more information visit: www.divethereef.com.
 
Belize
 
If you’re interested in an exotic adventure in a truly exotic location, Belize is just the place for you. Scuba diving is one of the most popular activities in Belize. It’s also where the famous “Belize blue hole” is found. Blue holes are huge underwater sinkholes found in the ocean and this one, in Belize, gives the scuba diver a truly astounding experience.  
 
You can also try Ambergris Caye which is the most popular scuba di ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3493/Five-great-Scuba-Diving-Locations.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3493/Five-great-Scuba-Diving-Locations.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Achieving Life Balance- Mother, Employee and Student</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[As a mother you are a provider of many things at the same time. A good home, proper nourishment and support for physical and mental development for your children, a supportive and loving wife for your husband, These are areas that a mother’s involvement matters the most with roles of being a teacher, cook, partner, counselor, playmate, taxi driver and advisor among other things.

While juggling all of these responsibilities a mother will also be concentrating on her career. Your work may be outside the home or it may be a work at home job. Whichever the case, it requires you to manage the time you have to a high level of efficiency in order to fulfill requirements of both family and profession.

Being a mother while working, is one of the greatest balancing acts of all time. It puts all your organizational and time management skills to test and requires you to master patience and understanding to the maximum. As a successful working mother you are the best example of good manager.

While family and work can be balanced by mothers with amazing efficiency, it may not be as easy to continue with their education. Traditional learning requires you to put in many hours of your time into traveling to a university and attending classes which are normally scheduled at times that do not tally with your busy lifestyle. This means many mothers had to leave out the prospects of following their educational goals. But the developments in recent times in the field of education offer working mothers an answer.

Universities now offer flexible time tables for many of their courses to students. The conventional class room teaching methods have been replaced by online degrees that can be done from home at a pace that is suitable for the learner. The degrees offered through these new learning methods are recognized at the same level as any other degree offered the traditional way. The choice of courses available on flexible schedules and through online learning is becoming wid ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3488/Achieving-Life-Balance-Mother-Employee-and-Student.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3488/Achieving-Life-Balance-Mother-Employee-and-Student.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Expert Advice for Personal Matters</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Everything in this world is getting complicated day by day and people find themselves getting involved in a lot of work and getting busy. Most people, irrespective of their gender and age, are now getting themselves employed and hence are filled with busy schedules leaving them less room and time to deal with their personal lives.
 
Due to this matter, which is the clash in business / office life and one’s personal life, people undergo a lot of problems and hence suffer from stresses and strain. This is where one needs the advice of an expert, specializing in the area of handling and resolving personal problems and matters. This article therefore aims to give some expert advice for personal matters and to explain to whom one could go to, to seek such advice.
 
Personal problems are a serious issue when it comes to anything, be it at work or at leisure (while he/she is at home). These personal problems may be due to problems of and issues with one’s parents, spouse, children, or friends. Problems with them and problems caused because of them could influence a person’s life, his/her behavior and attitudes and this could pose problems to those around the person who is affected by such personal issues.
 
Some common issues and advices by experts who specialize in dealing with personal matters are explained below:
 
Your parents, spouse and children might always keep complaining because they do not see you and have relatively less time to stay with you. In other words, if you have devoted less time for them, they will keep blaming you and this would cause stress. For this, you should not mix up your personal and office lives. Spend some quality time with your parents, spouse and kids either by staying at home or going for an outing or vacation.
  
      Troubles in the past, haunting you and killing your spirit. For Eg:- Mental or Physical harassment experienced by your ex-lover, building ambiguity and skepticism in your new relationship.
 
•	Spend mo ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3476/Expert-Advice-for-Personal-Matters.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3476/Expert-Advice-for-Personal-Matters.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Event Related Balloon and Flower Bouquets</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[If you are on the look out for a creative and fun home based business, then this may be the perfect option for you. Creating balloon and flower bouquets for special events such as birthdays, anniversaries, weddings and other such occasions does not only bring immense satisfaction and joy to yourself, but also to all those who receive these lovely arrangements.

To establish your own business in this area of work, it is essential that you posses a creative flair. You should be able to mix and match different types of flowers and balloons in order to obtain an arrangement which is able to bring out the smiles of all the recipients. In addition to the above you should also have good communication skills and organizational skills to get your business moving. For example if you are catering your services for weddings and/or corporate events you will be required to work with lots of different people. Good communication skills will be vital in such a situation.

As mentioned earlier balloon and flower bouquets are sought after for many special types of events. Since this is your own business, you can freely select the area to which you would be catering your services to. You could either focus all your attention to one special segment or else service a combination of segments through your business. Some of the available segments in this type of profession are decorations for birthday parties, bouquets for weddings, balloon décor for business events, school fundraisers, corporate events and wedding reception decorations.    

In order to obtain success in your venture it is highly important that you advertise and promote your services well to your selected market segment. You can start off with your family and friends. Tell everyone you know about the type of service you provide. Servicing special events of your family members and friends, even at a special rate will not only build up your confidence in your new found business but also help in spreading the word rega ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3459/Event-Related-Balloon-and-Flower-Bouquets.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3459/Event-Related-Balloon-and-Flower-Bouquets.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Empower your Baby to Communicate by Using Baby Sign Language</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Till a decade or so ago, sign language was mostly associated with the hearing impaired. Today however, a growing number of parents and caregivers are discovering how sign language can be extremely effective in breaking down the barriers of communicating with a baby. 

The average age when babies begin talking is placed at somewhere between 12 to 15 months. While comprehension of the spoken word or language does take time, however by using baby sign language your baby will be able to pick up associative sounds and actions or signs as early as 6 – 7 months!  

Soon he will be able to tell you if he needs a diaper change or if he is hungry or thirsty. And knowing what your baby wants can go a long way in cutting down the frustration that babies and parents alike undergo during those formative years.
 
Of course you might wonder why a hearing baby who incidentally is going to learn to talk eventually, require sign language. After all you grew up fine without it, right?
 
Associative sign and sound comprehension is vital to a baby’s speech development as numerous research and studies have shown. Baby sign language can help accelerate communication resulting in earlier verbal language development, increased creativity and a higher IQ.
 
Communication among humans is a combination of sound, sight, thought and emotions. The older we get, our ability to communicate improves as our comprehensive powers of speech and language increase. 
 
In a baby, the level of passive vocabulary (the words he can understand) is far more advanced than his/her active vocabulary (the words he can use). This is the reason why a baby can pick up gestures faster as opposed to the corresponding words. 
 
When you use baby sign language, you are effectively empowering your baby by opening up and creating a channel of communication that is easy to comprehend and use not just for your baby but also for you as a parent or caregiver. 

Kindersigns is one of the largest [URL=http://ww ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3458/Empower-your-Baby-to-Communicate-by-Using-Baby-Sign-Language.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3458/Empower-your-Baby-to-Communicate-by-Using-Baby-Sign-Language.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Top Concerns of Today’s Adult Learner</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Chasing online education has its own profits. It allows you to stay at home, simultaneously allowing you to achieve your educational and livelihood goals. You can complete your education entirely as a distant learner, stay offshore, and fully recognize as an internal degree holder of the university.
 
United States is far behind in adult learning enthusiasm compared to other developed countries like Japan, Canada and some of the European countries. According to scholars, the quality of life in a country is always proportional to the adult education level of the country. We all know that in the future, the most important asset of the economy will be knowledge workers and intellectual properties, where proper adult education plays a highly important role.
 
Completing a degree requires lot of time and hard work. For some individuals these are the most difficult factors to find in their life. Especially if you are a parent, you are well aware about the duties you have. But with online education, you can save your time and money by avoiding travel to your learning place. You can also control your learning environment and you can learn in your own pace!
 
Many employers prefer some experience with potential candidates in recruiting procedure. However, not many people find opportunities to apply and experiment the knowledge their acquiring, in a real world scenario. Students who do their studies online can practice these theories directly in their working environment.
 
In online education, you have to do most of your studying over the Internet. Because of this, there are number of requirements you need to have at your home. You need a good Internet connection to download and view educational content. You may also need some electronic appliances such as a VCR or a VCD player for recording and playback purposes of various audio-visual files.
 
There are certain matters you have to evaluate before you start learning. The most important of all is your interest on t ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3453/Top-Concerns-of-Todays-Adult-Learner.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3453/Top-Concerns-of-Todays-Adult-Learner.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Trends and Predictability in Online Shopping</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[In 2002, a survey disclosed that over half of the American population was connected to the internet and nearly 40% of those users were making online purchases. If you want the hard numbers, about 55.8 million people were comfortable buying goods and services online. The results led to the conclusion that online shopping will become more popular very fast. The predictions have more than come true as we enter the second half of 2008. 

Those days, it generally took an internet user almost 2 years to get comfortable with buying online. Nowadays people are bolder. Even teens find it a breeze to shop online. Online shopping is actually more popular among internet users between the ages of 18 and 45. It’s not surprising that the rich tend to splurge more and to make extravagant purchases. What’s interesting is that lower income consumers are getting used to this new way of shopping than the rich ones. We don’t know for sure whether the increasing fuel prices have anything to do with it. Coupled to online shopping, web banking is on the rise too, with men resorting to it more than the ladies.  

Just how much the online shopping craze is catching on was witnessed in 2007. People abandoned their shopping carts preferring instead to sit at home in front of their computer. Big retail businesses were well prepared to handle the crowds and the congestion. Promotional activities, including cool online ads, were in full swing. 

It’s no wonder that the public is gravitating towards online shopping. These days convenience is of utmost importance. The novelty of bumping shoulder to shoulder in malls and markets is wearing thin. With the rising costs of living, people are not happy to stand in long queues waiting their turn, nor are they in the mood to bargain. With the current economic situation, people are feeling cramped from every quarter so the idea of being able to sit at home and shop at peace really strikes a chord with consumers. Statistics tell us the same: t ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3448/Trends-and-Predictability-in-Online-Shopping.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3448/Trends-and-Predictability-in-Online-Shopping.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>The Plastic Bag Industry </strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Plastics are classified based on their polymer backbone. Just as there are many varieties of plastic, there are several different ways to process plastic. It depends on what the ultimate product needs to be. Most plastic bags consist of carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, sulfur, or chlorine.
 
Plastic bags are usually made up of the plastic type polyethylene. Basically it consists of units called ethylene, which are repeated in the plastic and joined together by strong bonds. Plastic bags came into the spotlight during World War II and have been popular ever since. This type was the first plastic in US to reach sales of more than billion pounds per annum. Shopping bags, garment bags, trash bags and packing material all use polyethylene. You’ll notice that even these shopping bags can vary in texture. Plastic bags in groceries are flimsy while at malls you get more sturdy types. If the polymer making up the plastic is highly branches, it gives a flimsy finish.
 
Petroleum and natural gas are the key ingredients that are used by the plastic bag industry. This usage of non renewable energy sources has sparked debates among environmentalists who claim that it’s such a waste to direct valuable energy towards what’s becoming an environmental hazard.

The plastic industry is now looking towards making degradable bags, like those use starch as a raw material. Another way to make plastic less durable is to add a UV light absorber so that it will break down when exposed to sunlight. These procedures are more environmentally friendly but more expensive at the same time.
 
Plastic bag industries have spoken out against any bans that may be implemented on the use of plastic bags. They say that the environmental concern is exaggerated and that there is no conclusive evidence that marine life is endangered by discarded plastic bags. They even assert that paper bags (an alternative for the plastic bag) do not degrade much faster than their plastic counterparts. Even some envir ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3447/The-Plastic-Bag-Industry.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3447/The-Plastic-Bag-Industry.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Five Exercise Programs you can do for Free</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[The body is ingeniously designed to move, with its beautiful labyrinth of elaborate levers and pulleys known as bones and muscles, honed and perfected over millions of years.
 
Always exercise to your current ability and slightly beyond. If you are over weight try low-risk and inexpensive exercises programs. Here are some popular forms of exercise – walking, running, cycling, swimming and yoga. Include cross training into your sports routine, so that you are using different muscles in different ways. Exercise helps you sleep and eat better as your body doesn’t crave double cheese burgers instead of proper protein.  
 
Walking- Walking is the easiest and most convenient exercise. Don’t try to start walking long distances at the beginning. Start slowly. Increase the speed and distance as time goes on.
 
 Running- It’s good for aerobic exercise. Relatively inexpensive-essentially all you need is a great pair of trainers. It increases oxygen uptake to improve your heart’s health, lowers blood pressure and increases insulin sensitivity to a degree higher than when you are walking. Running increase your brain power. It also loads the lower joints with more than four times the body’s weight. Most likely, running has no influence on joint damage, obesity or heaviness. You need to be careful in these cases.  
 
Swimming- brings different movement patterns with resistance and assistance. Immersion in water helps to support the weight of the body. This explains why water is such a valuable recovery and rehabilitation aid and is perfect for pregnant women, people with arthritis, obesity and back pain 
 
Breathing is the key part of Yoga. It builds core strength, balance flexibility, as well as, helps the people to reach the ultimate goals of relaxation, weight loss, a toned body and improve posture. 
 
Like most sports, cycling helps you build stamina to enable you to carry out your day-to-day activities effectively. It is often used as training variatio ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3443/Five-Exercise-Programs-you-can-do-for-Free.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3443/Five-Exercise-Programs-you-can-do-for-Free.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Guiding Children to Healthy Snack Choices</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[We are born with an almost inborn natural liking towards the taste for sweet and salt. When we begin to grow we understand that fat makes food taste great as well. When we become too fond of all that junk food, what happens? Yes, too much of sweets and fats are bad for us.

If the body wants some sort of nutrient that it is lacking, it is called “Hunger”. This situation happens to all adults and growing children alike. One of the main reasons for an individual to experience food cravings is by not having one’s meals on time. “It is a message from your body to tell you that it is missing something.” Eating on time and eating proper healthy food is the best way to avoid it.

The healthiest foods are the foods which we prepare at home. By any chance if you are unable to take your food from home, it is very important to buy foods which are healthy. Foods that include healthy nutrients are the best snacks. It provides the energy to your body which you need to perform at optimal level throughout the day. It is your decision to make smart snack choices, but it is also important to choose the proper healthy food. Generally milk and dairy products are rich in potassium and calcium. Potassium is the sentry that keeps your blood pressure in check while an optimum level of calcium relieves your body of having to steal calcium from your bones, which depletes the bones.

If you are buying something on your way to school, try and buy a fish or vegetable bun instead of a Chinese roll or pastry. There are easy food items you can make at home for small children without much effort; vegetable with cheese sandwiches, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches are great. Apart from that try butter or marmite in your sandwiches or ‘toasties’ with some chicken or egg paste. You can also try some biscuits as a snack. It will give “continuous energy” whereas; chocolates give you “quick energy”.

Children must have healthy food to get a balance of protein, fat and carbo ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3442/Guiding-Children-to-Healthy-Snack-Choices.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3442/Guiding-Children-to-Healthy-Snack-Choices.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>How to Protect your Surroundings</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[How often do we take our environment for granted? Or at least, some of us just pay attention to our immediate surroundings and are not much concerned with what goes on outside the boundary. The problem is this, events that occur miles away can create an unpleasant situation where we live. For instance, the activities of industrialized nations are having a disastrous effect on Polar Regions. So isn’t it wise for all of us to take an interest in nature conservation? 

Beware of hazardous waste- Factories and laboratories are the main culprits here, but even individual homes can contribute to this problem. We need to think about the chemicals we use for household purposes (bleach, insecticides, pesticides, detergents) and take care about how we dispose them. If you are working in a factory or a laboratory, you have a responsibility towards the environment. Sometimes, there is no easy way to dispose of these harmful agents, but a little inconvenience is nothing compared to the risks involved. 

Protect the air you breathe- Sounds quite complicated but it’s not really. Burning fuel pollutes the air as we all know so what you have to do is keep this to a minimum. Don’t use a car when you can walk or cycle. Taking public transportation also brings down emission levels. Chicago has set a standard by becoming a bicycle friendly state. Its infrastructure supports cyclists. If you do use your car, make sure it’s fuel efficient and that it doesn’t emit a trail of carbon monoxide when you drive. Not everyone can afford expensive hybrid cars after all. 

Trade in old machines- Ever heard of those offers where you can trade in your TV or the television for a brand new one? Maybe it’s a gimmick or maybe it will actually make a difference to the environment. Old equipment tend to take up more energy. So next time you hear of buy-back events, don’t dismiss it as a foolish notion. 

Recycle- This is the guiding light of nature conservation. Not all of what we con ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3434/How-to-Protect-your-Surroundings.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3434/How-to-Protect-your-Surroundings.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Getting the Best Deals Online</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Remember all those tips we get on how to make the best of holiday shopping or how to get the best bargains? Well some of them may come in handy when it comes to online shopping while others are totally irrelevant.  Online commerce became a trend in the 1990’s. Since then, retailers have developed databases that store important consumer information, like consumer behavior. Such data helps them to develop good sales strategies and to catch customers off guard. But don’t worry, you can avoid being a loser and even win by staying on top of the online shopping game. Here are some tips to help you along:
Say yes to newsletters: Although they may sound like a nuisance and can remind you of spam at times, newsletters issued by retailers can actually help you. Remember, these don’t reach everyone. The newsletters are banking on impulsive shoppers but at the same time, maybe they’ll throw a much needed shopping solution to you.
 According to Harpointner, one of the best ways to score early deals is by signing up for e-mail newsletters from retailers. &amp;quot;Online merchants understand that people are spontaneous,&amp;quot; Harpointner explains. &amp;quot;So if customers receive an e-mail with an offer or coupon that matches their shopping list, there's a good chance they'll make the purchase early.”
Shop early in the holidays: How is it that some people leave their holiday shopping till the last minute? Maybe it’s the fun of the rush or the chance for surprise. But if you really want to get good deals, there is nothing like shopping early during New Year season or any other holiday. 
Believe in coupon codes- If you are on the lookout for discounts, now is the time to collect those coupons, if you haven’t started already. The coupon codes are entered during the checkout. Some coupons offer free shopping, others offer free accessories to a product you have bought. You can type the words ‘coupon code’ together with a product you want in a search engine.  Alternative ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3432/Getting-the-Best-Deals-Online.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3432/Getting-the-Best-Deals-Online.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>The Power of a Big Hug</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Hugs are shared between friends, lovers and families. They are never out of place and they will always make one feel good. Hugs come in different types; there’s the ‘rushing out the door’ hug and the long, comforting hug. There’s the welcome hug and the goodbye hug. Kids in particular love the bear hug. 

No doubt, a hug is a wonderful way to show someone that you care. Sometimes, there is no need for words to be spoken between two people. A hug can convey how you feel to the other. Parents often hug their kids to show affection and to make them feel secure. 

A hug can also help when a kid is feeling emotional, depressed or out of control. It works wonders rather than trying to pacify with words. You need to give your child a good hard hug with a lot of squeezing around the trunk and shoulders to provide some calm. Let’s say a child is crying. By holding on to her rightly, with your arms around her, you can slowly rock her back and forth until the crying stops. It does work! For kids who shy away from frontal hugs, try one from behind. 

No wonder parents use a hug as their secret weapon. Parents themselves calm down too, when they are holding their kids close. Suddenly, all the worries seem to slowly dissipate and it’s just you and your precious one. 

If you ever doubt the power of a hug, remember a family funeral you’ve been to. Think of how a hug had helped to console a family member. It helps to get great sorrow out, letting it spill over as tears. It’s balm to the soul. 

Research has shown that demonstrating love and affection is important to our mental and physical health. This is not limited to a certain age. Kids and adults benefit by a hug. Scientists point out that our body chemistry changes when we are physically close to another person. If you want to know more, then let us tell you that a loving touch, such as the hug, can boost the performance of the immune system. It’s the opposite of what stress does to immune cells. A  ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3423/The-Power-of-a-Big-Hug.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3423/The-Power-of-a-Big-Hug.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Debt Management- Making Your Life Stress Free</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Do you wake up every morning to a “debt rise” rather than a sunrise? Are you leading a stress filled life with no peace? Read on and put a full stop to all that debt which is overpowering you...

Have you considered debt settlement? Well if you are desperate, you better start thinking about it. There are plenty of debt settlement companies who would be more than happy to offer you a quick fix method for you to halve your debt overnight! Debt settlement companies usually try to persuade your creditors to accept either a lesser payment or maybe even no payment at all. But a major con of this method is that, your credit rating will fall into the pits. So it’s advisable not to go for this method unless you are extremely desperate. 

On the other hand, credit counseling might be a better option for you. Go to your nearest credit counselor and give him/her a brief idea about your debt situation and about how you find it difficult to settle your debts. Your counselor will then meet your creditors and lay out a debt management plan. This will help you get lower interest rates on due amounts or maybe even lower payments. Creditors want SOMETHING from you rather than NOTHING at all. 

If there’s a large gaping hole in your credit file, go for debt consolidation. The essence of debt consolidation lies in taking a bank loan and using it to pay off all your other debts. This way you make one small monthly payment to the bank and they will apply that money to your creditor (who most probably will accept lower monthly repayments). The drawback lies in the fact that you may have to secure this loan against a major assent, such as your house. The pro is that you’ll therefore get a lower interest! What more, you just have to make ONE MONTHLY payment which will make you feel less psychologically pressurized, compared to 10-20 monthly payments. On the other hand, you may have to pay much more in the long run compared to what you may have paid, if you had settled the deb ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3419/Debt-Management-Making-Your-Life-Stress-Free.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3419/Debt-Management-Making-Your-Life-Stress-Free.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Radiant Skin can Boost your Confidence</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Do you often wonder why you should look good in the first place? Does it seem like a pointless exercise to look after your skin and make it glow like that of an angel? Well looking good is not all about grabbing eligible bachelors or about having a social life like that of J-Lo or Angelina Jolie. It’s about you and your confidence level.

There’s absolutely no reason for you to believe in the stuff they say on television or on your local radio station or what you trendy friends say, it’s all about you and your confidence! By looking good you are going to feel good about yourself and your life is going to take a whole new angle. When you have glowing skin and thereby a glowing appearance, it’s not only you who feels the radiance and the glow…your kids, your spouse, your parents, your neighbors…EVERYONE will feel it and EVERYONE is going to love you.

Good looking women not only look good but they feel good. They seem to give out this “positive” energy which seems to lure everyone towards them. They have dazzling eyes, they walk gracefully and they talk so smoothly and easily…it’s all about SKY HIGH CONFIDENCE! And where did they get all this from? It’s from the good looks they have because of their perfect skin! On the other hand, always note how (even in cartoons) the nasty looking people are the ones who seem to emanate a lot of negativity; they are displeased, jealous and have absolutely nothing good to say about anyone! Quite true isn’t it? Well life is not all about looks but well looks play a key role in a woman’s life and her confidence.

Eat well and make sure you have healthy eating habits. Eat food which will give you energy for quite some while rather than those which just give you a temporary spurt of energy. Eat lots of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins and Nuts! (Yum! Yum!)

Get yourself into a good exercise workout. There’s no need for you to be pumping your biceps and triceps for hours; just go for hal ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3417/Radiant-Skin-can-Boost-your-Confidence.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3417/Radiant-Skin-can-Boost-your-Confidence.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>7 Newsletter Writing Secrets That Will Retain More Clients for Life </strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[According to the Harvard Business Review, 91% of small businesses do absolutely nothing to retain their existing clients. That means only 9% of small business owners 'get' these facts:
 
- The average American business loses 50% of its customer base every 5 years. 
- An existing customer spends an average of 67% more than new customers. 
- It costs 7 to 9 times more to acquire a new customer than it does to retain an old one.
 
Mailing a monthly newsletter can eliminate all of these problems -- if you do it correctly.
 
A successful newsletter doesn't just 'happen'. It's composed of very specific elements. Without them, you might as well be sending your clients a comic book. 
 
7 Elements Your Newsletter Must Have If You Want to Retain More Clients
 
1.   Content that IS NOT all about you. Many businesses feel compelled to tell everyone how wonderful they are. Forget it. People don't like braggers. Instead, feature content that is interesting and useful. When you've engaged your reader with articles they actually want to read, you'll have earned their trust and respect. This will lead to more sales. 
 
2.   Exciting, new and original content. Your readers should look forward to your newsletters each month. If your articles are boring, people will stop reading -- and you won't get any of the benefits that sending a regular newsletter can bring. 
 
3.   Sense of professionalism.  Your newsletter is an extension of your businesses. You pride yourself on providing personal, professional service or selling quality products. Your newsletters must match your reputation. Make sure there are no spelling mistakes. Write appealing articles. Have an attractive layout design. Print your newsletter on high-quality paper. If it looks like it was published by your 7th grader, you've wasted your time and money. 
 
4.   Personal touch. Continue the initial connection you made with your client by revealing a little about yourself in your newsletter. A personal touch  ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3416/7-Newsletter-Writing-Secrets-That-Will-Retain-More-Clients-for-Life.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3416/7-Newsletter-Writing-Secrets-That-Will-Retain-More-Clients-for-Life.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>The Wonders of Baby Sign Language</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Before babies can begin to vocalize their needs, they must master very complex motor skills. These skills include placement of the tongue, formation of lips, shaping of the nasal passage and controlling the vocal chords. Not being able to communicate needs in a way that others can understand is frustrating for babies and causes loud crying and tantrums. Baby sign language works wonders for babies and parents by developing a way to express feelings, needs and wants. Happy babies turn into happier toddlers being able to express themselves in a successful way.

The wonders of signing with your baby are truly fantastic. Singing babies are able to understand language long before they are able to communicate via speech. The gap between understanding and communication can easily be bridged with sign language. Also contrary to what some believe it is proven that signing babies are able to speak earlier than non signers. 

Babies who have the means to express their needs feel less frustration resulting in fewer tantrums and crying. When babies realize that signing is more productive than whining the crying reduces relieving parental frustration.

Signing babies develop larger vocabularies and score 10 to12 points higher on IQ tests than non signers. On average signers develop 50 more spoken words. Signing babies also show greater interest in books and learning. Signing with babies teaches language through concept and promotes early literacy and encourages early use of complex sentences.

Research shows that being understood by grownups is very important to babies. Sign language gives a baby the tools to communicate therefore babies grow with better self esteem and confidence. For an infant confidence is developed through successful interaction with the people in their environment.

Baby Sign Language increases a baby’s imagination. Signing improves brain function improving creative thinking skills.  Sign language also increases the creative use of language. Signi ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3407/The-Wonders-of-Baby-Sign-Language.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3407/The-Wonders-of-Baby-Sign-Language.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>The Evolution of Online Advertising Technology - Part Two</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Even with the cookie-type behavioral advertising technology, there was a way for users to prevent these ads from targeting them. They could set their machines not to accept any cookies at all by setting their browser security setting to high. This solved the privacy issue, although many websites would (intentionally or not) render improperly with this setting on.

In recent news on the behavioral advertising technology front, Microsoft announced that its newest Internet Explorer, version 8, would have a mode called &amp;quot;InPrivate Blocking&amp;quot; that would prevent cookies from being placed on any machine. At first glance, it would seem that either: 

A. Microsoft is genuinely concerned about online privacy, to the point that the company would allow users to block ads that come from the Microsoft network as well, or
 
B. Microsoft realized that the paltry share of the ad serving market that it currently controls is not as important as inflicting serious damage to Google, which owns a much more significant slice of the online advertising pie (in actuality, at this point, Google's &amp;quot;slice&amp;quot; looks more like Pac-Man, but I digress).

Whatever happens with this flavor of behavioral advertising, there was recently a new type of advertising technology that raised some serious eyebrows, and this one could have been the most nefarious of all.

This latest behavioral advertising technology, brought to the surface by a company called NebuAd, is aimed at tracking user behavior at the ISP level. In other words, there ain't really a whole lot you can do about it. You need your ISP to get online, so your ISP has access to the information that you are accessing when you are online. They don't need no stinkin' cookies, so you can erase them to your heart's content and they'll happily keep tracking along.

For the unscrupulous ISP, this is a no-brainer. You allow NebuAd to install its platform at your service hub and then you split the profits. And this is exactly  ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3398/The-Evolution-of-Online-Advertising-Technology--Part-Two.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3398/The-Evolution-of-Online-Advertising-Technology--Part-Two.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Environmental/Conservation Techniques</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Wildlife- To preserve wildlife, there have been many programs based on wildlife management strategies. Such attempts include handling animals in artificial environments to induce breeding, establishing nature reserves and parks and using technology to increase the number of a species population. The nature conservancy has been a popular concept because it is an area that is designated for protection of both land and wildlife. 

Conservationists and scientists have together tried to understand the reasons for loss of species and reduction in populations, in the hope that by identifying causative factors, they can put things right. There have also been various studies to compare the nature of the environment at present, with what it used to be several years back. This is important because ecosystems have changed over the years that they may never retain their original components and links. So, instead of trying to return to the past, which is a time wasting and impractical exercise, conservation strategies should focus on maintaining the current situation, so as to avoid any further dramatic changes. In other words, instead of frowning and doubting new combinations of animals, plants and habitats, we should encourage them as long as they follow the rules of nature. 

Water – New conservation efforts take a much broader view than before. Prevention is better than cure when it comes to the environment too. So the best ways to conserve water is to make sure that we don’t contaminate or deplete our supplies. With water, a good conservation strategy has to be the changing of our mindset. 

Countries such as Japan recycle about 80% of its water. There should be no idea that ‘water is free’. Then only will we be more conscious of how we use water and reduce wastage. Moreover, any conservation effort has to be consistent and continuous. 

Oil – This resource is of course not free, as current fluctuating prices will have us remember. Conservation issues shoul ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3363/EnvironmentalConservation-Techniques.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3363/EnvironmentalConservation-Techniques.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Postpartum Expectations- Set your Family up for a Stress free Homecoming</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[The biggest ordeal seems to be over. Once the baby is delivered to your eager hands and you see how perfect it is, you will heave a sigh of relief. Finally, time to relax! But wait, there are still more challenges ahead- the homecoming and all it implies.
 
Up to this point, everyone has bestowed their undivided attention on you. There are people to help you with the housework, even your grown kids will generously pitch in. When you leave the comforting care of the hospital, although family members still feel obliged to help you out, they will definitely be distracted by the new arrival. Suddenly the baby is the focus of attention and the life of the party. Housework and even you will be temporarily forgotten as everyone tries to introduce themselves to the little one.
 
It’s not only family members that will flock around the baby. No doubt you will receive many phone calls and text messages from well wishers, who want to come and see your newborn as soon as they can. Add visitors to the already chaotic situation at home, and it’s no wonder that new mothers struggle to cope on a daily basis.
 
So what can you do to avoid becoming a nervous wreck and actually enjoy the first couple of weeks of motherhood? Number one, the planning for the homecoming has to start early. When the baby is born, nobody will in the right frame of mind to organize a nursery. Because you never know when your baby decides to see the world, it’s best to have the nursery arranged at least 2 months in advance of the due date.
 
You would have had to finish the baby shopping well ahead too. It is difficult for a husband to know exactly what is required when it comes to baby items. The nappies, baby dresses, clean towels, baby mats, baby bath and bottles should all be ready for use when you come home.
 
Your husband can be your best ally after the baby is born or he can add to your problems unwittingly. Modern father expect to be actively involved in their baby’s development so d ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3353/Postpartum-Expectations-Set-your-Family-up-for-a-Stress-free-Homecoming.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3353/Postpartum-Expectations-Set-your-Family-up-for-a-Stress-free-Homecoming.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>How Plastic Bags Kill in the Marine Environment</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[In the article on how plastic bags affect the environment, we talked about how these bags can be a menace to innocent animals and even babies. In this article we have illustrated just how this happens. 

First let’s take the marine environment which seems to be at the greatest risk from these bags. Some of the animals that are killed by ingesting this plastic are whales, seals and turtles. These bags when in the water seem to take a life of their own and appear like moving food to hungry marine life. Turtles commonly mistake them for jellyfish. 

Once a plastic bag is swallowed, it is not digested like other food. It gets trapped within the gastric tube, not allowing any other food to go down. This results in starvation. In the case of turtles, the threat is higher because turtles don’t have the mechanism to regurgitate what they have swallowed. The downward facing spines in their throats prevent the bag from coming out, instead tangling it even more. Food trapped in the gut causes gases to accumulate in the body cavity of the animal, making them float and unable to search for food in deep waters. It even makes them easy prey for secondary predators. 

Plastic bags are so persistent even in the gut of an animal. For instance, if the animal that has swallowed the bag is eaten by another animal, the second animal too will be at risk of choking on the plastic. If the animal that swallowed the plastic bag dies in the water, its body decomposes but the plastic is released back into the water where it can kill again. 

There are many examples of such sad stories. In 2002, a minke whale was beached in France having eaten almost a kilogram of plastic bags. The plastic can act like a chemical sponge-it absorbs pollutants in the sea and becomes quite toxic if swallowed. This leads to prolonged suffering and ultimately death. 

According to Environment California, about 1 million marine animals are killed every year due to plastic bags. A UN study in 2006 reveale ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3341/How-Plastic-Bags-Kill-in-the-Marine-Environment.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3341/How-Plastic-Bags-Kill-in-the-Marine-Environment.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>How much Make-Up is the Right Amount?</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[As women, we all love to use makeup to enhance our features and improve our appearance. Based on our mood, the occasion and time of day, we change our makeup to bring out the best effects. But most often women wonder, ‘am I wearing enough makeup’ or ‘is my makeup a bit too much’. I am sure you too have been in doubt about the amount of makeup you should apply and would suit you best. 

How do you determine the right amount of makeup for your face? The following pointers would help you in coming to a decision on your makeup usage and guide you towards achieving the right amount of makeup for yourself. 

·	Foundation – If the color of your neck and hands stand out from your face, then you are obviously using the wrong shade of foundation. Where as caked up foundation is definitely ‘too much’ makeup, the wrong color also brings out the same disastrous effects. So when you choose a foundation, match it against the darkest shade on your cheek, thus enabling it to blend with your overall skin tones
·	Mascara – Do not over do your mascara, you may lose the feel of your eyelashes and your eyes may seem heavy and brooding. Two layers should do the trick to add volume to even the most scanty eye lashes, enhancing them in a most natural and attractive manner. Take short breaks between applications, allowing for the mascara to dry on your lashes and prevent clumping
·	Eye shadow – If your eyes appear overly highlighted, making them look like two blotches on your face, then you have too much eye shadow on. Apply your shadow to blend with your skin tones, with lighter tones at the periphery. Never use excess eye shadow during the day, as this can make you appear presumptuous 
·	Lipstick – It is very important to choose the right lipsticks shades to suit your face and skin tones. Where as excess lipstick may not bring out dramatic effects, unsuitable shades will definitely make you appear to be wearing too much makeup 

Always strive to achieve tha ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3340/How-much-MakeUp-is-the-Right-Amount.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3340/How-much-MakeUp-is-the-Right-Amount.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>If you don’t use it get rid of it</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[
”If you've been feeling lethargic or depressed, your stuff may be to blame”
 
As you start clearing your unwanted stuff, you’ve probably already covered this step, which is called sorting and gathering. Go through each item and try to remember the last time you used it. And ask yourself whether it is important. If it is not important get rid of it. By sorting and gathering you will easily recognize the unwanted stuff. Don't keep things around just because they might be used someday and just because it has little importance to you. It doesn't mean that someone else won't treasure it. Even if you only have one item left from a set, such as one glass, one lamp or one chair, make sure you put it out for sale. There are people who are always on the hunt for odd items to add to their own collection. 
 
Some popular items are:
1.	Clothes
2.	CDs/ tapes
3.	Toys
4.	Books/ Magazines/ Newspapers
5.	Sports equipment
Preparing - Pick a day for your sale. At least prepare and advertise to sell within 3 weeks. Check with your neighbors whether they have something to sell. So that you both can host one sale together. Choose a time and decide how many hours you’ll need to sell your stuff. Get some extra tables. If you display your items methodically, it will increase your sales and help you to be more organized. 
Advertising - The key to any successful event is getting the word out. When you are advertising your sale, place an Ad in the local newspaper. It should also include information on where the sale is located with directions. It is important to place your Ad at least two days before the sale, and then have it run until the day of your event. 
Pricing - Before you start to give a value to your stuff, make sure you give them a reasonable price. If there is an item that you're not sure of its value, try to get it appraised before you place a price ticket on it. You could be giving away something valuable at a lesser price. 
 Display -Make sure everything yo ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3299/If-you-dont-use-it-get-rid-of-it.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3299/If-you-dont-use-it-get-rid-of-it.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Bonding through Baby Sign Language</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Babies love attention. They cry, laugh and whimper in an attempt to express their various needs and explore their bond with others. Many are in the mind set that it is good to allow a baby to cry, but with the advances in research it is proven that it is essential to respond to an infants cry, because this helps build a trusting relationship between a parent and baby.  Attending to a baby on demand gives him the confidence that his mommy and daddy will always be there to help him with the things he can’t do for himself. If he can trust you today with those diaper changes and bottle feedings, tomorrow he will have the confidence to trust you with more important issues we all wish our children will share with us. In order to be secure, healthy and happy wee ones need all the cuddling, love and attention parents can give.

Research also shows that bonding with babies is fundamental in helping them form their first model for intimate relationships developed later in their lives. If this early parent-baby bond is not established he may grow up insecure, anxious and with a lack of self- confidence.

Every parent wants’ a special bond with their baby and provide them with the best start in life, but in truth, babies can be inscrutable at times; infants lack the ability to speak words so parents don’t understand the message. This causes frustration on both sided. Baby sign language can correct that problem and thus strengthen the parent-baby relationship through communication. 

Babies lack the type of motor skills that enable speech, but they do have the ability to understand and use language well before they are able to do so verbally. Think about it, teaching a baby to sign is a very natural process; you capitalize on a baby’s natural tendency to use his hands to get what he wants. By six months most babies use there hands to communicate, for example, stretching their arms to be picked up. The idea of using baby sign language is to increase their signing vo ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3288/Bonding-through-Baby-Sign-Language.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3288/Bonding-through-Baby-Sign-Language.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Tips to keep you out of Debt</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Just like food and water, debt seems to be an inevitable part of everyone’s life in the times of today. Increasing needs and limited salary are the top two reasons for you to land in debt. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to wake up in the morning and not have to worry about paying your credit card bills or your telephone bills? It’s all not that difficult; just that it requires a lot of discipline! Soon you will realize that you can stay out of debt not only for days or months but for your entire lifetime…

1. Think “NO” to credit cards!
Next time you go shopping and move towards the paying counter, don’t dive into your handbag looking for a credit card. Leave them behind at home! Say to yourself that “credit card purchases” are taboo. At the end of the month you’ll realize how much money you would have saved in terms of unnecessary purchases AND interest.

2. Let a budget rule you!
Set out a budget for the month ahead of you. More importantly, try your best to stick to your budget. Also, at the end of the month, just because you have some extra cash left over, don’t let yourself spend it, rather try to save it for an emergency fund which you may need later.

3. Cut down on small temptations
Just because you are trying to cut down on expenditure doesn’t mean you have to cut down on meals and save money. Just keep yourself away from small temptations. Small temptations can drain your money easily because you have little or no track of the $10 that you spent every day, for a whole month. The month end will see you looking in every nook and corner for that $300.

4. Learn the art of bargaining
Don’t grab something and pay right away. Sellers (especially street hawkers) always add a very lash margin to their price so that they can get the expected profit even after bargaining. So don’t lose out on that opportunity! Keep harping on the seller to reduce the price.

5. Self – control is essential
Don’t walk into a store and pick ever ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3271/Tips-to-keep-you-out-of-Debt.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3271/Tips-to-keep-you-out-of-Debt.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Reviews from past Customers are a great way to evaluate a Business</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Consumers encompass all types of people. There is no size or style that fits all. That’s why successful marketing requires understanding the dynamics of the client base. And that’s why, although ads make consumers aware of a product or service, they are not always enough to influence buying decisions.

Among the different types of consumers, it’s the humanistic ones (those concerned about relationships) that really look to past reviews for help. A review is personal. It tells readers something about the writer too, not only about the product or service being reviewed. For instance, young consumers, say teens, will identify reviews written by like minded individuals and read them before making a purchase. Adults will be drawn to more mature, fact-based reviews. So, it’s important for customer reviews of a business to reflect the different segments of the population, unless the business is targeted to a specific age category.

Consumers can use a review to know whether a product is reliable and lives up to its name. Or they can use a review to evaluate a service-based business, like catering. Local reviews are especially important because of the higher degree of trust and ‘community feeling’ among consumers. Plus, the same stock will be evaluated. In other words, if you live in Kentucky, you’d be happier to read a local review on a lawnmower you’ve been eyeing, rather than read about a similar review from New York.

When it comes to restaurants and hotels, reviews are very much in demand. With a product, you can go to a nearby showroom and try it out before you make the purchase but with hotels and eateries, you’ll reach the destination and then experience the facilities available. So if the place is not to your liking, it’s a waste of the whole trip. It’s even worse if you pay for the booking beforehand and then realize it’s not what you expected. Hotel websites are sometimes misleading. The rooms in the image gallery are not always what ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3254/Reviews-from-past-Customers-are-a-great-way-to-evaluate-a-Business.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3254/Reviews-from-past-Customers-are-a-great-way-to-evaluate-a-Business.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Getting through a Break-up</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[When two people are together, who’s to know if it will work out or not? If you’ve just broken up with your partner and are now relegated to being an ‘ex’, don’t take it too personally. It does not mean you are a failure or that you can’t have a successful relationship in the future. All it means is that you and Mr. X were just not meant to be. Here are a few ways to get over your break up and get back on your feet:

1) Deal with what went wrong - We all need closure when life doesn’t turn out the way we planned. If your boss fires you, you’d want to know what led to it. In the same way, when a relationship ends without you knowing that it was headed for the rocks, you’d be left wondering. Maybe you didn’t see it coming, maybe you missed the signs. Accept that you may be at fault too and that the problem was not one-sided. If it was you who ended the relationship, you still may not know exactly why you wanted to stop. The first step in getting over a break up is to understand what went wrong. It will make you better prepared for another relationship. 

2) Let it go - In your efforts to figure out why you two grew apart, don’t try to put things right. That’s one big mistake some women make. We don’t like the idea of not succeeding, so we want to try again. It might work for a job application but it doesn’t always work for a relationship. It’ll just make you hope for something which might not be there and make you more miserable in the end. Letting go is hard but believe me, that’s the best relationship advice we can give to you right now. 

3) Focus on other aspects of your life - The end of a relationship doesn’t mean your world fell apart, although it may seem that way at first. Life still goes on, your friends and family still cares about you and (if you are working) your job demands performance. By turning your attention and your energy to other things, even if you have to force it, you are rebuilding your self esteem. That  ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3253/Getting-through-a-Breakup.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3253/Getting-through-a-Breakup.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>The Spirit of Halloween</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Halloween is just around the corner, and the sprit of Halloween can be seen by the decorations in stores and the excitement and preparations at homes, especially with children, to get their Halloween costume and go out with their friends and families to go trick or treating. What is the history behind this celebration? How did this custom and fun begin?

The origin behind Halloween dates way back to ancient festival of Samhain, called the Celtic festival of the Celts. On November 1st, the Celts celebrated their new year. This was recognized as the end of the harvest and summer and beginning of winter, which they associated with death of humans. The Celts carried a belief that on October 31st, the night before New Year the boundary weakens between the dead and living. It was on this day that they celebrated Samhain, the day they believed that ghosts of dead return to earth. 

The Celts, to commemorate this event, celebrated this day by means of building large sacred bonfires, and people gathered around it to burn animals and crops as sacrifices to Celtic deities. It was customary during this event to wear costumes consisting of skins and heads of animals. 

With the Romans conquering a major territory of the Celt, with time they combined two roman origin festivals with ‘Samhain’. But a greater change was brought upon after Christianity spread to the Celtic lands. This was the All Saints Day on the 1st of November and the All Souls Day on November 2nd. All Saints Day was also referred to as All-Hallows meaning All Saints and the night before it, October 31st, the night of Samhain, was referred to as the All-Hallows Eve. Gradually this became Halloween. This is how Halloween came to be.

Today, Halloween is a day of fun and enjoyment for all, especially children. Schools and offices organize events inline with Halloween. The stores in the streets are decorated to give the sense of Halloween.  Children and adults alike dress in costumes. They enjoy by lighti ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3251/The-Spirit-of-Halloween.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3251/The-Spirit-of-Halloween.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Online Advertising Technology - More Targeting, Less Privacy (Part One)</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Please bear with me as I go through a brief history of basic online advertising. The evolution of targeted online advertising is interesting, because I believe the perceived harmlessness of early advertising technology and targeting tactics lulled many people into a sense of complacency or perhaps even false security.

In the beginning of targeted online advertising, there were banner ads. As many people recall, these were supposed to drive the Internet marketing industry in its infancy. Scads of publishers paid scads of money based on a CPI (cost per impression) model or simply paid huge dollars for banner ads and other targeted online advertising on well-trafficked sites.

Then something crazy happened - nothing. It turns out that the banner advertising technology on the Internet was not the magic bullet it was purported to be. The old way of making money based on providing content (the way magazines and newspapers ran advertising) just didn't seem to work in this context.

This new advertising technology was part of the reason for the collapse of the dot-bomb era. All the talk was about &amp;quot;eyeballs,&amp;quot; &amp;quot;stickiness,&amp;quot; &amp;quot;bleeding edge,&amp;quot; &amp;quot;cradle to grave,&amp;quot; and several other terms that, in retrospect, would have sounded more at home in a Wes Craven movie than in an emerging industry. Hundreds, perhaps thousands, of business models depended on a traditional marketing strategy working more or less the same as it always had when introduced into a non-traditional setting.  

All the while, one company, originally called GoTo, then Overture, and finally bought by Yahoo!, actually formulated a targeted online advertising system that worked - keyword advertising. Companies could bid on a per-click basis for certain key terms, which sent valuable traffic to its website.

Obviously, the improvement in advertising technology had to do with the model itself, which was perpetuated on relevance. By only bidding on keyphrases that you wa ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3246/Online-Advertising-Technology--More-Targeting-Less-Privacy-Part-One.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3246/Online-Advertising-Technology--More-Targeting-Less-Privacy-Part-One.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Best Advertising Methods on the Internet</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[There are various advertising methods one can use to promote their business website on the internet, but it can also be tough to get your site in front of all the other sites offering similar products or services. Using the internet can get your product out to millions of people but without proper marketing there is no sense. Your site will just site there in cyberspace with no visitors.

When a person wants to promote their website on the internet they may wonder how it is possible to get people to see their site when there are billions of other sites to look at. It may be a difficult task but it definitely is possible. It takes some work and some time to get the traffic you want  but it can happen.

When we have a business and we use the internet to promote it we should also promote ourselves. People will get to know you, the website owner/operator, as a person and not just another website trying to sell something.

Whenever possible, have a picture of yourself on you websites and blogs. This will give your potential customers a chance to put a face to the name.

Post in forums that are related to your industry and provide quality advice and information. This is also an excellent place to have a picture of yourself so everyone knows who they are talking to or reading advice from. Forums are a great place to learn for yourself also. 

Writing and submitting articles is always a great way to get your name out there and in good standing with potential customers. Provide unique valuable information and your readers will wait for more. In your profile with the article directory you can post a little biography and sometimes a picture so people will know you better. Make sure to include the link to your website in your resource at the end of each article.

Blogging is a more personal way to get the word out about your business. You can include personal stories or just write in your own way that is more personal and not as formal as an article should be. With  ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3245/Best-Advertising-Methods-on-the-Internet.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3245/Best-Advertising-Methods-on-the-Internet.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Affiliate Marketing for Stay at Home Moms</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Mothers who stay at home to care for their children may feel guilty for not contributing to the family financially. There is no reason to feel guilty, but it may be an issue anyway. You may be conflicted inside because there would be guilt either way you turned. If you went out to get a job, you would have to leave the children and find trustworthy child care. If you stay home the guilt mentioned earlier may come into play.

There is a solution to this conflict and that is to start your own home business. It a win, win situation. You can be there for the children, knowing they are getting the care they need and you can earn money to contribute to the family finances. Some may wonder where to begin or what kind of business to start.

There is a very simple solution and that is affiliate marketing. Affiliate marketing for stay at home moms is probably the easiest way to start a work at home business. It does not require stocking and processing products, handling money or shipping goods. When doing affiliate marketing it usually requires you to advertise or market that company's products or services. Most companies will supply a website for you to use in your advertising efforts. 

In order to earn an income you would have to make sales using your website or recruit others to become affiliate marketers just as you are. There are a lot of companies that offer a free affiliate program and some that require a monthly fee, and there are also others that require a monthy purchase of products in order to earn commissions. 

Some people are put off by having to buy the products but if the company has products that are of high quality and is something that we would use anyway, it can be a good thing. If we use the products that we are promoting it is a lot easier to make a sale. If you believe in what you are selling, you will want to share it with others and only have good things to say about the company and products. 

When finding a company to become an affiliate  ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3244/Affiliate-Marketing-for-Stay-at-Home-Moms.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3244/Affiliate-Marketing-for-Stay-at-Home-Moms.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>What Does the CAN-SPAM Act Mean to Email Marketers?</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[In 2003, the Controlling the Assault of Non-Solicited Pornography And Marketing Act  (the CAN-SPAM act) became law. It was a big step toward cleaning up the &amp;quot;Wild West&amp;quot; of email marketing. Continuing that clean-up earlier this year, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) modified the act, with changes that include letting email marketers use their &amp;quot;accurately-registered post office box or private mailbox&amp;quot; instead of a &amp;quot;valid physical postal address&amp;quot; in their emails.

How Your Email Service Provider (ESP) Should Help

Reputable ESPs make it very easy to comply with key CAN-SPAM provisions. The law requires that your subscribers have a way to unsubscribe from your emails. Most ESPs help you comply by placing an unsubscribe link at the bottom of each email.

The law requires that you use a valid From email address. Some ESPs automatically send a validation email to the From email address or addresses you choose. This prevents email marketers from using an invalid email From address.

In addition, as noted earlier, the law requires that you include a postal box or physical mailing address in each commercial email you send.

What You Must Include in Every Email Marketing Message You Send
The CAN-SPAM act requires you to include a valid postal address in all of your emails. Most ESPs will take action if you attempt to send emails through their system without complying with this requirement. Although easy enough to do, many people seem to forget this rule. But it is just good marketing, as greater transparency leads to greater trust by your subscribers.

The law requires that your emails include a relevant subject line. This is not only good law but it is smart marketing. If your email does not contain a good, relevant subject line, you are not only going to be out of compliance, you won't entice your subscribers to consider your offer. Nobody wants to be bamboozled by deceptive or ambiguous a subject line.

In addition, studies hav ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3227/What-Does-the-CANSPAM-Act-Mean-to-Email-Marketers.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3227/What-Does-the-CANSPAM-Act-Mean-to-Email-Marketers.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>The hunt for quality email lists - An expert's perspective</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[In any company, the sales representatives have the toughest time finding quality business email lists. For some, it is just a matter of taking some smart moves and Bingo! - The most awaited mailing list is ready. However, for others it’s not that way. A sales representative has two choices- to hunt for prospects or reap the existing ones. Well, reaping is not a bad idea; this  fortifies the buyer–customer relationship for a better future. However, the real adventure is in hunting and bringing in the hot business prospects- a list of potential clients who will surely be long-term customers in days to come.

A sales representative should have the drive to hunt for hungry prospects. There are different ways by which a sales representative can compile hot email lists.

Getting Email Lists from authentic sellers

A company can buy authentic email lists from authentic sources can provide you lists of relevant, existing, double opt-in leads. Such email marketing lists act as the best tools for smart sales representatives to start business with.

Finding Email Lists through search engines

Some companies use search engines and prepare a list of company names and addresses from different sources like conferences, news articles, company's own websites, etc. All this will provide the name and contact details, but cannot assure its accuracy. Say “No” to such lists at once and go for the first option.

Creating Mailing Lists

This method has its boon and banes. The sales representatives understand the business requirements and compile the business mailing lists themselves after consulting various sources. After preparing this million dollar list, they execute the sales process. However, this is often a tedious process. 

Whether you create an email list or go for authentic email lists from trusted sources, email lists are something that you just can't ignore in today's scenario. Get a powerful email marketing list today to stay ahead of your business comp ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3216/The-hunt-for-quality-email-lists--An-experts-perspective.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3216/The-hunt-for-quality-email-lists--An-experts-perspective.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Bring in an income as a Supply Purchaser</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[The latest innovations in internet technology have opened doors for individuals to easily work from the comfort of their own homes. Nowadays more and more people are opting to work from home as it eliminates the hassles of commuting and the costs involved in traveling, office attire and day care. Moreover it provides flexible working hours and additional time to spend with the family. Independent individuals, who work remotely, also known as Virtual Assistants, usually provide services which fall into categories such as administrative, technical or even creative, utilizing advanced technological means for communication and data delivery with clients located globally. 

Possessing previous experience in a given field along with good communication skills, time management skills, computer literacy and self motivation enables any individual to start out his/her own home based business venture. A great service area to undertake as a virtual assistant is the supply purchaser field. As a supply purchaser you would be buying goods for companies or organizations located worldwide taking into consideration the price, quality, availability, reliability and technical support offered by the suppliers. Your main task would be to obtain the best deals for your clients, meaning the highest quality goods at the lowest possible price. In order to maintain a steady stream of communication with your clients as well as with the suppliers you would generally rely on phone calls, faxes, emails, courier services and postal mail. The data exchange between you and your clients would also take place through online instant messaging services, file transfer protocols, intranets and special software programs. 

To start off your own business venture as a supply purchaser you would require a dependable computer, printer, fax machine, phone line and a high speed internet connection. A major step to undertake in order to get your venture established is the marketing aspect of the business. It i ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3215/Bring-in-an-income-as-a-Supply-Purchaser.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3215/Bring-in-an-income-as-a-Supply-Purchaser.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>10 Tips for Business Success from a Woman Entrepreneur</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Why would a woman making a six-figure salary in Silicon Valley choose to leave her high profile position with Cisco to create a product that used no 21st Century technology? 
 
Because almost thirty years of working with Silicon Valley's top technology companies can take a toll on a gal's ability to stop and see, much less smell the roses! During a trip to Italy, far away from friends and family and immersed in a culture that lives in the moment, I realized what I'd lost sight of. 
 
And that's where the idea for Adesso Albums was born. Six years later, Adesso Albums is an international company with more than a million dollars in annual revenue. 
 
So how did I do it?
 
10 tips for Success in Business – Based on My Personal Experience:
 
1. Embrace change. It's an inevitable part of running a business. Rather than fighting it, wasting valuable time and eventually losing, you're better off anticipating, planning for, and embracing change. As a small business owner you should be nimble and react quickly in a variety of ways. If you look at change as an opportunity to grow, you will!
 
2. Use technology. Do more with less by automating routine processes with web-based applications. These applications increase productivity and free you, your staff and your resources to focus on more important tasks. And, these applications can be accessed from anywhere
 
3. Keep your eye on the ball. It's easy to get caught up in the day-to-day minutia of running a business. Constantly ask yourself if your daily activities get you closer to your overall goals for the company. It will keep you on track and stop you from spending time on the wrong things.
 
4. Know your differentiators. Compare your products and services to the real, as well as the perceived competition. A competing concept can be even more threatening than an actual product. Unless you have thought about what differentiates your product or service from everything that's out there, your marketing efforts ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3213/10-Tips-for-Business-Success-from-a-Woman-Entrepreneur.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3213/10-Tips-for-Business-Success-from-a-Woman-Entrepreneur.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>The Affect of Plastic Bags on our Environment</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[It’s hard to say when we began to turn into obsessive consumers but nobody can doubt that we are just that. At least most of us! A direct result of this is heavy dependence on plastic bags. From USA to Africa, from Asia to Australia, everybody is guilty of using them at some point in their lives. What does this mean for the environment?

First of all, a plastic bag can take up to 500 years to break down and decompose. The irony here is that we usually use a bag just once and then toss it in the garbage. So it’s no surprise that the number of plastic bags used around the world in a day is tremendously high. A recent study estimates that in a year, as much as a trillion bags are consumed worldwide. This translates into considerable landfill and pollution. Not all bags end up in a landfill, however. Some enter rivers, sewers and even seas. They block waterways and drainages and create more pollution issues.

In the oceans, plastic bags float and mislead turtles and other marine animals that swallow them as food. Some marine biologists think that plastic bags seem like jellyfish, an appetizer, to some marine life. These bags can even drift far away into the doldrums, where many of the floating junk accumulates and may create new water pollution problems in the near future.

Plastic bags are thin and light which means they are easily carried by the wind. They are easily blown around and get caught on trees, littering gardens and parks. Not only is this unsightly but it can kill small animals such as insects and birds. Plastic bags seem harmless enough to an adult human but they can suffocate unsuspecting animals and even babies. 
 
Can plastic bags be burnt and got rid of that way? It’s possible yes, but impractical because of the greenhouse gases that are emitted in the process. These gases play a direct role in global warming. In fact, even the production process of plastic bags releases such toxic gases that remain in the atmosphere for a considerable ti ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3212/The-Affect-of-Plastic-Bags-on-our-Environment.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3212/The-Affect-of-Plastic-Bags-on-our-Environment.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Free articles are a great way to advertise your business</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Come on, think about it, how many of you love to visit websites that have free articles which you can read without having to pay a single cent? I’m sure most of you would be raising your hands! 

Free articles are, undoubtedly, a great way to get a lot of people to visit your website and retain their traffic. Therefore, make sure you stick to the following points when writing articles: 

1. Be familiar with your readers 

We write articles so that they will be of interest to other people. Therefore, make sure you give some thought to what your readers will be interested in, and make sure your articles are focused on such matters. Get to know about what they like and dislike. To do this, put up some surveys on your site inquiring about their areas of interest. 

2. It’s not going to be easy! 

A big misconception that people have regarding writing is that it’s very easy thing to do, but I highly doubt that journalists and writers around the world will agree with you. More-so, if you write to earn, it makes it all the more difficult. Most great literature writers have received recognition after their death, so it should give you a fair idea of what I’m trying to say here. 

3. Don’t flaunt your knowledge 

Often, many to-be-writers think that using all sorts of complex words will make their articles look very nice, but, in fact it only serves to alienate your readers. Therefore, make sure that you let someone read your article and see if he/she understands it. Just remember that the hallmark of a good writer is his/her ability to present the most complex matter in the easiest and simplest manner possible. 

4. Polish up your spelling 

Most word processors like MS Word or Open Office always do a great work when it comes to checking your spelling and grammatical mistakes. You can also get your spellings checked at www.dictionary.com. However, if you really want to see an improvement in your grammar, make sure you spend at least 30 minutes ev ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3211/Free-articles-are-a-great-way-to-advertise-your-business.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3211/Free-articles-are-a-great-way-to-advertise-your-business.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Museum visits provide an excellent day trip for families</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[As parents we are always looking out for a chance to expose our kids to the wonders of the world. We hope to make each experience an educative one. Field trips are a popular way of achieving this goal. Visits to the museums are also becoming important family outings as museums are fast becoming accessible, fun venues instead of the lifeless, formal institutions they used to be. 

Some parents don’t even think of the museum option fearing that it will be too tedious and boring for their exuberant kids. Others fear that the young ones will misbehave and be an unwelcome attraction. Parents sometimes don’t realize that their kids may enjoy museums much more at that age rather than when grown up. 

You don’t need an Art degree or a sound knowledge of history to teach your kids about the exhibits in the museum. Everything on display will carry a description. At other times, there will be interactive sessions for your kids to take part in. These are valuable learning tools and will provide entertainment as well. 

Some museums even offer family programs. Parent workshops are held to make the adults aware of how best they can use the experience to enrich their kid’s minds. Basically, there are activities that will interest toddlers or teenagers, allowing them to explore and create art or understand and appreciate history.   

Don’t just decide on a whim that you’ll take a trip to the museum the next day. If you really want to benefit from your outing, plan well. Otherwise, both you and the kids will be tired and listless at the end of the day. That won’t lead to a memorable experience. No matter how small your local museum may be, keep a whole day free for the visit, although you won’t be there that long. 

Next, you can check online for local directories to plan the museum tour. Note down the most interesting sections of the building that will surely interest your kids. If you know that your child is learning about Red Indians at school, you know  ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3210/Museum-visits-provide-an-excellent-day-trip-for-families.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3210/Museum-visits-provide-an-excellent-day-trip-for-families.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Heart of E-commerce - Targeted Email Marketing </strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Rise in Spam issues and dwindling ROI from bulk email practices has lead  marketers  to adopt targeted email marketing. Change from generic email marketing to  targeted email campaigns have stepped-up lead generation and increased response rates.

Targeted email marketing allows businesses to practice precision marketing where only the intended recipients are targeted. In targeted email campaigns, emails are send only to specific recipients based on their requirement and need.

ROI from targeted email campaigns

Returns and response from targeted emails invoke increased attention and more positive response than randomly delivered email campaigns. Reasons are obvious, mails are send only to those who have expressed desire to receive your email communication.

Targeted email marketing services require quality and segmented database. Division of your entire customer data file into different customer group based on revenue, buying preference, behavior or demographic characters are essential to bring positive returns. 

Why targeted email campaigns works

Email marketing works for a variety of reasons

It works on quality data
It allows targeting 
It is effective and versatile 
It drives direct sales 
It builds one-to-one relationships and trust 
It supports marketing team 

Improve campaign through targeted email marketing services

The ROI of email by targeting interested customers with clear, relevant content can  drive relationship on a spiral gain. Studies have shown that targeted email campaign  has the ability to increase returns by nine-fold  than compared with broadcast campaigns.

The crucial element in targeted email marketing solutions is to understand  user behavior and deliver appropriate messages containing natural product or service affiliates. 

Conclusion 
Next time you send email promotions, include clear message strategy based on value and offering. Flavor your promotion by adding relevant personalization based on customer  ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3193/Heart-of-Ecommerce--Targeted-Email-Marketing.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3193/Heart-of-Ecommerce--Targeted-Email-Marketing.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Is Your Client Newsletter Boring Your Customers to Death?</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Are you making this dreadful newsletter marketing mistake?
 
The typical client newsletter is one of the most mind-numbing, agonizingly boring pieces of mail ever sent to consumers. 
 
The main reason is that most companies think what they do is incredibly fascinating to their clients. So based on this false assumption, their newsletters cheerfully discuss the latest equipment purchase or the new back office operation and how Mary Sue has moved from Payroll to Marketing.  While this might be riveting stuff internally, I can assure you that your clients just don't care. 
 
If you're making this newsletter marketing mistake, don't worry. It's not your fault. No one ever taught you the system, until now…
 
4 'Set in Stone' Rules to Publishing a Winning Client Newsletter:
 
Rule #1:  Never make your business or company the focus of your client newsletter.  This concept is difficult for most business owners to wrap their minds around.  Read my words:  Our clients don't care about how our business operates!  The sooner we accept this fact, the sooner we will be sending them something that they actually want to read.
 
Rule #2: Focus on article content that people grab hold of and actually use in their lives.  That means you must provide appealing and interesting content that is relevant, useful and engaging.  The goal is to create involvement.  The more time they spend with your newsletter, the more likely they'll take action. 
 
Rule # 3:  Be consistent.  If you tell your customers to expect a newsletter from you every month, you better do it. And ask yourself: How often do I want my customers and prospects to think of me?  While daily would be wonderful, it's not going to happen.  Following a monthly newsletter schedule is perfect. They will expect to receive it just like they do their favorite magazines. 
 
Rule #4:  Never forget that a client newsletter is a marketing tool. Within your compelling content weave client testimonials and the names of peo ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3189/Is-Your-Client-Newsletter-Boring-Your-Customers-to-Death.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3189/Is-Your-Client-Newsletter-Boring-Your-Customers-to-Death.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong> The Importance of Annual Mammograms</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Breast cancer is common among women and early detection will lower the risk of death. Detection in the past has been dependent on signs of lumps or other abnormalities, but that could be too late and fatal for many women. 

Mammograms are the best method for early diagnosis of breast cancer. It is a form of x-ray of the breast and it is found to be accurate and safe. A mammogram is not a preventive measure and neither is it a cure, but is only a detection method.  Breast cancer is rare among the young and therefore it is recommended that women over 40 years undergo an annual mammogram. If they are at high risk, even earlier is better. If detected early before the cancer can spread to other parts of the body, the treatment will not require removal of the breast. Those who undergo annual mammograms reduce the risk of dying from breast cancer. The radiation risk for those over 40 years is minimal.

Breast cancers if undetected can cause so much trauma and pain, both body and soul, to a person, as well as their families. The financial burden may cripple the families’ resources too. There will be a chain reaction to such a situation. Starting with surgery to radiation, there is no knowing what one will have to undergo and the tension one has to live with, wondering what would happen next, is very distressing indeed. Mothers with young children or little ones will find their situation even worse, as they may not have the strength (especially after radiation treatment) and nor the will power to take care of their children. In most cases they may not even be able to find others to help them take care of their children nor have the financial backup to find baby sitters to do so. The home environment for themselves and their families can become so depressing and these situations can even become the reason for breakups in marriages, though that should not be the case. 

In countries like the USA where health insurance is a must in the absence of welfare, it could turn  ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3187/The-Importance-of-Annual-Mammograms.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3187/The-Importance-of-Annual-Mammograms.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Using Competitive Intelligence Gathering Techniques at Tradeshows</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[&amp;quot;This looks absolutely amazing!&amp;quot; The attendee was smiling, eyes bright, a wide grin.  &amp;quot;If this is what I think it is, I'm pretty sure this piece of equipment will solve all of our problems.&amp;quot; He turned to the booth staffer, a young woman at her very first show.  &amp;quot;Could you tell me how it works?&amp;quot;

The staffer, thrilled at the possibility of selling a piece of equipment that sells for hundreds of thousands of dollars, was more than accommodating.  She answered every question, even the most technical.  When the prospect wanted to take some pictures, she helped him get good shots -- from every conceivable angle.

When the prospect left, he had every relevant piece of sales literature.  He also had a dozen great digital pictures, the card of the booth staffer, and a promise that someone from the exhibitor's company would be following up directly after the show.

However, the attendee didn't let the grass grow under his feet.  His organization was in touch with the exhibitor's organization within days.

However, instead of a purchase order, the communication was coming from the attendee's legal department -- who had a pretty good case that the exhibitor's display model was based on their proprietary design!

Tradeshows offer the most overt intelligence gathering environment imaginable.  There is no other place where you can find all of the companies in one industry gathered in a convenient location, with all their offerings on display.  Helpful booth staffers will answer questions, often those questions that should raise red flags among an exhibiting team.

This can work against you, or, as illustrated in the story above, it can work for you.  The world is getting smaller every day.  Ideas are stolen. They're copied, reverse engineered, you name it.  However, as the owner and originator of these ideas, you may have no idea that this has happened -- until you stumble across the results at a tradeshow or industry event.

In an incr ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3185/Using-Competitive-Intelligence-Gathering-Techniques-at-Tradeshows.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3185/Using-Competitive-Intelligence-Gathering-Techniques-at-Tradeshows.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Learn to Consolidate your Bills</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Have you been unsuccessfully trying to break down that mountain of debt? Seems impossible, doesn’t it? Don’t worry; it is not as impossible as you think. The important thing is to remember you will only worsen things by taking a loan to settle another loan. So instead of trading one debt for another, why not try and consolidate your bills so that you can pay them off in one go and gain instant debt relief.

Pull yourself together, take an hour or two and make a list of all your payments. Go over what you owe, credit card balances, pending bills, other debts and also the amount of your disposable income every month.

If you think you should first figure out how to nullify your credit card balance and if you are planning to get a mortgage (on your house), remember that you have to not only pay a lesser interest on a mortgage loan but its tax deductible too!

The monthly debt repayment amount for a consolidated loan has to be less than the total amount that you are paying out now. One huge bill is much easier to look after than several small ones.

Most importantly, once you’ve decided to go into an agreement with either a mortgage company or a financial institution, read the contract! Make sure there’s no mention of a pre payment penalty in case you pay the loan off earlier than the terms stated in your contract. If the company offers free online payment, be happy about it! It’s the easiest way to pay your loan back!

Consider loan consolidation as a way to save money and gain debt relief through a means of debt management. If you enter into an agreement which allows you to pool many bills into one large bill, remember you will most probably be saving money each month. Apply that saving on your consolidated bill. Make sure your loan company doesn’t have any problems with you paying additional money on your account.

Furthermore you’ll be relieved when you have to do your taxes in the New Year. This is because if you consolidate your bills by  ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3184/Learn-to-Consolidate-your-Bills.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3184/Learn-to-Consolidate-your-Bills.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Pros and Cons of Private Label Rights and Free Reprint Content</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[PLR and Free Reprint Content are both popular options that website owners use when trying to drive traffic to their site. While both content choices are excellent ones to use, it’s sometimes difficult to decide which one to use when. Each option has benefits and drawbacks that could either help you or harm you. In order to know which choice to use for your needs, you should explore the pros of cons of both. 

Free Reprint Content

Free reprint content are articles that are provided on article directories for others to use on their own websites as well as give readers informative material to read. The author of the article is usually deemed an expert in the field they’re writing about. 

Pros 

Free reprint articles are free to use on your website. They come already written for you and are easy to grab and publish on your own web pages. You don’t have to be an expert in the topic your website is about, because the author of your reprint takes care of that role for you.
 
Cons 

The downside to using reprint articles is the fact that you have to reprint the article with the author’s bio and links along with the content. This can be costly to you if the author of the reprint you chose created an article that proves to be useless. Some of those authors publish material on the directories just to have links back to their sites. They don’t put much thought and effort into the article itself. 

If your reprint falls under that category of useless material, your credibility for your online business is now in jeopardy; due to your site publishing it and giving the impression that you promote the author. When your credibility is down, your sales could come down.
 
Private Label Rights

Private label rights or PLR content comes in the form of articles and reports. This form of content is pre-written for you on a topic that relates to your site. These articles and reports are inexpensive to buy and they can be used in many different ways to suit your ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3170/Pros-and-Cons-of-Private-Label-Rights-and-Free-Reprint-Content.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3170/Pros-and-Cons-of-Private-Label-Rights-and-Free-Reprint-Content.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong> What is an Online Mall?</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[The ladies can never get enough of shopping malls. It’s where they dive into after a hard week‘s work looking for that fabulous dress or that great serving set. It’s where they forget their usual day to day blues and pamper themselves. The best thing about a mall is that you get everything in one place. And there are many choices. Not only do you find everything from electronic goods to winter mittens, you get several shops selling the same type of product. Such convenience is hard to beat. 

An online mall is pretty much similar in the range of choices offered. It’s much more convenient though because you can just sit at home and access everything. No need to get swept along with the crowd or stand in queues. That’s why online malls are popular with the guys as well as the girls. Online malls are also called cybermalls. 

One should not think that a physical shopping mall and an online mall are alike. In a typical shopping mall, you decide on your own what shops you’ll go to, without any prompting. Very likely that you’ll tend to buy from a shop because you walked in that direction. For instance, you pass a display that has a book you have been dying to read. If you didn’t walk that way at all, you won’t see the book and the sale won’t be made. But in the case of an online mall, you’ll search for a specific product. There will be many online ads to prompt you. So you can definitely find what you are looking for with ease but the traditional fun idea of walking around is gone. 

In a physical mall, the location is important. It has to have easy access to encourage shoppers. The term ‘prime location’ is well associated with malls. In the case of online malls, there is no such thing. The internet is an unlimited source. You can access an online mall from anywhere you are. 

Some online malls that have been advertised are nothing but scams. These malls target business owners who want web space to promote their products/ services. In re ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3169/What-is-an-Online-Mall.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3169/What-is-an-Online-Mall.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Enhance Your Email Marketing Response</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Things have changed since Henry Ford said, &amp;quot;Any customer can have a car painted any color that he wants so long as it is black.&amp;quot;  Customers are a lot more in control now. You cannot sell the same product with the same messaging to everyone.

If you are an email marketer who is doing traditional &amp;quot;batch and blast&amp;quot; email marketing, now’s a good time to start segmenting and sending triggered emails. Doing this allows you to send more relevant emails and get a better response from your subscribers.

Most Email Service Providers (ESPs) have tools that make it easy to segment your list and schedule triggered emails based on certain criteria. In addition, email reports generate specific subscribers who performed specific actions (e.g., clicked on a link) and other data very useful in targeting your emails.

Segmenting will help you target your emails and get you far better outcomes.  A lot of people hesitate to start because they are busy and think it will take a lot of time and effort. The reality is you can start with some basic segmenting and extend it from there.

Getting Started
Let's say you are in the wine business and you have a field in your database that delineates general palate preference: &amp;quot;dry,&amp;quot; &amp;quot;sweet,&amp;quot; and &amp;quot;both.&amp;quot; You have another field that delineates wine color preference: &amp;quot;red,&amp;quot; &amp;quot;white,&amp;quot; and &amp;quot;both.&amp;quot;

To target those likely to respond to your message, you would use the filtering feature provided by your ESP to choose those who have &amp;quot;dry&amp;quot; selected in the palate field and &amp;quot;red&amp;quot; selected in the color field. You could also expand your reach by selecting subscribers who have selected “both” in the palate and color fields.

Do not send to those who like only &amp;quot;sweet&amp;quot; or only &amp;quot;white&amp;quot; as they are unlikely to respond well to your message. They key to targeting is to include those likely to be interested and exclude those likely to ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3167/Enhance-Your-Email-Marketing-Response.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3167/Enhance-Your-Email-Marketing-Response.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>A Compatible E-Commerce Solution for Your SEO Campaign</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[The most ambitious Internet retailers, hoping to emulate the style and online influence of Amazon.com and other recognized brands, tend to aim for sprawling electronic retail websites that may look pretty but accomplish little else. If all the push is towards what appears on the front end instead of a concerted effort in choosing a reliable e-commerce solution from the get go, these decisions can ultimately impact the long-term success of any SEO campaign.

Most Internet retailers opt to use an out of the box e-commerce solution, eliminating the need to build something more suitable from the ground up. Out of the box software, however, may lack some of the flexibility that is required to implement a robust SEO campaign. On the other hand, building a fully customized e-commerce platform can be outright expensive. In an ideal situation, you will want to look for something that is somewhere in between. To help you bridge the gap, we've identified four major requirements when shopping for a suitable e-commerce solution that's compatible with your SEO campaign. 

The Proof's in the Code

Ideally, we would always like to have the code available for us to modify if needed. This constant accessibility allows us to set up server behavior recommendations as well as change the way that things work or function in order to ensure that they are more effective for your SEO campaign. Many vendors will not give out their codes unless you pay them a premium, sometimes upwards of $10,000 per site using that code only, and many vendors may be reluctant to allow even that option.

Search engines only care about resulting code, meaning the HTML is sent to the browser post-parse. So, for an e-commerce website to have an effective SEO campaign, the SEO company you've enlisted may need the ability to modify how the software displays the code while the page is being dynamically built. This usually includes any category pages, product pages, or even some of the more &amp;quot;static&amp;quot; ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3159/A-Compatible-ECommerce-Solution-for-Your-SEO-Campaign.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3159/A-Compatible-ECommerce-Solution-for-Your-SEO-Campaign.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong> Increase your website traffic with fun free products</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[There are so many ways to increase traffic to your site. There isn’t any rocket science behind doing so, and all it takes is the ability to let your imagination run wild. Just to get you started, here are some ideas: 

1. Surveys

Surveys are a great way to get information from your visitors and to increase traffic to your website by increasing page views. For example, if you have a survey on your site which has 15 questions, then for every person who completes the survey, you get 15 page views. However, make sure that your surveys are interesting so that people are motivated to fill them out. 

2. Games &amp;amp; Quizzes

Games and quizzes are a great way to retain your regular visitors. I’d recommend that you choose a game which requires the person to load a new page every time they take their turn. Get some quizzes which are on subjects that your visitors will be interested in e.g. movies. 

3. Sticky Content

Things of common interest, information that undergoes change regularly, all fall under the category of ‘sticky content’. Having lots of sticky content on your site encourages people to visit your site regularly, bookmark it, or even get their friends and relatives to visit the site, which can be a great source of increasing traffic. 

4. Post cards, greeting cards and e-cards

You can have different types of cards for different occasions e.g. birthdays, anniversaries, etc. Since most people would like to put their own personal message on the card, make sure you provide such a facility. 

5. Discussion Board

Hosting a discussion board is an extremely great way to increase traffic, as it encourages people to visit your site, participate in discussions and meet new people. There are a whole load of board scripts available, some free and some not-free! 

6. E-Books

You can create an e-book, fill it up with a lot of useful and interesting information, and distribute it via your site. Make sure you put a link to your site on every pa ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3158/Increase-your-website-traffic-with-fun-free-products.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3158/Increase-your-website-traffic-with-fun-free-products.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Plan your next vacation using online resources</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[You finally get the chance to take a break and get away from the daily call of life. A good vacation is preceded by careful planning and attention to detail. The Lonely Planet guide is not your only resource available to plan the much awaited holiday, there are many websites that will help you to decide your fun destination, pick a hotel and even choose your hotel room.

Today’s travelers are smart. They are aware of the hotels that offer discounts and the flights that provide the most comfort. They understand that the journey is almost as important as the destination. Whether transport takes place by air, sea or land, there are small ways to make your trip special. Kayak and Seatguru are two great sites for those who insist on traveling in comfort and getting a window seat! Booking is made easier by online facilities. No need to carry flight tickets with you wherever you go. You can easily print your ticket online whenever it’s needed.

If you are at sea when it comes to choosing a holiday destination, local directories can simplify matters. There are some sites dedicated to travel but if you prefer doing it your own way rather than go by others’ recommendations, you can easily check out the quiet city listings. This way, you get a more up close and personal view of a holiday resort. You can learn about the culture, the people and the activities relevant to almost any place on the map.  

Say you are a green-conscious traveler or one who enjoys a meaningful holiday. You can easily check online how to volunteer in community development projects in the holiday destination of your choice. For instance, if you choose to go to Africa, you can help to build a home with your own hands for those who need one or even plant a few trees.

If you want a unique holiday experience, how about trading homes? Sites like ‘Exchange holiday homes’ and ‘Holswap’ offer this intriguing experience where as a registered member you can offer your house to another user  ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3157/Plan-your-next-vacation-using-online-resources.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3157/Plan-your-next-vacation-using-online-resources.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Keeping Track of Your Customers &amp; Prospects </strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[=Choosing Between a Computer or Paper System= 
To serve your customers, you need to track their purchases and needs. There is no efficient way to do this with paper files that even comes close to the power and efficiency of the computer. To maximize your time and your sales, you'll have to move away from paper and use either contact management or database software. Some well-known brands are Act, Outlook, and Goldmine. 

=Contact Management Software= 
Contact management software is often used as a calendar and phone book. But it's also a powerful tool for maintaining customer relationships. You can maintain a history for every customer and prospect, create reminders to call again on a certain date, and note their preferences and requests, and more. 

=The Benefits of Tracking Customer Histories= 
Let's say you're trying to get an order from a prospect, Ms. Bigbucks, who requested you follow up with her today. You needn't rely on memory because a reminder pops up in your software. With a click, you open her record and review it. She asked about pricing on 1,000 of your new Ultra Widget. You click on the software's phone icon and the software automatically dials Bigbucks's number, logging the time of the call. You tell her the pricing information is available. With a few mouse clicks, you e-mail the spec and price list to her and the software records it. Bigbucks writes back that she'll make a decision Monday and mentions a big golf game coming up. On Monday an alarm pops up, reminding you to call for the order and inquire about her game. If you scheduled a meeting or mailed her a proposal, all of these could be recorded in her contact record. You can also log faxes, print mailing labels, and do simple reports -- such as a list of all customers in a particular zip code or in a certain industry. 

Contact management software brings big payoffs when used fully. You'll have comprehensive records in one place for each customer and prospect. You'll never forget to ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3144/Keeping-Track-of-Your-Customers--Prospects.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3144/Keeping-Track-of-Your-Customers--Prospects.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Should You Choose Private Label Rights Reports or Hire a Ghostwriter?</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Every website is need of great content for marketing purposes or to help build rapport with your potential customers; by providing them with informative material. The decision as to where you get that content is always a tough one to tackle. If you have the time and the talent, writing the material yourself is always the best route to take; but, unfortunately, that’s not always the case. 

To find content for your site, you could choose to hire a ghostwriter to create it for you, or purchase private label rights reports. Both are excellent options for any site; but if you only need to choose one, which one is best for your needs? Let’s explore the advantages and the disadvantages that both of these options provides for you. 

Hiring a ghostwriter means you could receive high quality content that’s unique to others available on the net written on the same subject. You can also have the reports written to your specifications; personalizing the content to suit your needs.
 
The downsides to choosing this option are that you have a huge list of ghostwriters to select one from and the cost of getting a report written could be too much for your budget. Hiring a ghostwriter can be a risky task to take on as you don’t know if the one you end up with is going to give you content that’s worth the money you fork over for. In some cases, you may end up with less than average work that will need to be redone. 

Ghostwriters also don’t come cheap. Those who specialize in report writing will more than likely charge an exceptional amount for one that’s done the way you request. The high quality content is nice to see for your site, but it can stretch a budget too far for your business. 

Purchasing private label rights reports is another option to choose. These reports are ones that are already written for you on a particular topic. You can buy them as they are and change them around a bit to suit your needs. Private label rights reports are almost always ch ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3138/Should-You-Choose-Private-Label-Rights-Reports-or-Hire-a-Ghostwriter.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3138/Should-You-Choose-Private-Label-Rights-Reports-or-Hire-a-Ghostwriter.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Lead Generation = Dollar Creation</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[All businesses are built on two areas of competency - people skills and marketing skills. Many sales people who are more than adequate in their sales and people skills are struggling today. The reason is most sales people lack enough opportunities with customers. Lead generation = dollar creation

As a sales person you are in business for yourself. Having a mentality of being the CEO of your company is crucial to developing your business. The dealership signs your check, and you fill in the numbers.

You have a better opportunity than ever to be successful. The key to your long-term success as a sales person is the creation of a dynamite marketing strategy that dealers overlook and most sales people are too lazy to do.

Your first step is to create a marketing web. Take a sheet of paper and list every way that you receive customers. The first two ways you probably listed were from walk-ins and phone prospects. These are produced by the dealership and are therefore the ones over which you have no control. Begin to control your destiny and think of ways to produce customers from other resources.

What other sources of leads did you list? Here are some suggestions: referrals, service drive, service tickets, be-backs, affiliations, repeats, targeted phone calling, database marketing, targeted list mailings, orphan owners, lost customer marketing, coupon swaps, joint-venture advertising, community board flyer, door-to-door flyers, Web site and many more.

For each source at least one strategy of creating leads should be chosen. If you execute one strategy a day on 10 ways to create leads, your leads will grow exponentially over time. Your business will hit a period of critical mass and explode.

At that point, a sales person has the best job in the dealership. Your pay, hours, stress and job security will be better than the managers'. Your risk will be zero, your investment minimal and most everything is supplied for you.

Why don't more sales people take t ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3135/Lead-Generation--Dollar-Creation.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3135/Lead-Generation--Dollar-Creation.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>7 Article Marketing Lessons I Learned from Being a Martial Arts Champion</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[How does my martial arts training directly relate to my success as an article marketing expert? 
 
When I was seven, I was a scared, scrawny cry baby. Kids in the neighborhood stole my hat and I ran home crying! My younger brother, who was only four at the time, knocked on the bully's' door to get my hat back. 
 
My parents enrolled me into Chirico's School of Karate, where I learned steps that took me from NOTHING to a SELF-ASSURED 4th DEGREE BLACK BELT. 
 
I also learned secrets on how to become a champion in the martial arts. I discovered that these same secrets helped me become a champion in all areas of my life.
 
So do you want to know what these life-changing, business-evolving secrets are?
 
7 Black Belt Secrets for Article Marketing Success
 
Secret #1: Watch who you hang around with
 
One of our black belts drives all the way from Pennsylvania to New Jersey to practice. That's a 3-hour round trip.
 
Why? 
 
The furious energy at Chirico's School of Karate is undeniable as soon as you walk in the door. You're surrounded by a true grandmaster with more than 40 years of martial arts training and black belts who are determined to succeed. 
 
Who are YOU hanging around? Where are your articles being associated? Are you just blasting articles out there? Or are you carefully selecting websites and ezines which your targeted audiences and prospects read? Remember, who you associate with will determine the level of success  you can reach.
 
Secret #2: Consistency is the key for long-term success 
 
When I don't train consistently because of traveling or personal issues, I lose karate tournaments.  If you want to achieve your business goals online, you have to consistently write and submit articles. You have to be in front of your audience on a regular basis. Otherwise you will lose sales to your competitors.
 
Secret #3: Ups and downs are part of the process
 
During my martial arts training, I learned that there is NO possible way that  ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3133/7-Article-Marketing-Lessons-I-Learned-from-Being-a-Martial-Arts-Champion.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3133/7-Article-Marketing-Lessons-I-Learned-from-Being-a-Martial-Arts-Champion.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Internet Sales Cycle Explained-Make It Work for You by Writing Articles </strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Most new online business owners think that Internet marketing is their magic pill to making more money.
 
I have news for you...It's not magic. It's a process. 
 
But once you WORK that process, it CAN work like magic!
 
Here's the Internet Sales Cycle Broken Down into 5 Simple Parts
 
1. Collect Leads
 
The absolute best way is to get leads online is to write unique, original articles that position you as the expert in your specific niche. And, it's not that hard. All you have to write is a simple 500-word &amp;quot;how-to&amp;quot; or &amp;quot;top tips&amp;quot; article that will solve your prospect's pain. Wonder what a &amp;quot;how-to article&amp;quot; is? You're reading one! 
 
Then, you want to submit your articles to the top websites, ezines and article directories that your targeted audience is reading. This way, you will be able to drive more website traffic and build your list.
 
2. Get Them into Your Sales Funnel – And Build Your List 
 
Once you've written your article, you need a way to get prospects into your &amp;quot;sales funnel.&amp;quot; The best way to make this easy is to offer a special report, e-Book, e-course, checklist, audio, video or anything else your heart desires. You will not charge for the product. Your goal is to get names now, and make sales later. You will put this information at the end of your article in what we call the bio box. 
 
In the bio box, you can promote your:
 
- Website 
- Products 
- Services
- Specific &amp;quot;call-to-action&amp;quot; that leads them to the special product you offer 
 
For an example just read my bio box at the end of this article. 
 
Most people make the mistake of trying to sell high-priced products and services in the bio box. Getting visitors on your list should be your number one objective! Why? Up to 99% of your first-time visitors will not buy from you. They'll take a quick look and then they'll click away. If you did not capture their names and email addresses, you will have lost them forever. 
  ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3130/Internet-Sales-Cycle-ExplainedMake-It-Work-for-You-by-Writing-Articles.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3130/Internet-Sales-Cycle-ExplainedMake-It-Work-for-You-by-Writing-Articles.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Local Directories Make Moving a Breeze</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Moving is always an adventure but not necessarily one with a happy ending. If you have been looking to buy a new home for some time, you would have done some research and maybe even consulted professionals, so that you’d have a pretty good idea of the new neighbourhood. But if you have to move in a bit of a rush (for instance, if school or college demanded it), you won’t have the time or the freedom to choose the locality that best fits you. In times like these, local directories can save the day. 

Moving is not just about packing up your bags and taking them elsewhere. If you are going far away, you can’t take much with you. You may need to buy furniture or utensils. Gone is the familiarity you once knew. You used to know where the grocer and the eatery were in your old neighbourhood. In your new vicinity, you’ll have to do some hunting around. 

To save time and money, you can easily resort to local directories to find out all the places you need to go in your new city. Where to buy pillows, lamps, provisions...you can find them all with a few clicks. Some of us don’t trust the net as much as seeing something in person. But very soon you’ll get used to browsing information on various shops, health centers and hotels and reading reviews. 

A local directory can also help you find a home or an apartment in your chosen locality. For examples, if you go to ‘Yahoo! Local’, you can just enter the name of the city you are moving to and browse information on it under categories such as Restaurants, Health &amp;amp; Beauty, Home &amp;amp; Garden, Automotive, Computer &amp;amp; Electronics, Education and Entertainment &amp;amp; Arts. If you can’t find what you are looking for, you can always search. It’s that easy! There’s also a section for recent reviews carrying stars as a rating.

If you don’t want to fuss with too much detail, you can try your luck at the popular neighbourhood searches of the week. They can quickly give you an idea of interesting place ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3116/Local-Directories-Make-Moving-a-Breeze.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3116/Local-Directories-Make-Moving-a-Breeze.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Three ways to advertise your business for Free</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[You may have exhausted all your money to establish the business. What about growing it? You will need money for advertising, won't you?  Don’t worry, here are some of the ways you can advertise your business for free.

Articles and Press Releases
 
Writing articles and submitting them on popular websites can effectively help to position yourself as an expert of the specific area. You can write about topics related to your business and make the readers aware of your business. For instance you can use your business expertise and discuss the common issues and problems people experience and ways of overcoming them. Provided you offer sensible advice, you should be able to impress the readers and as a result they will be curious to know more about you. Further some may be so impressed that they want to contact you immediately. This is where the bio you include at the end of the article can add value to your business if it clearly yet succinctly describes you and your home business. Further do not forget to include your contact details and the link to your business website or blog which allows the readers the option to keep in touch with you.  
 
A press release on the other hand is more focused on your business and the latest development to your offering. However a press release should not give the impression of an advertisement to the reader. For instance you can effectively speak about the benefits of a unique feature you added on to your product and the positive impact it had on your customer’s busy life style or else you can discuss the ways in which your business helped your clients effectively solve their problems.    
 
The trick in both approaches is to keep the readers interested in reading till the end. As a result you may need effective writing skills.   
 
Forum Marketing
 
Forums are a great place to get together with people and build informal relationships. It really doesn’t matter what the topic of the forum is, because it’s all about n ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3112/Three-ways-to-advertise-your-business-for-Free.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3112/Three-ways-to-advertise-your-business-for-Free.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>5 Ways to Build Trust Online with Article Marketing</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Article marketing has many perks and benefits. We can communicate with people on a global scale.  We can reach many targeted customers very easily. And we have the added bonus of showing our readers that we're experts in our niches. This builds customer confidence.
 
But one of the challenges of marketing our businesses online is figuring out how to reach through the cold, mechanical computer screen and make a real human connection. Remember, people want to do business with people they trust. 
 
So, what can you do with your articles to establish trust online with people you may never see or meet in real life?
 
5 Ways to Build Trust &amp;amp; Win Customer Confidence with Article Marketing
 
1) Don't stop writing. 
 
You can't submit one or two articles and then expect to be regarded as an expert in your niche. It is the accumulation of repeated positive experiences with you that makes a lasting impact. As you're doing your article marketing, you should regard each article as a way to grow your relationships with prospects and clients. Decide on an article submission schedule that you think you can consistently complete long term. Once a month is a good goal.
 
2) Show readers that you're worthy of trust.
 
To build trust online, you want to show authenticity. So, before you write one word, think how you want to come across as a person. The more you're willing to let your guard down and portray yourself as a real person, the more you'll be rewarded.
 
3) Connect with readers by showing them that you started out just like them. 
 
Remember, most people buy on emotional impulses and not on logical, intellectual decisions. That's why during my speeches to large Internet marketing conferences and in my articles, I explain how I couldn't find a job and how I put my parents into debt as they tried helping me pay my bills. I explain how I even had to ask my grandparents for money. And I talk about the mistakes I made. 
 
After the connection is made, then I ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3111/5-Ways-to-Build-Trust-Online-with-Article-Marketing.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3111/5-Ways-to-Build-Trust-Online-with-Article-Marketing.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>All you Need to Know about Dating</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Dating is fun but it can be a challenge too. And you thought it’d get easier after high school! If you have been missing in action in the dating arena for quite a while or you are back to the world of singles after a long term relationship, you need to brush up your dating knowledge. Here’s the kind of relationship advice you’ve been looking for:

The Do’s 

You have to look the part. Catching a man’s eye takes some work. Looking good doesn’t have to be so hard. Any woman can touch up her looks and achieve a major change in appearance. A hairstyle can make a true difference. Enough of that neat ponytail, now it’s time to get a cool hairstyle that can be worn lose without any problems. If you have put on weight around the tummy and hip area, work out. It’ll give you confidence and improve your gait.  Put on some lip gloss and blush up your cheeks when you go out. When you look good, you’ll feel good too.

Go shopping! This is right up there with looking good. Take a look at your closet and toss out clothes which have been worn too many times to make an impression. Check out the latest trends to see if they flatter you. It will also make you seem in touch with the ‘here and now’. If you’ve been wearing baggy Ts and unflattering pants, lose them!

You have to work on your confidence. Believe it or not, dating takes commitment. You can’t throw up your hands and say ‘This will never work!’ after a few unsuccessful outings. The more you date the better you will be at it. Don’t try dating in a half hearted way. Your partner will be able to sense it. A reluctant date is a boring one.

Think of what your goal is, in dating. Some do it just for fun. Some do it to meet interesting people and to escape loneliness. But if you have plans for marriage in about two years’ time, then you’ll know what kind of man you should date. On the other hand, if you are not ready for commitment, you’d like to go out with a guy who doesn’t get se ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3100/All-you-Need-to-Know-about-Dating.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3100/All-you-Need-to-Know-about-Dating.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Top 5 Reasons Corporations Use Gift Baskets  </strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[As a business owner, you want to increase your business by getting and keeping customers and clients. 

If you are not using gift baskets to get your message across and grow your business at the same time, you are doing both you and your business an injustice.

Below you will find five common reasons why corporations use gift baskets…

1. Turn Prospects Into Clients

Door-opening gifts help business owners introduce their companies to prospects who in turn, starts doing business with them.

2. Can Be Personalized to Reflect Your Clients Profession.

Studies link inserting items that reflect your clients’ profession into a gift basket increases response rate.  Clients take special notice of anyone who acts as a partner in advancing their career.

3. Convenient for Independent Professionals and Executives

Because busy Executives, health care professionals and those affiliated with other facilities have little time to shop for gifts, ordering corporate gift baskets takes the job of finding the perfect gift off their agenda so they can focus on other important tasks.

4. Great Business Travel Gifts

Business travel gifts are ideal if you are a parent who has a job that requires you to travel often to meet face-to-face with clients. Give your child a gift basket to reassure them of your love and to relieve the guilt of you leaving them behind.

5. Increase Business Over the Competition

Because many companies service the same clientele as the competition, use gift baskets as a new way to market your products and service.  The gift baskets are used to[URL=http://www.thegourmetgiftsshop.com/corporate-baskets.html] thank customers[/URL] for their patronage while enticing prospects to remember you.

]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3099/Top-5-Reasons-Corporations-Use-Gift-Baskets.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3099/Top-5-Reasons-Corporations-Use-Gift-Baskets.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>How to Market to Your Local Community Online</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[So you started a small business and you are now burdened with the marketing part of it. You can not afford to spend a lot of money on advertising, especially if your business is just starting to find its footing. What do you do? Try online marketing. Even if your company is larger in scope, marketing online paves the way for bigger profits.

How do you do this? First you have to start with the neighborhood and then expand. Get personal. The best way to reach out to your neighbors is to share true stories and to show sincere pride in the work you do. Commitment is vital to your success because at the personal level, you can’t run and hide. You will be the face of your business so put your best face on, even online!

Use local websites and portals for your business. By local, we mean city-specific. If you live in Morgantown, target Morgantown sites, not those of West Virginia, the state.  City specific websites are mushrooming everywhere so they shouldn’t be too hard to find. You can choose to advertise on these but be warned: it’s not as effective as advertising in the television or print media.

Another way to be visible on local sites is by offering content. Yelp.com and Judysbook.com are a couple of community-oriented websites that have grown rapidly because they cover all the suburbs and cozy towns. More and more people are making their way to community-based websites to get information on products and services.

Blogs are very good tools for small businesses. They are free and allow the writer to express his ideas and experiences. If you make them city-specific, they can lead to personal interaction with potential clients.

If you are advertising on Google, the best way to focus on the local customer base is to limit your visibility location-wise. Google will allow your ads to appear only for consumers in a specific city or locality.

One thing to make sure is that you are listed in your local business directory. Again, this should be city-spec ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3087/How-to-Market-to-Your-Local-Community-Online.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3087/How-to-Market-to-Your-Local-Community-Online.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Advertising ideas for your business</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[A business needs to grow day by day and advertising is one of the most popular methods employed by business owners to achieve this objective. However in general advertising doesn’t come cheaply. As a result many business owners tend to avoid it especially once they get established. However if you carefully analyze the environment, it may suggest to you that there are enough low cost yet highly effective advertising avenues ideal for home business owners, which are still under-utilized simply due to lack of awareness.

Business cards 

This is essentially the thing which everybody looks at when they want to contact you. A carefully planned and designed business card will therefore let you earn the powerful positive first impression that helps you stay long in a potential customer’s mind.  

Direct mail 

This method is ideal for a business with geographic restrictions. For instance if it operates only in a very limited area, there’s little benefit (compared to the cost) it can gain from another approach such as newspaper advertising. Another advantage of this method is that it suits any budget. You can decide whom to target and how many to target based on your budget. 

News paper/magazine advertising 

This gives you a wider coverage and will be ideal if you have a wider geographic presence. For instance franchisees of a home business franchise may collectively advertise its business on a national newspaper.

Let it be a news paper or else a magazine, the trick is to publish your ad in the page which can give you maximum benefits. For instance certain newspapers have special advertising features which may be more attractive to your target market. 

Vehicle advertising

This is increasingly becoming popular because its effectiveness and affordability.  Home business owners are advised to go for magnetic signs which are removable as and when required so that your vehicle is suited to your personal transportation requirements as well.  

Cross ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3084/Advertising-ideas-for-your-business.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3084/Advertising-ideas-for-your-business.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Flash and SEO: Like Oil and Water</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[We often deal with clients that are planning to &amp;quot;revamp&amp;quot; their sites with Flash, with SEO having already generated tremendous gains in their sales. The thing that we most dread to hear is that they've hired an experienced &amp;quot;Flash designer&amp;quot; that will be taking their websites to the &amp;quot;next level.&amp;quot; Unfortunately, that &amp;quot;next level&amp;quot; is often the basement - at least in terms of SEO results.

The bottom line here is that a site built entirely in Flash still faces huge obstacles. While there have been recent moves from Google and Yahoo! to try to index the content from combined Flash/SEO sites, those moves have not yet, from my experience, translated into SEO results or success (at least when compared to html sites).

We should make a distinction here between embedded Flash and sites built entirely from Flash.  For example, a site that contains Flash elements but still contains basic html elements will not overly suffer, as the Flash element (usually a movie in a box on the homepage or elsewhere) is externalized. A search engine spider will generally not try to parse through any files that have been externalized in the code - they will only index the code that is readily apparent on the source page.

However, from an SEO results perspective, there are still major issues with sites that are built entirely in Flash, and SEO is normally the first thing that suffers. First of all, the URL generally never changes no matter where people navigate on the site. As any decent SEO practitioner will tell you, every page of your site is a potential entry page for a search engine. With a site built in Flash, SEO suffers even more as you only have one potential entry page, which is the main URL. This cuts off dozens, hundreds, or thousands of potential pages that could otherwise be indexed in Google and Yahoo! (and all other engines). When your only potential entry page in the search engine listings is your home page, it is very difficult to tar ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3081/Flash-and-SEO-Like-Oil-and-Water.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3081/Flash-and-SEO-Like-Oil-and-Water.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>A positive review is more valuable than paid advertising</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Advertisements make us sit up and take note of products and services. They make us aware of the various choices available in the market. But how much do we trust advertisements? We know them to be biased after all. It’s not a surprise that some people find ads annoying and invasive. 

Another fact with advertising is that its effectiveness is based on the media used. For instance, user advertisements on user generated websites don’t attract people that much. Based on the survey conducted by International Communications Research, over 80% recall television ads while it was only about 28% for user generated site ads. On the other hand, online customer reviews do their work very well. Of all consumers considered by Eloitte &amp;amp; Touche USA Consumer Products Group in their study, 62% read customer reviews. Out of them over 80% had indicated that positive customer reviews had directly influenced buying decisions. 

Customer reviews can push the envelope when it comes to listing your products or services in the local business directory. They assist in search engine optimization. Now you know that customer reviews reach areas that ads don’t go. 

Reviews are not repetitive like advertisements. You have the option of reading reviews while advertisements are pretty much shoved in your face everyday. Consumer reviews give more information. They are written in a practical manner, so basically they speak the language of the consumer. They do not try to impress with every phrase. Generally, a positive review will be honest and not exaggerate unless it was written by someone with ulterior motives (like someone related to the business owner!). All these add up to the fact that a positive review is more effective for business than an advertisement. 

Any business has to think of the cost benefit ratio. If you consider reviews and advertisements, there is not much difference because although ads are established and effective, reviews too have proven their efficacy and  ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3072/A-positive-review-is-more-valuable-than-paid-advertising.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3072/A-positive-review-is-more-valuable-than-paid-advertising.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Ten Sales and Marketing Tips</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[ Marketing is always an area of concern for home business owners due to the high costs involved. Even if you have the money you would not get sufficient benefits from it, unless you choose effective marketing channels. Let us discuss few tips which would assist you to conduct your marketing campaign effectively and economically.

Advertising

Advertising is generally expensive. Therefore you need to ensure maximum benefit for every dollar you spend. Irrespective of the medium of advertising, your message should be clear and specifically targeted to your customers to avoid confusion and achieve consistency. 

Networking

Socialize with many people as you can and let them know about your business. These people can direct potential customers to you. Start with your friends and relatives and gradually build on your network by joining associations with members that suit your target clients.

Promoting together

Watch out for other businesses in your area which compliment your business and negotiate deals to conduct marketing together. For instance you could include their brochure in your direct mails while they do the same for you in their mails.

Put your logo everywhere 

Make everyone aware of your business in every opportunity you get.  An effective way of doing this is displaying your logo anywhere that fits such as your car, t-shirts, business cards, invoices, envelopes and of course in your marketing material.

Publish articles

This is another cheap method of marketing as it only requires your time and effort. Take your time and write informative articles on various topics related to your business and customers and publish them in newspapers, article directories and blogs. This creates the opportunity to build your image as an expert in your field of specialization and thereby improve popularity of your business. 

Press releases

A press release can focus on variety of subjects including new product launches, technological developments an ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3041/Ten-Sales-and-Marketing-Tips.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3041/Ten-Sales-and-Marketing-Tips.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Understanding the Basics of Email Appending</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[
Emails have ushered a change in our business patterns. Although the spam menace has clouted the effectiveness of emails, they still remain the most effective marketing tool.  Traditional postage and telephones are nowadays considered to be expensive direct marketing tools. Email has become the global, multi-channel medium of business communication. Hence it is important that every business acquires the email addresses of their prospects.

What is email appending?

It is the process of matching a customer database that lacks e-mail addresses with a third party’s address database with a view to append the missing information to the client database.

How is email appending done? 

Email Appending is done when an organization that has a customer database containing names, postal addresses or telephone numbers wants to kick off e-mail communication with its clients. The organization hires an email appending services provider, who owns a huge database, to append the email addresses to their database. The third party email appending services provider will match the prospect list with their database and add their accurate email address to the database. Appending involves manual and automated process.

After the appending process, permission is sought from the prospects to send email messages to them. The vendor on the organization’s behalf generally deploys it. The purpose of the permission message is twofold: To make sure that the address is current and accurate and to ensure that the address holder is willing to receive e-mails from that organization. 
Why email appending is done? 

·	Speed up business processes with timely data delivery 
·	Eliminate cost of lost data 
·	Reach a wide audience
·	Enhance data availability and reporting 
·	Open a cost-effective marketing medium
·	Better marketing results
·	Enhanced customer service

The Cost 

All reputed appending service providers charge only for accurate, delivered, opted-in emails.  Al ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3040/Understanding-the-Basics-of-Email-Appending.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3040/Understanding-the-Basics-of-Email-Appending.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Ten Tips for Advertising your Business Opportunity</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[
1. Make customers feel special.

Consumers always react and respond to identification/ recognition.  A prime example of this is Starbucks encouraging barristers to learn names of regular customers. Great marketers also make sure that it is easy for their customers to reach competent/ professional persons when help is needed with any products or questions. 

2. Distribute business cards.

It is common practice among real estate agents to append their photos and info to magnetic calendars.  Another good idea is to give out notepads with contact info and taglines on every page.

3.  Don’t market to unprofitable customers.

It will not do you or your business any good.

4. Create an e-mailing list.
  
Direct mailers and e-newsletters are very effective. Attract your customers to open your mail. This can be done by including special offers, analytic data or any other useful info. 
  
5. Participate at trade shows and conferences.

It is always a good idea to be friendly. However be selective as trade shows maybe costly.

6.  Mix business with pleasure … and charity.

Never underestimate the viral power of hosting a charity baseball game in your community.

7. Create a destination both online and offline.

You can easily attract customers by offering them an “enjoyable experience”. A good example of this is the Barnes &amp;amp; Noble cafes. Casual gaming destinations is another good example and so too are forums.

8. Become an expert in your field.

By offering advice you establish yourself as an authority in that field. When people begin to identify you so too does familiarity of your associated brand. It is also a good idea to make use of tools like blogging and participating in a blogging community as well. 

9. Build relationships with local media. 

By having a good relationship with the local media you could gain a lot of publicity and create awareness among customers as well as prospective customers. The local media could pla ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3039/Ten-Tips-for-Advertising-your-Business-Opportunity.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3039/Ten-Tips-for-Advertising-your-Business-Opportunity.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Tracking your Internet Advertising Results</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[
How to track and test effectively       

First and foremost it’s important to realize that it won’t happen overnight. Visitors will never flow with any perfect regularity. E.g. a technique that increased your sales by 20% right after implementation may actually lose you sales in the long-run.  

 In order to track accurately and make positive changes you need to have enough data.  Simply analyzing your sales data over 100 visitors isn’t going to do much for you. It is always advisable to collect more data as this will give more accurate results.  It will also give you a more average figure.

Why averaging is necessary?

 It is always advisable to obtain an average figure because there are many variable factors that could otherwise influence your data. It could make your data appear both better or worse than it actually is. For instance are you getting that same quality traffic from the same place? Was it more targeted than previously? These are some of the variable factors that can make an impact on your results. For this reason averaging out through a long period of time is almost the only way to make sure that the data you get is reliable. 

An important thing to remember is to always test one item at a time. E.g. If you want to alter the text of an ad in order to make it perform  better, then test one sales letter with one headline, and one with another headline. No matter what you do, never change seven things in a single ad and later proceed to change five other things on your second attempt.  You may see a clear-cut boost in sales but how can you make sure what actually had the effect? 

Also don’t simply test one method in one month and change over to another method the very next month. Keep an eye out for software which enables you to track both ads throughout the same time period.
 
The simple truth is there are sluggish times even in the online world.  The quality and amount of your traffic will vary month to month according to thi ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3035/Tracking-your-Internet-Advertising-Results.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3035/Tracking-your-Internet-Advertising-Results.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Income Potential- Welcoming New Parents and Babies</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Welcoming new babies and their parents to the community has been identified as a profitable home based business venture. In addition to the great income potential it offers, it also presents immense satisfaction, as you would be giving back something to the community you love and enjoy. In this business, you would be providing the new parents and their baby with a free welcome basket filled with very useful information regarding the neighborhood along with gift coupons and giveaways. 
 
Having a new baby at home can be very isolating and challenging for parents especially new moms in many ways. Adjusting to the demands of the baby, locating medical centers/ doctors or trying to understand and cope with the behavior of the new born baby can be very hard. Having a helping hand in locating child care/ day care centers, hospitals, baby stores, toy stores or obtaining advice/ information regarding new born baby’s or even a friendly visit from you is a sure way to make the new parents fit in and feel welcomed in the neighborhood.     
 
The welcome baskets you would be offering to the new parents will be sponsored by the local businesses, organizations and service providers in your community. In exchange for their sponsorship, you would be promoting their products and services to the new parents by word of mouth and the utilization of flyers and freebies. Child care centers, hospitals, clinics, baby stores and toy shops would be some of the many organizations which would be interested in joining with you. Most businesses would be willing to sign a contract with you as you would be proving them with inexpensive, personalized and targeted marketing.
 
As mentioned above, your welcome basket would be filled with useful information for the new parents. These could include the locations of hospitals, baby stores, pharmacies and child care centers, helpful advice on how to care for the new born, parenting handouts and a list of emergency telephone numbers. In addition y ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3023/Income-Potential-Welcoming-New-Parents-and-Babies.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3023/Income-Potential-Welcoming-New-Parents-and-Babies.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Baby Sign Language Signing Parties</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[In the modern era, a growing interest has been shown towards teaching hearing, pre-verbal babies how to sign in order to communicate their needs with their parents or caretakers. The popularity towards this has increased rapidly especially since many researches have now confirmed that teaching signing to babies brings about numerous benefits, contrary to what was earlier believed. In the golden days parents avoided teaching sign language to their hearing babies due to the belief that it would impede the child’s language development. But now latest researches prove that this in fact would enable babies to speak earlier and better than non-signing counterparts. Also this reduces the frustration that babies and parents face everyday due to not being able to understand and communicate with each other.        

With the mounting popularity towards teaching signing to babies, hosting of signing parties are becoming more and more widespread as well as famous. Signing parties or baby signing parties as they are popularly known is when a group of parents (especially moms) get-together in one house and an instructor visits and teaches them how to sign. For example, a mom would organize and get around a group of ten friends over to her house where an instructor would conduct a workshop and teach all of them on how to easily start signing with their babies. As a rule, in these parties the hostess receives her class for free.

These parties usually contain an atmosphere of a mothers club. Even though fathers are also very welcomed at these parties, these are usually dominated by the presence of moms and their babies. A friendly, relaxed and comfortable feeling is enjoyed by all present at these meetings. After the completion of the signing workshop, many types of games and chitchat are enjoyed over delicious refreshments. Due to the personal learning experience received, in a comfortable atmosphere, many parents feel that these parties provide them more than they can ever  ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3022/Baby-Sign-Language-Signing-Parties.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/3022/Baby-Sign-Language-Signing-Parties.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Advertise to your Target Market</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[
When advertising, it is important that you advertise to your target market. This is because advertising alone will not be effective and will not address the needs of your customers. 

Why advertise to your target market?

It is most vital that you first identify your target market. This may be done by carrying out a market research. A market research plays a key role in any marketing effort and helps to identify your customer requirements. 

According to Wikipedia “A product focusing on a specific target market contrasts sharply with one following the marketing strategy of mass marketing.”

Defining a target market can be done by carrying out a market segmentation, where you pull apart the entire market as a whole and separate it into controllable, unrelated units, based on certain, important demographics.

These demographics include race, age, disabilities, income, mobility (here concentrates on travel time to work or number of vehicles available), educational attainment, employment position, property and home ownership, as well as location.

When you are analyzing these demographics individually, it helps to first put together a list of criteria which meets the necessary requirements for marketing your particular product/products. Use this list to go back to, as often as necessary, to ensure you don’t deviate from your objective. 

Here, you can concentrate on one important factor. Why do people purchase products or services in a general sense? If you give it thought, you will realize that there are only a few basic reasons for consumerism. They can be clearly categorized as:

·	To meet basic needs
·	To solve a problem
·	Indulgence / to feel good

Once you figure out which of these category/categories your product or service fits into, it is easier to determine your target market through market segmentation.

This market segmentation process allows you to clearly identify your specific target market and thereby your prospective cli ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/2991/Advertise-to-your-Target-Market.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/2991/Advertise-to-your-Target-Market.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Tips for creating a winning Banner Ad</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Simply having the right software won’t help you in creating a good banner. Here are some tips on creating a good banner design.

1) Use the words &amp;quot;Click here&amp;quot; or &amp;quot;Enter&amp;quot; every time you design a banner. You may think that these are overused words in the online world. However, it has been proven time and again that these do increase the effectiveness of a banner ad by about 20-30%. 

2)  Animate Your Banners. It is also said that an animated banner increases your banner ad’s effectiveness by 30-40%. The key when using animation is to keep it to a minimum when creating your banner. The reason for this is that having big pictures and images or live video in your banner will mean that it loads too slowly. 

3) Create quick loading banners. Having banners less than 10-12 KB ensures this. However, this may be difficult to achieve when using animation in your ads. Generally the majority of animated banners are within the 15-20 KB but that is a way too large to load quickly.

 4) Use an awesome headline in your banner. Also remember that simply having a fine looking banner doesn’t mean people will click on it .The key to an effective banner advertisement is to have a good headline. It is advisable to have the same headline on your banner ad as what you have on your entry page. 

5) The best word to use in your banner headline is &amp;quot;FREE.&amp;quot; This doesn’t at all imply that you have to include the word “FREE” in your banner and have no other text. The fact is, that by using the word &amp;quot;FREE&amp;quot; in almost any headline makes your response rates increase radically. 
 
6) Blue underlined text will often increase your response rate. Having blue underlined text usually implies they are links. Therefore by having your headline in this type of format will ensure a higher click through ratio as people know it is a link to another site.

 7) A blue border gives you a better response rate than any other color border does for a banne ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/2990/Tips-for-creating-a-winning-Banner-Ad.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/2990/Tips-for-creating-a-winning-Banner-Ad.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Consistency pays in Online Advertising</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[
Online advertising encompasses a range of marketing strategies such as banner advertising, email marketing, search engine marketing and PPC advertising. Online press release distribution, blogging and article submissions to social bookmarking sites are also a part of online advertising.  

Banner ads first came on the internet in 1994 and it is especially appropriate when it comes to developing brand awareness of a corporate brand. A typical banner advertising campaign can include a game, competition entry or financial calculator of some sort. 

On the other hand Email marketing or Newsletters has long been a staple of any online advertising campaign. One of the main reasons is that this has proven to be a very cost effective means of communicating with customers and clients. 

PPC Advertising is a method of paid online advertising whereby ads appear as “sponsored links”.

Consistency pays in online advertising

It is important to use advertising effectively. Effective advertising will result in higher returns while at the same time being an effective means of communication. When it comes to online advertising this is no different. The same principle that underlies in offline advertising applies in the online world as well. 

Why consistency is important?

Consistency in anything is a very important factor as we all know. Without consistency it isn’t possible to achieve success time after time either. So never underestimate the importance of consistency. 

Advertising is essentially a component of marketing and marketing like they say “is a continuous process”. Marketing never stops and same applies to advertising. To realize the fruition of advertising takes time. It’s not an overnight process. First of all you need to draw out a plan and then implement it step by step.  It’s a gradual process and one that needs to be constantly monitored. Results may vary from time to time depending on “Seasonal” periods, demographic areas and t ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/2988/Consistency-pays-in-Online-Advertising.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/2988/Consistency-pays-in-Online-Advertising.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Make sure your marketing plan works all year long</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[
A marketing plan is essential to any successful business. It outlines the marketing goals of the organization and the manner in which these goals are to be achieved. Everyone concerned should be aware of this plan and it should act as a guide in conducting marketing campaigns. The usual tendency to forget the marketing plan in a few months after its preparation should be avoided. Every effort should be made to implement it throughout the year. 

An important fact to remember is that any successful business is one which sticks to a plan. So the marketing plan which is usually formulated by the higher management with the participation of the marketing staff should be implemented as far as possible. A degree of flexibility is also needed as and when the need arises. Sometimes depending on the finances available it may be necessary to deviate from the set plan. However whenever a decision with regard to marketing is taken the marketing plan should be kept in mind   It is always advisable to carry out market research before formulating your marketing plan.           

Market research

This has to be carried out by gathering valuable information and then analyzing it. You should pay particular attention on your competitors, your product, and your cost when formulating your marketing plan. In order to understand the market you have to understand what your target market wants and needs. Once equipped with this data you will find it easier predicting your target markets actions and take advantage of them. Obtaining data about your competitors will enable you to identify their strengths and weaknesses. It is a good thing to remember that your competitors are indeed your best friends (you can learn from them). Getting to know them well will give you ideas as to how to counteract their actions effectively.  This will enable you to see clearly the steps you will have to take to gain a competitive advantage

Having done market research the next important step is to devi ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/2986/Make-sure-your-marketing-plan-works-all-year-long.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/2986/Make-sure-your-marketing-plan-works-all-year-long.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>How to Successfully Build Customer Loyalty</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[In today's competitive marketplace, the race to increase profits by cultivating customer loyalty is going at full speed. Customer retention is not only a cost-effective and profitable strategy, it is a necessity for businesses wanting to stay ahead of the pack. &amp;lt;p&amp;gt; As consumers are spending less thanks to soaring fuel and food costs, companies are more reliant than ever on the loyalty of a dedicated customer base to maintain a competitive advantage. Following the Pareto Principle, 80% of your sales come from 20% of your customers, and in a recession the numbers are closer to 95% and 5%, says Ajit Maira, senior vice president of the Information Technology Services Marketing Association. Since these returning customers cost less to reach, are less vulnerable to ploys from the competition and buy more over time, companies need to give customers an incentive not to go elsewhere for the same product or service. &amp;lt;p&amp;gt; One of the most successful ways to achieve this cost-effective retention is through the use of [URL=http://www.dittmanincentives.com/content/WhatWeDoForYou/CustomerLoyalty.aspx]customer loyalty reward programs.[/URL] By rewarding the ongoing purchase of product or services, companies achieve long-term relationships with customers. With a variety of loyalty programs available to companies, the key is discovering what works best for your needs and goals.  &amp;lt;p&amp;gt; Build a Strong Foundation &amp;lt;p&amp;gt; Successful loyalty reward programs are built from a working knowledge of your customer base. To create the foundation, you must first identify the type of customers you want to retain and understand the types of products and services they value most. This information can then be used to determine the kinds of rewards programs that will appeal to them. &amp;lt;p&amp;gt; To obtain this level of understanding about your customers, it's vital to conduct targeted research. In an article in the Harvard Business Review, authors Thomas O. Jones and W. Earl Sasser, Jr.,  ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/2983/How-to-Successfully-Build-Customer-Loyalty.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/2983/How-to-Successfully-Build-Customer-Loyalty.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Are You Ready to Outsource to a Search Engine Optimization Company?</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[So, you are the marketing manager of your firm, and you've finally decided to pull the trigger and hire the search engine optimization company that you've been talking to for months.  The budget has been cleared, the SEO firm is ready to start, and it should be just a matter of time before you start seeing a huge uptick in business.  Right?

Not so fast.

An experienced search engine optimization company will tell you that an ill-planned campaign can be a non-starter from day one.  This usually happens when there is no clear understanding of what will be required of the client to make the project run smoothly.

What follows is a list of just a few of the things that your search engine optimization company will need from you in order for the company to get its job done as effectively and quickly as possible.  It's a good idea to consider these things before you sign the contract - because a stalled campaign will cost you money, even if it is just lost opportunity cost.

Access to and Control of Your Website

You may be ready to do whatever it takes to take the steps necessary for a successful SEO campaign.  Your IT team, on the other hand, may have ultimate control of the website.  This only makes sense - an internal IT team that controls the website knows the ins and outs and doesn't want anyone jeopardizing the functionality of the site.  However, an SEO campaign will usually require extensive changes to the site - and you don't want to hit a brick wall when you bring recommended changes to the IT staff or ask them to give your search engine optimization company access to the testbed.  Make sure that you have an understanding with them before you sign on with a firm, lest you suffer delays and internal strife.

Additionally, it is important that you can get access to either the log files of your website or to the current reporting platform.  Before a search engine optimization company begins work on your site, you want to be sure that you have a baselin ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/2981/Are-You-Ready-to-Outsource-to-a-Search-Engine-Optimization-Company.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/2981/Are-You-Ready-to-Outsource-to-a-Search-Engine-Optimization-Company.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>How to Create Marketplace Strategies That Actually Gets Results</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Research shows very few companies actually know how to create an effective strategic plan AND successfully implement it in the marketplace.  Is your company one of them?

Failure to properly implement your marketplace strategy does much more than create glitches in the business. It can actually lead to business failure. And, in many situations, an incorrectly administered strategy is worse than no strategy at all. 

That's why, in my new book, Strategy Activation: How to Turn Your Vision into Marketplace Success, I explain how &amp;quot;strategy disconnects&amp;quot; occur in even the best organizations. 

Why Strategy Disconnects Occur - And What It Can Mean to Your Business

Disconnect begins when businesses make a promise to the marketplace without first completing a self-assessment of competencies. 

When creating their marketplace strategy, most organizations research customer needs, competition promises and relevant gaps between the two. Yet, most companies do not recognize their current capabilities and limitations when considering their strategic options. Or they overestimate how much change they can absorb in pursuit of the strategy.  

Either misstep can have a tremendous negative impact on delivering on the promise. 

To Succeed in an Increasingly Knowledge-Based Economy, You Must:

*  Determine where the real and future market gaps in your industry exist 
*  Identify opportunities that align with your existing image and resulting marketplace &amp;quot;permissions&amp;quot;
*  Confirm that your organization has the right capabilities or realistic odds of creating the necessary capabilities
*  Envision how your strategy will be implemented at each key customer touchpoint
*  Define clear roles and chain of responsibility 
*  Remain flexible and responsive to marketplace shifts 

Most organizations have a number of strategic options and viable paths to potential marketplace success. Understand and use my three general rules when it comes to settling o ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/2966/How-to-Create-Marketplace-Strategies-That-Actually-Gets-Results.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/2966/How-to-Create-Marketplace-Strategies-That-Actually-Gets-Results.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Rising Exhibiting Costs Places New Premium on Efficiency</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[There is good news in the world of tradeshow research: according to a recent study by Exhibit Surveys, an industry research group, a considerable number of new attendees are coming to tradeshows.  At the same time, 39 percent of attendees report that their buying decisions are favorably influenced after viewing a company's exhibit.

That's the good news.  The bad news is that the rising fuel, energy, and transportation costs that are impacting every sector of the economy have not skipped over tradeshow exhibiting. The cost per attendee has risen nearly 20 percent.  A typical exhibitor is spending $261 per attendee that they speak with -- a number that is up 15 percent over the last two years.

The question then becomes, how do you make the most out of every exhibit?  It is no longer sufficient to simply generate a positive ROI.  You need to ensure the maximum ROI possible, in order to justify these spiraling costs.

Here are the top five ways to get the most out of every tradeshow:

1.  Do Your Homework

To realize maximum ROI, you have to ensure that you're exhibiting at the right shows.  You will not generate a positive ROI, much less a maximum ROI, if you're not positioning yourself in front of an audience likely to be interested in your products and services.

Research shows carefully before making a commitment.  What shows are the largest?  Which shows attract your target audience?  Some exhibitors have had great success setting up shop at shows outside of their traditional industry group -- this may be a strategy you want to consider. 

Bear in mind some larger organizations have their own shows.  This trend has obvious positive and negative ramifications -- but a savvy exhibitor will be able to make the most out of the opportunities this change affords.

2. Emphasize Pre-show Promotion

Pre-show promotion is the single most important determining factor in generating show traffic.  If you want to have a lot of people, particularly people who  ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/2947/Rising-Exhibiting-Costs-Places-New-Premium-on-Efficiency.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/2947/Rising-Exhibiting-Costs-Places-New-Premium-on-Efficiency.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Advertise your Home Business Online – Tips for success</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Advertising plays an important part in any business. When it comes to advertising on the internet it is no different. The fundamental principles essentially remain the same. It is all about creating traffic for your website and doing the right things. Doing the right things will result in the right results.  

A great advantage of online advertising is its way cheaper in comparison to traditional methods of advertising.  Due to the ever growing recognition and use of the internet, the importance of advertising is unchallenged. Due to the power and size of the Internet you have access to a large target market. When dealing with businesses online advertising plays a very key role. It could also be very effective. By using a blend of online advertising techniques you could obtain a good number of visitors for your website 

You could start out with creating an eye-catching and interesting advertisement. It is also equally important that your advertisement delivers your message clearly. The reason for having an attractive design is that the chances of people seeing it are higher. Banner ads are the most common forms of online advertising. It is said that the ads that have the fewer words and fewer images are the ones with the best designs.  PPC ads are another method of profitable online advertising. To use PPC ads effectively and obtain maximum results you will need to make use of the space of the PPC ads efficiently. Another thing is to always use keywords in the ad and make the title and ads striking. 

Another means of effective online advertising is Email marketing. An important fact to remember is that when creating email advertisements take care so that it doesn’t get labeled as Spam. Consider publishing a newsletter and include good, current content. Send these newsletters with fresh content no more than once a week or bi- weekly. You may opt to use blogs, RSS feeds, and forums for online advertising.

Due to the rapid growth of the internet worldwide, ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/2925/Advertise-your-Home-Business-Online--Tips-for-success.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/2925/Advertise-your-Home-Business-Online--Tips-for-success.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Branding...It's Not Just for Cows!</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Your company logo isn’t the only thing that makes up your brand. The service that you have provided to your clients, and your reputation are part of your brand as well.

If you think of your current customer base, how many of your clients or customers were referred to you by your past clients? If you answered “None”, you’re not cutting the mustard!

One of our clients has done a terrific job of building his brand name. He makes sure to include his company brand in everything he does. He’s consistently involved in local charity events, as well as donating his time to give back to his community. He passes out custom made T-shirts, hats, pens, and even branded butter mints (yum). People who don’t even have a backyard in which to place one of his products know about his company. You can almost guarantee that when they do purchase their new home, they’ll be headed over to pick up a firetable or Big Green Egg to place in their new backyard.

I was on the phone with a friend earlier this morning, and he was praising our company for being ahead of the times in our town by being in the branding business. We were discussing that there are still many people who aren’t quite sure what branding is. Eric summed it up perfectly by using the example that he gives to people when they inquire about it:

He asks them, “When I say jeans, what comes to mind?” their response? “Levis or Wrangler”. Branding in a nutshell!

Be consistent with your branding. Everything you put out should have your brand on it! This includes the employees working for you. (No, I’m not suggesting that you literally “brand” them with a hot iron.) Are they consistently giving the best service to your clients and staying on course to grow your brand?

Two free branding steps you can take today:

1. Create an email signature with your company logo and website url

2. Add your website url to your on hold music or voice mail message

Do it today – build your brand!]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/2905/BrandingIts-Not-Just-for-Cows.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/2905/BrandingIts-Not-Just-for-Cows.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>The benefits of your Business-Point them out in your advertising promotion</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[1.	First and foremost why advertise? It could be to increase market share, obtain more clients or perhaps increasing your database (or even starting to build one). Is it trying to create brand awareness? Think over about what you really want out from your advertising. Doing this will definitively help you identify your target market. 

2.	Know your target market.  It is important to know your target market. You may have more than one particular target market. Just make sure that you have one advert per market. The worst thing that can happen is writing one advert and trying to get everyone through this one advert. Identifying your most profitable markets is critical when drawing up your marketing 

3.	Your target market may be categorized geographically/ demographically. E.g. a bakery may have customers within a 10km radius of their store). They may also categorize demographically (e.g. according to new business owners and new mums). 

4.	You may thin this further down to new mums with boys or girls for instance. The further you narrow it down, the more targeted your advertising will be. 

5.	Your headline should always capture the attention of your target market. 

6.	You need to have a powerful headline and intro as it is said that the headline and intro are the only pieces of writing that are generally read by a reader. So to make sure that the reader keeps reading make it precise, bold and don’t forget to outline the benefits! 

7.	Include Incredible Offers. In order to attract new customers you need to come up with great offers! This applies to online businesses as well and when you will be advertising through an offline medium. You need to catch the attention of your reader and make that reader want to get up and go turn the computer on, and type in your website name. 

8.	It is important to keep in mind that when organizing something like this it should be a Win-Win situation for everybody including the customer 


Bizymoms.com has been hel ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/2904/The-benefits-of-your-BusinessPoint-them-out-in-your-advertising-promotion.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/2904/The-benefits-of-your-BusinessPoint-them-out-in-your-advertising-promotion.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Creating An Effective Public Relations Campaign</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Define your goal
The first step in creating your PR Campaign is deciding what you want to achieve. It’s important to know what you are working toward so that you know when you’ve achieved it. Set deadlines and establish the criteria for measuring success so you know you've reached it. As always your goal should be specific, measurable, attainable, and time-specific.

Develop media database
Your media database should include groups that have the potential to impact your ability to reach your goal. Including:
 
  * Investors
  * Referral sources
  * Employees
  * Local government leaders
  * Business leaders
  * Freelance writers
  * Industry analysts
  * Newspaper
  * Television stations
  * Radio stations
  * News syndicates
  * Magazine
  * Ezines
 

In addition to contact information, your media database should include deadline, preferred method of contact, and frequency of publications.

Develop your message
When developing your message, make sure it's newsworthy, contains phrases that you want repeated that describe your business and what you want others to think about when they think about your company. You want your message to be clear, concise and to communicate the uniqueness of your business. You also want your message to be grounded in truth.

Develop PR Strategy &amp;amp; Tactics
Your PR Strategy consists of the type activities, channels and actions you are going to implement to achieve your goal. Basically, this will be the details of the plan, dates the activities will be implemented, and by whom. Your strategy can include:

  * Letters to the Editor
  * Press Releases
  * Articles
  * Newsletters
  * Blogs
  * Networking
  * Speaking Engagements
  * Tradeshow
  * Interviews
  * Surveys
  * Webinars/Seminars
 
Create query/pitch letters
Your query letter should be one-page, explain why the targeted media would be interested in your story. It should include some details, and possible ways to approach the story.
 ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/2870/Creating-An-Effective-Public-Relations-Campaign.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/2870/Creating-An-Effective-Public-Relations-Campaign.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Must Have Promotional Tools</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Elevator Speech. You must always be prepared to answer the most important question you’ll ever be asked, “What do you do”. The concept of the elevator speech is that from the moment you enter an elevator until the time it reaches the fourth floor you have explained what you do, and for whom. Your elevator speech should clearly state the solution you provide, and the market you serve. It should be a part of you. You should be able to recite your elevator speech without thinking about it.

Business Card. Often, the only collateral piece a prospective client will keep. It’s the cheapest form of advertising you can do. It must inform and make a lasting impression. Your business card should always be with you, and within easy reach; you should never have to look for your business card. Your business card should represent your business; include your contact information, logo and tagline. If there’s room, you may also want to include a short product listing or an industry description.

Website. Often, it’s the first time a prospective client will come in contact with your business. Your website allows you to get information about your company and what you are selling to a global audience. It also puts you on equal footing with your competitors, plus it’s kind of like having your store open 24/7. Your website should answer just about every question a prospective client can have. It must also tell them you are; what you are selling and how they can buy it. You should include a call to action; tell them what you want them to do and how to do it.

Articles are a great way to build your expert status and increase your sales, Articles written about things you specialize in prove you know what you are talking about. Articles distributed to article sites and newsletters can provide you with an enormous amount of exposure, and increase your website traffic. Always include a resource paragraph with your article that includes your name, your website, what you do a ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/2869/Must-Have-Promotional-Tools.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/2869/Must-Have-Promotional-Tools.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>What you say and how you say it can make or break your business</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[In a conversation, your response to the question “What do you do?” will determine if the conversation continues. The first paragraph on your web site determines if a visitor will stay to learn more about you or leave. 

The marketing messages you deliver to your audience should clearly state the results your clients will achieve by working with you, and distinguish you as the solution to their problems. Your marketing messages should also show your uniqueness.

There are six messages you must have in your marketing arsenal:

  * Tagline – a few words that sets your perceived image.
  * Elevator Speech – a 3.5 second message that tells what you help your clients achieve.
  * Compelling Marketing Message – your main message that speaks directly to your target market; it shows you understand their problems and are the perfect solution to solve their problem.
  * Your Story – a statement that tells your ideal client what drives you to do what you do and why you are choice they should choose to solve their problems.
  * A Reason to Buy Now – a statement that tells your ideal client why they should buy what you are selling, and why they should buy now instead of later.
  * Call to Action – a statement that tells your listener or reader the actions to take so they can take advantage of what you are offering.

Each marketing message should be able to be delivered individually, and as one conversation. 

Your marketing messages should come from the client’s point of view and highlight the value you provide to the client,so when you create your messages use words that focus on the client’s problems and the solutions they are looking for. Start by asking yourself a few questions like:

  * What do you help your clients achieve?
  * What value do you bring to your client’s business?
  * What or how do your services allow your client to exist, perform or behave?
  * If your client was telling one of their clients about you and your busin ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/2866/What-you-say-and-how-you-say-it-can-make-or-break-your-business.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/2866/What-you-say-and-how-you-say-it-can-make-or-break-your-business.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Do your ads inspire readers to action?</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[It is increasingly become more important than ever in today’s context that your ad copy creates the curiosity of readers. Do you interest your readers in simple yet powerful ways to inspire your readers? You can appeal to a reader by communicating in different ways. Producing great ad copy is more than just simple plain conversation, it requires a special style. The wording has to be in a specific order so that it unlocks the reader’s mind.

Just think about your ad copy. Is it inspiring and will it thrust you into a blind rush of action? If this is not the case, take these steps into increasing your profits today.

WEAK PURSUASION 
Persuasion plays a key role in ad copy as well. It is often the case with ad copy that it may make calls to incomplete action. If this is the case then the whole idea loses purpose. Let’s take a closer look at a few examples:

Ad Copy One: 
Our new patented technology will enable you to promote your website to its full potential. You'll be wondering how you ever managed without it. Order your copy of XYZ right now!

Ad Copy Two:
Our new patented technology will enable you to promote your website to its full potential. Order your copy of XYZ today!

As can be seen although Ad Copy Two has a persuasive line, a call to action it has a rather weak closing. The closing has left a door wide open for readers to consider their actions. Ad Copy One on the other hand has a power line before the close and gives the feeling of doing a lot of work and that the thought this tool is a requirement. Also I have replaced “today” with “right now” in order to give a bit more weight to the additional line.  

Bizymoms.com has been helping moms realize their [URL=http://www.bizymoms.com]work at home[/URL] dreams for over 10 years.  With over 5 million visitors annually, Bizymoms offers ideas 100 featured [URL=http://www.bizymoms.com/U-Pick/ideas-100-text-ads.html]Text Ads options[/URL] to meet the needs of any business opportunity ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/2850/Do-your-ads-inspire-readers-to-action.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/2850/Do-your-ads-inspire-readers-to-action.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>The Benefits of Banner Advertising</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[
Banner ads first came on the internet in 1994. There are primarily two benefits of utilizing banner ads. The first of these is that a banner ad lures users to click on the banner ad through which the user reaches the advertiser’s site. When this happens it is called a “clickthrough”. The number of clickthroughs divided by the number of impressions is called the &amp;quot;click through ratio&amp;quot; or &amp;quot;click rate&amp;quot;. It is easy to measure and what’s more shows a direct measurement of a banner’s effectiveness. 

Each time this happens is called a &amp;quot;click through&amp;quot;, and the number of clickthroughs divided by the number of impressions is called the &amp;quot;click through ratio&amp;quot; or &amp;quot;click rate&amp;quot;. This is easy to measure, and provides a direct measurement of a banner's effectiveness. Secondly banner ads help build brand recognition. Although ad agencies may claim otherwise it is almost impractical to measure. Utilizing user surveys and market research this can be done but these maybe   imprecise and abstract compared to the straightforward business of measuring clickthroughs and site traffic.  An important fact to remember is that if you want your ads to be seen you have to make them compelling. 

Banner ads may bring prospective customers to just within one click away from your business or products. Considering that a large majority of businesses adopt passive web strategies –building a web site and assuming that customers will magically find it. This philosophy of “If you build it, they will come&amp;quot; works in the movies, but doesn’t in the internet. A strategically placed banner ad is a very cost effective method of driving customers to your website that turns in it to a “pro-active” tool for a business. 

Name recognition also plays a vital part of any business.  Even if viewers don’t click through on to your banner ad they will be exposed repeatedly to your brand name, in context with your business message.  

Ba ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/2846/The-Benefits-of-Banner-Advertising.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/2846/The-Benefits-of-Banner-Advertising.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Advertising your Home Business - You have to spend money to make money</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[ 
Some think that there are just two methods to increase profits. First of all you have to either reduce expenses or secondly boost your sales! Entrepreneurs may regard you only have a single choice – spend money! Many owners may make the same blunder when dealing primarily as a business.  They envision the best way in building a business is spending money. A large number of people think that the excellent way in building a business is by spending money. The belief is that to make money, you must spend money! This is wrong.  Taking it as an investment, a lot of people spend a lot of money for lead generation activities. There maybe some that purchase an ad through the living section of a local newspaper. There will be others that buy a direct mail list of about 1000 prospects or might even post a gigantic billboard over a over highway. E.g. a business that spent $ 20,000 on one direct- - mail campaign is still awaiting by phone for all the annoyed prospects to call them back and give them back their oppressive earned money! It never happened! Numerous representation is a local restaurant that spends $2, 000 each tour for a billboard! Business has sharpened and the owner is thrilled. But, when I asked her to try that her sales came from the billboard ad, girl could not! Always test and measure your advertising efforts, processes, procedures, and systems. Another important fact to remember is that before spending a lot of money make sure that it is a worthy investment. Fact is that the dollars you spend for advertising will never be seen again! All this goes straight into the pockets of the advertiser. 
 
Many companies are not seeing a undeniable return on investment ( ROI ) using mean methods. They are getting wiser with their dollars. You should plenty! ! Stop wasting your dollars on advertising! Go into to vision of other ways to attract the right clients and customers! Get profitable! Be more ingenious and practical! Employees will stay with a successful com ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/2845/Advertising-your-Home-Business--You-have-to-spend-money-to-make-money.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/2845/Advertising-your-Home-Business--You-have-to-spend-money-to-make-money.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Establishing a business Image through Advertising. </strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[1.	It is always a good thing mentioning the deadline of your offer. It is common knowledge that people literally hate to know that they are missing out on something. Therefore mentioning a deadline will make them more/ less compelled to act. E.g. ‘Hurry- competition closes next Saturday! Call/Visit/Email today to reserve your place. Make sure that the customer knows how to contact you and try to make it a few different ways.
2.	‘Hurry- competition closes next Friday! Call/Visit/Email today to ensure you don’t miss out!” Ensure that you tell the customer how to contact you and try to make it a few different ways.
3.	Submit your advert. Put yourself in the shoes of your customer. Think from their angle. For instance; what publications do they read? What websites do they visit? Try to diversify your advertising modes over a few mediums. This means that you should have both online and offline methods and will ensure that your ‘eggs are not in one basket. 
4.	Test your advertising and measure your responses. Before committing yourself to a large advertising budget test a few different methods to see if they work. E.g. before sending 5000 inserts into a magazine, ask them if you can send around 300 to test. If you don’t get any responses you have saved yourself a lot of money! 
5.	Final word. It is important to understand that advertising and marketing is an ongoing process. It isn’t just something to do a few times per year. It is advisable that at least 50% of your time be spent on advertising and marketing. After all if people don’t know about your business- how can they buy from you? It is said that people need to see your advert or brand at least 5 times before they will act upon it? So consistency is very important.  Always have a monthly advertising budget. Be prepared to adjust and adapt to changing trends and marketing conditions. Keep building your momentum and keep a constant watch on it. Never Set and Forget


Bizymoms.com has been helpi ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/2836/Establishing-a-business-Image-through-Advertising.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/2836/Establishing-a-business-Image-through-Advertising.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Making the most of your Advertising Budget</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[
In order to obtain the maximum return on your investment for an ad campaign it is necessary to identify the most profitable options. An expensive advertisement only becomes worthwhile if there is a good response from your audience.

Do a proper research on the medium that you are hoping to use. Try finding out how the prospective customers fits the profile of your target audience. If local farmers don’t go to the local cinema and you want to sell fertilizer don’t consider advertising fertilizer there.  

Try estimating what percentage of the audience responds to your campaign and how many respondents actually purchase your product. This should give you an idea of the cost involved in attracting customers. You may use a similar calculation for several different media channels in order to determine the most effective method. But you need to remember that these calculations may only be approximate.

Once a media has been selected try bargaining the price. You may get a better deal or price when negotiating.

Refer to your budget. By doing this you can show that different channels and rival media are being utilized to carry out your campaign.

Make your reservation at the last minute, some publications may accept lower prices before they publish. However, you may not be able to choose your position and so risk a lower response.

You need to make sure that your advertisement is in the best possible position in the media. For example: 

·	Right hand pages are more eye catching than the left 
·	An advertisement should be on a page with related advertisements 
·	The best page for a newspaper advertisement is page three. Otherwise, the nearer the front the better 
·	An advertisement that includes a coupon for readers to cut out should be placed at the side of the page


Bizymoms.com has been helping moms realize their [URL=http://www.bizymoms.com]work at home[/URL] dreams for over 10 years.  With over 5 million visitors annually, Bizymoms offers ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/2831/Making-the-most-of-your-Advertising-Budget.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/2831/Making-the-most-of-your-Advertising-Budget.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Affiliate Programs as a Source of Income</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[If you are in the process of finding a way to earn some extra income at home you may want to look into affiliate programs on the internet. There are many to choose from and they can be a fairly simple way for you to bring in some extra cash from home.

Finding the right program to fit your needs and interests is something to think about before choosing a company to become an affiliate to.  If you try a product from a particular company and you love them, you may want to consider looking into the affiliate program they provide, if they have one. It is much better to promote a company who offers services or products that you have personally tried or use. You will be more convincing when marketing.

Usually the process of signing up to be an affiliate is fairly simple. You will be provided with an affiliate ID and a website in most cases. The requirement from you is to advertise that website in order to sell the products or get others to sign up as an affiliate. You will earn a certain amount of commission on all the sales you make and the sales your referrals make. 

Make sure to check out the compensation plan. You really do not want to settle for a measly commission that would hardly be worth your time and effort. Some companies have very complicated commission plans that some find very hard to understand. I figure, if you cannot understand it and do not know exactly how much commission you will be making, you may want to move on to another company. Some make it impossible to reach an income goal that is worth pursuing. 

Do some research on the affiliate program and company you plan on joining to assure that it is stable and reputable. Of course, there will probably be positive and negative feedback on every company, but if you find more good than bad and it has the stability to back it up, you probably have found a good company to promote. If you try the product or service and like it, it makes it that much easier to promote and feel good about it.

I fi ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/2809/Affiliate-Programs-as-a-Source-of-Income.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/2809/Affiliate-Programs-as-a-Source-of-Income.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Top 3 Email Marketing Must-Dos: from OptinBuilders</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[It is a challenge, first up, to think-up products and services that have a ready and constant market. Even if your product is the best or the only one of its kind, getting people to accept it and love it enough to try it once, and then repeat the process is quite a tall order. Trying to drain the ocean with a bucket is what comes to mind when I try to quantify the sheer complexity of catering to end users, whether they are shopping for bathroom rugs or online marketing solutions like email appending or business lists. 
Let’s try and get the skinny on the most marketable marketing credos from the typical consumer’s point of view.
No. 1 Email Marketing Must-Do: Know your end user inside-out
Imagine you are in a shopping mall where all items are without labels; everything looks the same from outside except when you open the packaging and find out what’s in them. The same is the case with customers. It’s a guessing-game for many in the business to figure out what the customer is thinking. 
Some may call this analysis; I prefer to call it a qualified guess, because that’s what it is. At the same time, it is more prudent to let experts help you figure-out (lend you their Qualified Guess!) your target consumer objectively, rather you doing it with bias, preconceived notions or your company’s vision in mind.
You might never quite unravel the customer’s mind, but you can surely arrive at a calculated estimation of what he likes, dislikes, wants, doesn’t want, despises, expects: THINKS, really! 
No. 2 Email Marketing Must-Do: Customize your product or service 
‘Customize’ yourself first. Once you have a fairly good idea of what goes on in the minds of your target group of customers, you can ‘customize’ yourself, not just the product or service you are selling. What it means is, you need to be perceived by the consumer that you exist ONLY for THEM! That you cater to them singularly and to no other. 
This perception can be brought about in them m ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/2755/Top-3-Email-Marketing-MustDos-from-OptinBuilders.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/2755/Top-3-Email-Marketing-MustDos-from-OptinBuilders.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Obama Popularizes Himself among Youth through E-Marketing</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[If Barack Obama becomes the next President of the United States of America, the country can assure that they will not fall short on one account, e-marketing. Demagogic run by Obama among the youth in the ongoing Democratic presidential primaries have stunned analysts and psephologists alike. 

The curiosity led the experts to pry into how Obama was able to muster the positive vibes of the youth in favor of him. It was evident in the final lab report Barack camp extensively used social networking and video sharing sites to great effect in garnering votes of the youth. His success in using social medium as an electioneering tool clearly shows that a new guru has arrived in the world of e-marketing. 

A survey showed that if one does not include social media in one's election campaigns it would be hard to draw the attention of the youth. Majority of the youth interact through social networking sites since internet connectivity has increased to larger areas. Blog sites have virtually become e-diaries of today's youth as outlets to vent their social and emotional feelings as well. 

As a result, social media have supplanted televisions, radios and other advertising spaces for election campaigns. Hence, it has been proved, it would be preposterous to avoid employing social media especially, in a high voltage election campaigns such as, the US presidential primaries. 

A statistics from a section of the press stated, immediately after the Second Super Saturday, Hillary Rodham Clinton had a comfortable margin of 15 percent lead over Barack Hussein Obama in Pennsylvania.  But the same team of public opinion poll managers gave Clinton just 5 percent lead over Obama just two days before the same primary election. 

Creating a huge 10 percent swing in favor of any candidate, that too in a month's time, was unheard of in Pennsylvania. The credit goes to Barack camp, their stupendous game plan to engage with the youth through sublime tentacles of social suggestion has s ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/2742/Obama-Popularizes-Himself-among-Youth-through-EMarketing.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/2742/Obama-Popularizes-Himself-among-Youth-through-EMarketing.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Optimize Email Deliverability with Best Practice Strategies</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[As an email marketer you may face email deliverability issues every day. Whether you’re sending a personal email or bulk customer communication, electronic messages are frequently intercepted, filtered, erroneously labeled as spam, bounced or returned to the sender as undeliverable. For routine non-business correspondence, this is simply a minor annoyance and inconvenience. But when your message broadcasts a crisis or emergency, or if it includes time-sensitive account, billing or service information, you could face serious consequences. If you’re a marketer, every undelivered message translates into lost revenue. Luckily, there are ways to improve the odds of delivery and decrease the chance of running into problems in the first place

The key to email deliverability lies in earning the trust of Internet Service Providers, or ISPs. Because these companies need to provide quality service to their subscribers, they devise standard protocols and policies regarding unsolicited bulk email. To communicate with your subscribers and customers, without interference, focus on four key criteria proven to optimize deliverability rates. 

1. Mind Your Lists. How relevant is your list? You should only add recipients via responsible opt-in practices, removing bounced accounts and unsubscribe requests immediately. Never use distribution lists that are severely outdated or purchased. Many purchased lists include spam trap or HoneyPot addresses, intended to lure and catch spammers. 

2. Maintain Low Complaint Levels. Do recipients want your messages? Every time a subscriber reports you to their ISP, deliverability plummets. Several popular ISPs, including AOL, Yahoo and Hotmail, make this extremely easy with one-click spam reporting features. It’s important to know how many complaints are coming in. Complaint processing can be automated, with email marketing service providers removing complainers from your distribution lists and integrating this data into real-time repor ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/2736/Optimize-Email-Deliverability-with-Best-Practice-Strategies.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/2736/Optimize-Email-Deliverability-with-Best-Practice-Strategies.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>The Power of Asking Questions</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Make no mistake -- you're in a rough spot.  Exhibiting is a competitive environment.  You're vying for attendee's attention, against companies that are larger, better-funded, with newer exhibits and cooler ideas than you've got.
 
What this means is that anything you can do to differentiate yourself from the crowd is a &amp;quot;Very Good Thing.&amp;quot;  Being different gives you an edge over the masses.  On the other hand, being different invariably costs money.
 
Or maybe not.  You can differentiate yourself effectively by embracing the ‘power of questions.'  Having a team that can ask the right people, the right questions, at the right time, is the single most cost effective thing you can do to guarantee fantastic show results.
 
Very few people know how to ask effective, powerful questions, and quite frankly, those who do, tend not to wind up working the show floor.  Luckily, asking great questions is a skill that can be taught to those who don't already have it.  If you're like me, and weren't born with that great skill, here are seven strategies your team can start using today to make themselves better exhibitors:
 
Strategy #1: Listen
 
The best questions begin in silence.  Train your people to embrace the 80/20 rule -- they should be listening 80% of the time.  Listening is more than not talking.  It's an opportunity to focus on the information the visitor is providing.  The data they're sharing is invaluable and helps frame more appropriate questions throughout the conversation.  For sales people in particular, listening is a real challenge.  Yet, if they conquer and embrace this skill, they could easily boost their performance in flash!
 
Strategy #2: Determine Identities Quickly
 
One of the first questions your team should ask is some variation of &amp;quot;Who are you and what do you do?&amp;quot;  Never, ever rely on badges.  People can easily swap them.  This is probably the most commonly used competitive intelligence gathering strategy.
 
You wan ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/2719/The-Power-of-Asking-Questions.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/2719/The-Power-of-Asking-Questions.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>7 Strategy Execution Themes</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[According to a study by the Conference Board, marketplace strategy execution ranks high in the top ten issues that senior managers must face today. While many issues drive poor execution, they all appear to point to one major common factor: A lack of organizational preparedness to implement marketplace strategies as envisioned by those who conceived them.
 
For example, consumer electronics retail store A advertises great selection and low prices. Its customers are unperturbed if they don't receive A+ service.  Their expectation is low prices not world-class service. 
 
Store B advertises, &amp;quot;No question is left unanswered.&amp;quot; Customers entering this store expect great service.  If sales associates are inattentive and customers receive no help when asking about a product then the expectation remains unfulfilled. This means customers will return for future purchases. 
 
Companies that spend their time developing a strategy need to follow through for the long term. That's why in my new book, Strategy Activation: Keeping Promises to the Marketplace, I reveal the 8 points below that will drive your organization in the right strategic direction. 
 
Top 7 Strategy Activation Themes to Think About When Creating &amp;amp; Following Through With Your Marketplace Strategies:
 
1. Understand that although a strategy may appear brilliant on paper, it is the implementation that is important. Failure to follow through can result when you allow your strategy to outstrip your organization's capabilities. It can also happen when your employees do not understand your marketplace strategy or their expected behavior or when your company does not support the strategy's delivery. You may also have conflicting success metrics and employee rewards. Find where the problem is and fix it immediately 
 
2. Keep in mind that a promise, no matter what it entails, leads to customer expectations.  Your strategy communicates intent.  It's a promise made to the marketplace.  This promi ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/2717/7-Strategy-Execution-Themes.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/2717/7-Strategy-Execution-Themes.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>BONUS SUPER SUCCESS SECRET - Bumping for Big Bucks</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[FOREWORD:

Mega-Buck Income Sales Pros are the elite, that very special group that comprise the top 5% of all Salespeople in the World.  They produce 95% of the Sales that are made and enjoy a level of income and a lifestyle that most people would love to achieve.

The good news is that since Selling is a learned skill, virtually anyone has the potential to become a Super Star.  Common sense dictates that the quickest and easiest way to become a Mega-Buck Income producer is to simply search them out and then emulate them.  Talk like they talk, perform like they perform, use the very same words and phrases they use, copy their attitude and mind set, or in other words become a chameleon.  For the last 30 years I’ve had the privilege of studying these Icons of the Sales Industry.  I’ve brain-picked them and yes even trained many of them.  In fact, I enjoy the reputation of personally training more 6 and 7 figures a year Mega-Buck Income earners than any other Trainer.

During my 3 decades of research I learned that these Super Stars share many certain traits, habits, and even Skills.  The majority of them utilize most if not all of the Super Success Secrets, which are part of this Series of 10 Articles.  I will also share with you that I personally used all 10 of these Secrets to double my own personal Income each year for 5 consecutive years, before I became a professional Speaker and Trainer.  If we’ve already met you probably know that I love to say; “no matter where you start, the fourth and fifth year get real exciting”.

As you start reading you’ll quickly discover these Super Success Secrets are a combination of transferable Skills and Techniques along with the Attitude and Mind Set needed to become a Legend in your Industry.  If you have at least a basic working knowledge of Sales Skills and a burning desire to become great, any one these Super Success Secrets will increase your effectiveness, your Closing ratio, and yes your Income, by 20 t ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/2619/BONUS-SUPER-SUCCESS-SECRET--Bumping-for-Big-Bucks.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/2619/BONUS-SUPER-SUCCESS-SECRET--Bumping-for-Big-Bucks.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong># 10 SUPER SUCCESS SECRET - The Best Prospects in the World</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[FOREWORD:

Mega-Buck Income Sales Pros are the elite, that very special group that comprise the top 5% of all Salespeople in the World.  They produce 95% of the Sales that are made and enjoy a level of income and a lifestyle that most people would love to achieve.

The good news is that since Selling is a learned skill, virtually anyone has the potential to become a Super Star.  Common sense dictates that the quickest and easiest way to become a Mega-Buck Income producer is to simply search them out and then emulate them.  Talk like they talk, perform like they perform, use the very same words and phrases they use, copy their attitude and mind set, or in other words become a chameleon.  For the last 30 years I’ve had the privilege of studying these Icons of the Sales Industry.  I’ve brain-picked them and yes even trained many of them.  In fact, I enjoy the reputation of personally training more 6 and 7 figures a year Mega-Buck Income earners than any other Trainer.

During my 3 decades of research I learned that these Super Stars share many certain traits, habits, and even Skills.  The majority of them utilize most if not all of the Super Success Secrets, which are part of this Series of 10 Articles.  I will also share with you that I personally used all 10 of these Secrets to double my own personal Income each year for 5 consecutive years, before I became a professional Speaker and Trainer.  If we’ve already met you probably know that I love to say; “no matter where you start, the fourth and fifth year get real exciting”.

As you start reading you’ll quickly discover these Super Success Secrets are a combination of transferable Skills and Techniques along with the Attitude and Mind Set needed to become a Legend in your Industry.  If you have at least a basic working knowledge of Sales Skills and a burning desire to become great, any one these Super Success Secrets will increase your effectiveness, your Closing ratio, and yes your Income, by 20 t ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/2618/10-SUPER-SUCCESS-SECRET--The-Best-Prospects-in-the-World.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/2618/10-SUPER-SUCCESS-SECRET--The-Best-Prospects-in-the-World.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong># 9 SUPER SUCCESS SECRET - Develop a Marketing Niche</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[FOREWORD:

Mega-Buck Income Sales Pros are the elite, that very special group that comprise the top 5% of all Salespeople in the World.  They produce 95% of the Sales that are made and enjoy a level of income and a lifestyle that most people would love to achieve.

The good news is that since Selling is a learned skill, virtually anyone has the potential to become a Super Star.  Common sense dictates that the quickest and easiest way to become a Mega-Buck Income producer is to simply search them out and then emulate them.  Talk like they talk, perform like they perform, use the very same words and phrases they use, copy their attitude and mind set, or in other words become a chameleon.  For the last 30 years I’ve had the privilege of studying these Icons of the Sales Industry.  I’ve brain-picked them and yes even trained many of them.  In fact, I enjoy the reputation of personally training more 6 and 7 figures a year Mega-Buck Income earners than any other Trainer.

During my 3 decades of research I learned that these Super Stars share many certain traits, habits, and even Skills.  The majority of them utilize most if not all of the Super Success Secrets, which are part of this Series of 10 Articles.  I will also share with you that I personally used all 10 of these Secrets to double my own personal Income each year for 5 consecutive years, before I became a professional Speaker and Trainer.  If we’ve already met you probably know that I love to say; “no matter where you start, the fourth and fifth year get real exciting”.

As you start reading you’ll quickly discover these Super Success Secrets are a combination of transferable Skills and Techniques along with the Attitude and Mind Set needed to become a Legend in your Industry.  If you have at least a basic working knowledge of Sales Skills and a burning desire to become great, any one these Super Success Secrets will increase your effectiveness, your Closing ratio, and yes your Income, by 20 t ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/2617/9-SUPER-SUCCESS-SECRET--Develop-a-Marketing-Niche.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/2617/9-SUPER-SUCCESS-SECRET--Develop-a-Marketing-Niche.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong># 8 SUPER SUCCESS SECRET - Make your Customer a Star</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[FOREWORD:

Mega-Buck Income Sales Pros are the elite, that very special group that comprise the top 5% of all Salespeople in the World.  They produce 95% of the Sales that are made and enjoy a level of income and a lifestyle that most people would love to achieve.

The good news is that since Selling is a learned skill, virtually anyone has the potential to become a Super Star.  Common sense dictates that the quickest and easiest way to become a Mega-Buck Income producer is to simply search them out and then emulate them.  Talk like they talk, perform like they perform, use the very same words and phrases they use, copy their attitude and mind set, or in other words become a chameleon.  For the last 30 years I’ve had the privilege of studying these Icons of the Sales Industry.  I’ve brain-picked them and yes even trained many of them.  In fact, I enjoy the reputation of personally training more 6 and 7 figures a year Mega-Buck Income earners than any other Trainer.

During my 3 decades of research I learned that these Super Stars share many certain traits, habits, and even Skills.  The majority of them utilize most if not all of the Super Success Secrets, which are part of this Series of 10 Articles.  I will also share with you that I personally used all 10 of these Secrets to double my own personal Income each year for 5 consecutive years, before I became a professional Speaker and Trainer.  If we’ve already met you probably know that I love to say; “no matter where you start, the fourth and fifth year get real exciting”.

As you start reading you’ll quickly discover these Super Success Secrets are a combination of transferable Skills and Techniques along with the Attitude and Mind Set needed to become a Legend in your Industry.  If you have at least a basic working knowledge of Sales Skills and a burning desire to become great, any one these Super Success Secrets will increase your effectiveness, your Closing ratio, and yes your Income, by 20 t ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/2616/8-SUPER-SUCCESS-SECRET--Make-your-Customer-a-Star.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/2616/8-SUPER-SUCCESS-SECRET--Make-your-Customer-a-Star.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong># 7 SUPER SUCCESS SECRET - Develop a Positive Expectant Attitude</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[
FOREWORD:

Mega-Buck Income Sales Pros are the elite, that very special group that comprise the top 5% of all Salespeople in the World.  They produce 95% of the Sales that are made and enjoy a level of income and a lifestyle that most people would love to achieve.

The good news is that since Selling is a learned skill, virtually anyone has the potential to become a Super Star.  Common sense dictates that the quickest and easiest way to become a Mega-Buck Income producer is to simply search them out and then emulate them.  Talk like they talk, perform like they perform, use the very same words and phrases they use, copy their attitude and mind set, or in other words become a chameleon.  For the last 30 years I’ve had the privilege of studying these Icons of the Sales Industry.  I’ve brain-picked them and yes even trained many of them.  In fact, I enjoy the reputation of personally training more 6 and 7 figures a year Mega-Buck Income earners than any other Trainer.

During my 3 decades of research I learned that these Super Stars share many certain traits, habits, and even Skills.  The majority of them utilize most if not all of the Super Success Secrets, which are part of this Series of 10 Articles.  I will also share with you that I personally used all 10 of these Secrets to double my own personal Income each year for 5 consecutive years, before I became a professional Speaker and Trainer.  If we’ve already met you probably know that I love to say; “no matter where you start, the fourth and fifth year get real exciting”.

As you start reading you’ll quickly discover these Super Success Secrets are a combination of transferable Skills and Techniques along with the Attitude and Mind Set needed to become a Legend in your Industry.  If you have at least a basic working knowledge of Sales Skills and a burning desire to become great, any one these Super Success Secrets will increase your effectiveness, your Closing ratio, and yes your Income, by 20 ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/2615/7-SUPER-SUCCESS-SECRET--Develop-a-Positive-Expectant-Attitude.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/2615/7-SUPER-SUCCESS-SECRET--Develop-a-Positive-Expectant-Attitude.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong># 6 SUPER SUCCESS SECRET - Have Fun</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[FOREWORD:

Mega-Buck Income Sales Pros are the elite, that very special group that comprise the top 5% of all Salespeople in the World.  They produce 95% of the Sales that are made and enjoy a level of income and a lifestyle that most people would love to achieve.

The good news is that since Selling is a learned skill, virtually anyone has the potential to become a Super Star.  Common sense dictates that the quickest and easiest way to become a Mega-Buck Income producer is to simply search them out and then emulate them.  Talk like they talk, perform like they perform, use the very same words and phrases they use, copy their attitude and mind set, or in other words become a chameleon.  For the last 30 years I’ve had the privilege of studying these Icons of the Sales Industry.  I’ve brain-picked them and yes even trained many of them.  In fact, I enjoy the reputation of personally training more 6 and 7 figures a year Mega-Buck Income earners than any other Trainer.

During my 3 decades of research I learned that these Super Stars share many certain traits, habits, and even Skills.  The majority of them utilize most if not all of the Super Success Secrets, which are part of this Series of 10 Articles.  I will also share with you that I personally used all 10 of these Secrets to double my own personal Income each year for 5 consecutive years, before I became a professional Speaker and Trainer.  If we’ve already met you probably know that I love to say; “no matter where you start, the fourth and fifth year get real exciting”.

As you start reading you’ll quickly discover these Super Success Secrets are a combination of transferable Skills and Techniques along with the Attitude and Mind Set needed to become a Legend in your Industry.  If you have at least a basic working knowledge of Sales Skills and a burning desire to become great, any one these Super Success Secrets will increase your effectiveness, your Closing ratio, and yes your Income, by 20 t ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/2614/6-SUPER-SUCCESS-SECRET--Have-Fun.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/2614/6-SUPER-SUCCESS-SECRET--Have-Fun.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong># 5 SUPER SUCCESS SECRET - Set Goals and have a Purpose</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[FOREWORD:

Mega-Buck Income Sales Pros are the elite, that very special group that comprise the top 5% of all Salespeople in the World.  They produce 95% of the Sales that are made and enjoy a level of income and a lifestyle that most people would love to achieve.

The good news is that since Selling is a learned skill, virtually anyone has the potential to become a Super Star.  Common sense dictates that the quickest and easiest way to become a Mega-Buck Income producer is to simply search them out and then emulate them.  Talk like they talk, perform like they perform, use the very same words and phrases they use, copy their attitude and mind set, or in other words become a chameleon.  For the last 30 years I’ve had the privilege of studying these Icons of the Sales Industry.  I’ve brain-picked them and yes even trained many of them.  In fact, I enjoy the reputation of personally training more 6 and 7 figures a year Mega-Buck Income earners than any other Trainer.

During my 3 decades of research I learned that these Super Stars share many certain traits, habits, and even Skills.  The majority of them utilize most if not all of the Super Success Secrets, which are part of this Series of 10 Articles.  I will also share with you that I personally used all 10 of these Secrets to double my own personal Income each year for 5 consecutive years, before I became a professional Speaker and Trainer.  If we’ve already met you probably know that I love to say; “no matter where you start, the fourth and fifth year get real exciting”.

As you start reading you’ll quickly discover these Super Success Secrets are a combination of transferable Skills and Techniques along with the Attitude and Mind Set needed to become a Legend in your Industry.  If you have at least a basic working knowledge of Sales Skills and a burning desire to become great, any one these Super Success Secrets will increase your effectiveness, your Closing ratio, and yes your Income, by 20 t ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/2613/5-SUPER-SUCCESS-SECRET--Set-Goals-and-have-a-Purpose.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/2613/5-SUPER-SUCCESS-SECRET--Set-Goals-and-have-a-Purpose.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong># 4 SUPER SUCCESS SECRET - Be Jealous of your Time</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[FOREWORD:

Mega-Buck Income Sales Pros are the elite, that very special group that comprise the top 5% of all Salespeople in the World.  They produce 95% of the Sales that are made and enjoy a level of income and a lifestyle that most people would love to achieve.

The good news is that since Selling is a learned skill, virtually anyone has the potential to become a Super Star.  Common sense dictates that the quickest and easiest way to become a Mega-Buck Income producer is to simply search them out and then emulate them.  Talk like they talk, perform like they perform, use the very same words and phrases they use, copy their attitude and mind set, or in other words become a chameleon.  For the last 30 years I’ve had the privilege of studying these Icons of the Sales Industry.  I’ve brain-picked them and yes even trained many of them.  In fact, I enjoy the reputation of personally training more 6 and 7 figures a year Mega-Buck Income earners than any other Trainer.

During my 3 decades of research I learned that these Super Stars share many certain traits, habits, and even Skills.  The majority of them utilize most if not all of the Super Success Secrets, which are part of this Series of 10 Articles.  I will also share with you that I personally used all 10 of these Secrets to double my own personal Income each year for 5 consecutive years, before I became a professional Speaker and Trainer.  If we’ve already met you probably know that I love to say; “no matter where you start, the fourth and fifth year get real exciting”.

As you start reading you’ll quickly discover these Super Success Secrets are a combination of transferable Skills and Techniques along with the Attitude and Mind Set needed to become a Legend in your Industry.  If you have at least a basic working knowledge of Sales Skills and a burning desire to become great, any one these Super Success Secrets will increase your effectiveness, your Closing ratio, and yes your Income, by 20 t ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/2612/4-SUPER-SUCCESS-SECRET--Be-Jealous-of-your-Time.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/2612/4-SUPER-SUCCESS-SECRET--Be-Jealous-of-your-Time.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong># 3 SUPER SUCCESS SECRET - Become a Performer</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[FOREWORD:

Mega-Buck Income Sales Pros are the elite, that very special group that comprise the top 5% of all Salespeople in the World.  They produce 95% of the Sales that are made and enjoy a level of income and a lifestyle that most people would love to achieve.

The good news is that since Selling is a learned skill, virtually anyone has the potential to become a Super Star.  Common sense dictates that the quickest and easiest way to become a Mega-Buck Income producer is to simply search them out and then emulate them.  Talk like they talk, perform like they perform, use the very same words and phrases they use, copy their attitude and mind set, or in other words become a chameleon.  For the last 30 years I’ve had the privilege of studying these Icons of the Sales Industry.  I’ve brain-picked them and yes even trained many of them.  In fact, I enjoy the reputation of personally training more 6 and 7 figures a year Mega-Buck Income earners than any other Trainer.

During my 3 decades of research I learned that these Super Stars share many certain traits, habits, and even Skills.  The majority of them utilize most if not all of the Super Success Secrets, which are part of this Series of 10 Articles.  I will also share with you that I personally used all 10 of these Secrets to double my own personal Income each year for 5 consecutive years, before I became a professional Speaker and Trainer.  If we’ve already met you probably know that I love to say; “no matter where you start, the fourth and fifth year get real exciting”.

As you start reading you’ll quickly discover these Super Success Secrets are a combination of transferable Skills and Techniques along with the Attitude and Mind Set needed to become a Legend in your Industry.  If you have at least a basic working knowledge of Sales Skills and a burning desire to become great, any one these Super Success Secrets will increase your effectiveness, your Closing ratio, and yes your Income, by 20 t ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/2611/3-SUPER-SUCCESS-SECRET--Become-a-Performer.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/2611/3-SUPER-SUCCESS-SECRET--Become-a-Performer.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong># 2 SUPER SUCCESS SECRET - Develop your Potential</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[FOREWORD:

Mega-Buck Income Sales Pros are the elite, that very special group that comprise the top 5% of all Salespeople in the World.  They produce 95% of the Sales that are made and enjoy a level of income and a lifestyle that most people would love to achieve.

The good news is that since Selling is a learned skill, virtually anyone has the potential to become a Super Star.  Common sense dictates that the quickest and easiest way to become a Mega-Buck Income producer is to simply search them out and then emulate them.  Talk like they talk, perform like they perform, use the very same words and phrases they use, copy their attitude and mind set, or in other words become a chameleon.  For the last 30 years I’ve had the privilege of studying these Icons of the Sales Industry.  I’ve brain-picked them and yes even trained many of them.  In fact, I enjoy the reputation of personally training more 6 and 7 figures a year Mega-Buck Income earners than any other Trainer.

During my 3 decades of research I learned that these Super Stars share many certain traits, habits, and even Skills.  The majority of them utilize most if not all of the Super Success Secrets, which are part of this Series of 10 Articles.  I will also share with you that I personally used all 10 of these Secrets to double my own personal Income each year for 5 consecutive years, before I became a professional Speaker and Trainer.  If we’ve already met you probably know that I love to say; “no matter where you start, the fourth and fifth year get real exciting”.

As you start reading you’ll quickly discover these Super Success Secrets are a combination of transferable Skills and Techniques along with the Attitude and Mind Set needed to become a Legend in your Industry.  If you have at least a basic working knowledge of Sales Skills and a burning desire to become great, any one these Super Success Secrets will increase your effectiveness, your Closing ratio, and yes your Income, by 20 t ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/2610/2-SUPER-SUCCESS-SECRET--Develop-your-Potential.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/2610/2-SUPER-SUCCESS-SECRET--Develop-your-Potential.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong># 1 SUPER SUCCESS SECRET - Enthusiasm</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[FOREWORD:

Mega-Buck Income Sales Pros are the elite, that very special group that comprise the top 5% of all Salespeople in the World.  They produce 95% of the Sales that are made and enjoy a level of income and a lifestyle that most people would love to achieve.

The good news is that since Selling is a learned skill, virtually anyone has the potential to become a Super Star.  Common sense dictates that the quickest and easiest way to become a Mega-Buck Income producer is to simply search them out and then emulate them.  Talk like they talk, perform like they perform, use the very same words and phrases they use, copy their attitude and mind set, or in other words become a chameleon.  For the last 30 years I’ve had the privilege of studying these Icons of the Sales Industry.  I’ve brain-picked them and yes even trained many of them.  In fact, I enjoy the reputation of personally training more 6 and 7 figures a year Mega-Buck Income earners than any other Trainer.

During my 3 decades of research I learned that these Super Stars share many certain traits, habits, and even Skills.  The majority of them utilize most if not all of the Super Success Secrets, which are part of this Series of 10 Articles.  I will also share with you that I personally used all 10 of these Secrets to double my own personal Income each year for 5 consecutive years, before I became a professional Speaker and Trainer.  If we’ve already met you probably know that I love to say; “no matter where you start, the fourth and fifth year get real exciting”.

As you start reading you’ll quickly discover these Super Success Secrets are a combination of transferable Skills and Techniques along with the Attitude and Mind Set needed to become a Legend in your Industry.  If you have at least a basic working knowledge of Sales Skills and a burning desire to become great, any one these Super Success Secrets will increase your effectiveness, your Closing ratio, and yes your Income, by 20 t ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/2609/1-SUPER-SUCCESS-SECRET--Enthusiasm.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/2609/1-SUPER-SUCCESS-SECRET--Enthusiasm.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>How to create a winning Business Email</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[The Call To Action is one of the most important parts to getting high results from your email marketing and unfortunately [URL=http://www.marketingdataltd.co.uk]Click Here[/URL] seems to be a popular choose and at the same time the worst!

Things to consider when looking at your call to action:

1. The actual action you want the customers to take 
2. The wording and phases you use  
3. The appearance and presentation of the text, image, and location – very important 

Here are some strategies to help increase the responses:

1. Make your offer clear
2. Make sure the call to action is clear
3. Use clear text to make the call to action stand out, don’t be too wordy
4. Links Links, Links – make it easy for the reader to click through 
5. Professional images and a clean look


1. Make your offer clear

Just like when you are cold calling you have about 20 seconds to grab the clients attention it’s the same when sending an email the first few lines will be the deciding factor if the reader clicks on your email or not. That’s why “Click here” fails. Its also very important to consider the subject line, as this is your opening line. 

The click is the basic unit for measuring the click-through rate, a common measure of success for an email campaign. 


2. Make sure the call to action is clear

Generally when you are sending an email campaign its going to senior decision makers who not necessary have the time to read lengthily emails so its important that the call to action is clear.

The call to action should explain the benefit the reader will get, by taking the time to read on or to click through to the landing page.
 
Marketers who are using email marketing to sell a product or service should use the call to action to encourage the reader to move forward in the sales process, for example order now and receive 25% off.

Remember: 

You need to tell the reader what to do and what benefits they will get by doing it.

It hel ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/2594/How-to-create-a-winning-Business-Email.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/2594/How-to-create-a-winning-Business-Email.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Is Article Marketing For You?</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Article marketing takes time. You have to write the articles.  Then find and broadcast your articles to relevant sites!
 
Is it worth the investment in time, energy and money?
 
Ask these questions to find out…
 
My Top 10 Questions to Discovering If Article Marketing Is For You
 
1. Do you want to grow your business? 
 
Articles will contribute to your bottom line. One of my articles made over $10,000 in a two-month period. 
 
2. Do you want more prospects and leads?  
 
Your prospects are looking online for information that can help them. When you write an information-based article, you will attract prospects who can become customers for life.
 
3. Are you looking to stand out from your competitors?  
 
When editors print your articles, you are getting their implied endorsement.. Top, targeted, high trafficked websites like About.com don't print just anything.  So when they chose your material, you are judged at a higher level.
 
4. Do you want to build your brand? 
 
Then article marketing is for you. 
 
When you write articles and have them  printed on dozens of sites, people will start to recognize your name. The more you do this, the more branding power you get. Eventually, you will be seen as an expert. Don't be surprised to hear prospects call you and say &amp;quot;I see you everywhere!&amp;quot;
 
5. Do you want maximum online publicity so you get your name out to your targeted audiences? 
 
If you've ever wondered why your competitor's article was printed when you are a bigger expert than she is, the answer is simple. She wrote the article and you did not! So, she's getting in front of your audience, and getting your customers!
 
6. Do you want to improve your search engine rankings?
 
Article marketing will help you by offering links from credible sites back to your site. The bigger and better the site, the more clout the link has. And the more high quality links you have, the higher you climb in search engine rankings. So shoot  ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/2580/Is-Article-Marketing-For-You.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/2580/Is-Article-Marketing-For-You.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Top 5 Advertising Methods</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[On the world wide web there are billions of websites and the same amount of people looking for those websites. So how does a person make sure their site is the one that those people find? Advertising and marketing their site is what they have to do, but they may wonder what is the best way to go about that. There plenty of ways to get your website in front of all the rest. Some of these advertising methods are listed below.

1. Article Marketing. This method has long term results since your articles stay in the articles directories for years. When you write an article about something that relates to your business you can put a link to your website in the resource box at the end. Use keywords in the title and throughout the article, submit it to article directories and you create a back link to your business website.

2. Blogging. Creating a blog is one of the easiest things to do with free services that you can use. Sign up, pick a template and write. If you have a business, write about things that are relevant to that business. Use keywords so your posts will be found in the search engines.  Add fresh content to your blog at least once a week, preferably more, especially in the beginning.

3. SEO-Search Engine Optimization. This method of advertising, or rather, marketing is subtle but powerful. Choose less competitive keywords and place them in the title of your website. Include them in the  h1 and h2 tags and also the meta and alt tags. Sprinkle them throughout your website content and at the beginning and end of your website. This will help you site rank higher in the search engines and be found easier with those keywords you chose. Optimizing your website is one of the first things you need to do when it is used for promoting your business.

4. Link Building. Creating quality links back to your website will help improve your ranking in the search engines and raise your google page rank. This advertising method includes placing your link on as many highl ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/2504/Top-5-Advertising-Methods.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/2504/Top-5-Advertising-Methods.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Article Marketing is Effective Marketing</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Starting a home business on the internet is a fairly easy undertaking for most people. The most difficult task is getting your name, business and website recognized in the sea of billions of other people with businesses and websites on the internet.

The internet has a huge population so one has to wonder how they can stand out in the crowd. Developing a name for yourself is very important. You want people to see your name and automatically recognize it as a name they can trust. Of course not everyone will know your name but if you can develop a trustworthy reputation among those in your niche, people interested in that niche will know who you are.

Now, getting to the most difficult aspect of developing and running an internet business. Getting your name recognized. Article marketing may be the best way to accomplish this goal. Writing articles that peeks a readers interest and provide quality, helpful information is a great way to build your online business and personal reputation.

Submitting these quality articles to reputable article directories creates a back link to your internet business website. The more quality back links a website has, the better position it gets in the search engines. When people search for certain terms in your niche or expertise, your articles may come up. They will read your article and if they like what they read they may click on the link in your resource box.

You may be wondering what a resource box is. A resource box is a small section of text at the end of each of your articles. It is also know as “about the author”. It contains your name and a little blurb about you or your business and includes a link to your internet business website. This is where the back link comes from, your resource box.

Some people may not like to write articles or have a hard time coming up with ideas to write about. You can have people write your articles for you, called ghost writing. You give information like the topic, keywords and r ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/2479/Article-Marketing-is-Effective-Marketing.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/2479/Article-Marketing-is-Effective-Marketing.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Business Benefits of Writing and Marketing with Articles </strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Owning a website is easy—with many web host providers, free website creators are included in the monthly or yearly cost.  Owning a successful website is a whole other story.  You can build a website, but that doesn't mean that readers will discover your site.  Traffic rankings are the best way to ensure internet users are accessing your site.

There are many ways to increase your traffic ranking.  

1.	Establish links between your website and similar websites that have high rankings.
2.	Visit related websites or blogs and leave a comment with your internet address included.
3.	Optimize your website with effective keywords.
4.	Make sure your website is listed with the major search engines (Alexa, Ask.com, Google, Live Search, Yahoo, etc.)
5.	Market your website with articles that are posted online.

Writing and marketing with articles may be a new concept to you.  The goal is to create an engaging, informative article relating to your website that is then posted online in as many locations as possible.  The article links back to your website drawing reader's interest.  Readers find the article, become interested in your ideas, and access your website via the article links.  This is an extremely effective way to market your site, providing you follow a few steps.

First, your articles must always be enjoyable.  If you bore your readers, they will abandon the article and never give your work a second glance.  In essence, you must relate to your target market.  Avoid generic writing packed with facts and little personable material.  Articles should be full of stories to which many can relate.  Getting your reader to empathize--&amp;quot;Hey, I know exactly what you are talking about!&amp;quot;--is the key to success.

Articles must contain excellent grammar and no misspelled words.  Everyone makes mistakes, but if you are touting yourself as an expert and your article is packed with spelling errors, you will lose impact.  Have a friend or family member check art ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/2478/Business-Benefits-of-Writing-and-Marketing-with-Articles.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/2478/Business-Benefits-of-Writing-and-Marketing-with-Articles.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Advertise to Succeed</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[If you have started a business you know how important it is to get customers and have those customers come back and recommend your service or product to others. Advertising does not have to be something that takes up a lot of time or money. There are plenty of inexpensive or free ways to get the word out about your business. 

One thing that you may not think about when planning your advertising campaign is that having your name out there is just as important as having your businesses name out there. I have learned more and more about this recently and realized how much sense it made. You want people to be able to see or hear your name and remember who you are and what you do or what you have to offer. 

For example, using forums as a method of advertising can be a great way to get your name out in front of potential customers. Use your real name as your username and every time you post or reply to other posts your name is included. If you have meaningful and helpful information to offer, people will remember who you are. 

When you make a post on your blog or write articles that you submit to article directories make sure you include a blurb at the end that includes your name and what you have to offer. Pretty soon people may even start searching for your name. They may remember your name but not your business so it will be very easy for them to find you when they do a search. All the blog and forum posts will come up in that search and voila, there you are.

Video marketing is becoming more and more popular also. What makes this a wonderful form of advertising is that not only do people see or hear your name they also see your face. It is always easier to remember someone when they can see what they look like. They put a face to the name and suddenly your popularity goes up a notch. 

In order for people to see that video depends on other advertising you do also. Blogging and forum posting have been covered, so what else can you do to get yourself and yo ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/2474/Advertise-to-Succeed.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/2474/Advertise-to-Succeed.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Enhance Online Marketing With Backlinks</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Looking for a way to drive more traffic to your website? One of the most powerful techniques for increasing visitors to your site is by getting other webmasters to place links to your website on their sites. 

When other websites include links to yours, this can increase traffic in two ways. First, there is always a possibility that people who visit the other site will be interested in seeing what you have to offer and so will choose to click through to your website and browse around. Second, assuming the links are on appropriate websites, your website is likely to index higher in the search engines. The higher your site's search engine ranking, the more targeted traffic you will attract to your website. 

There are a number of different ways to build backlinks to your website, many of which are free or very inexpensive. 

Forum Posting
One of the quickest and easiest ways to begin building backlinks to your website is to become an active participant in forum discussions that relate to your line of work. Include a link to your website in your signature line, and you'll add another backlink each time you leave a comment on the forums you choose. 

Make sure the forums you select are relevant to your business. Doing so ensures that the other participants might be interested in what you have to offer and might click through to your website. Relevancy also increases the odds that the link will benefit you in terms of search engine optimization.

Article Marketing
One of the most powerful things you can do to create backlinks for your website is to engage in article marketing. This technique involves creating informative articles related to your area of expertise and submitting them to online article directories. Other webmasters visit these directories, looking for free reprint articles to update the content on their own websites. 

Every time one of your articles is published on another website, you'll get a new backlink, assuming you included your site's ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/2462/Enhance-Online-Marketing-With-Backlinks.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/2462/Enhance-Online-Marketing-With-Backlinks.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Article Marketing: The Affordable Way to Boost Traffic and SEO</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Are you looking for an affordable way to boost your company's online presence? Do you have a well-designed website that no one visits? If so, you need to work on search engine optimization (SEO) and increasing traffic to your site. The most attractive and marketing-oriented website won't help your bottom line if no one sees it. 

There are many different Internet marketing techniques and strategies, some of which are more effective than others. Article marketing is one of the most effective and affordable ways to generate traffic to your website and boost its positioning in search engine rankings.  

How Does Article Marketing Work?
Article marketing involves writing articles related to your business or area of expertise, and allowing other people to publish them at no cost. Each of your articles should include a brief &amp;quot;about the author&amp;quot; statement that includes the URL for your company's website. As a condition of being allowed to re-print your articles, publishers must leave in this statement. 

To make it easy for publishers to find your articles, you'll want to submit them to various online article directories that specialize in publishing free reprint articles. Webmasters, ezine publishers, magazine editors, and others seeking fresh content for their own online and print publications frequent these sites looking for well written articles that will draw visitors to their own websites. 

The articles you create should not be direct sales pieces or news releases about your company. Rather, they should be full of useful and interesting tips that will benefit readers in your target market. Writing articles that people will want to read increases the likelihood that publishes will use them and that potential customers will be interested in them. 

What Are the Benefits of Article Marketing?
If the articles you write for marketing purposes are well written, interesting, and include compelling information about your company along with a link to you ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/2461/Article-Marketing-The-Affordable-Way-to-Boost-Traffic-and-SEO.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/2461/Article-Marketing-The-Affordable-Way-to-Boost-Traffic-and-SEO.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>4 Tips for Growing Your Business Online</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Whether you are interested in starting a web-based business, or you want to build your bricks and mortar business via an online presence, it's important to understand and follow the basics of online marketing. 

1. Create an Effective Website
Publishing a poorly designed or written website can actually be worse than not having a website at all. Many people think the fact that they can figure out the basics of how to use web development software means that they can design their own business website. However, there is a big difference between being able to get a site up and running online and actually designing, creating, and writing copy for an effective website that creates the proper image for your company. 

Unless you are a graphic design and marketing professional, it's probably in your best interest to contract with a professional web developer to create your company's website. Hiring an expert to perform this task doesn't have to be expensive, and it is certainly an investment in conveying the proper image for your organization. Additionally, you will be free to work on growing other areas of your business instead of spending time creating your website. 

2. Continue To Evolve Your Website
Effective websites are works in progress. When negotiating with your web developer, make sure to talk with him or her about ongoing maintenance and updates. Websites are not static presences. If you want to enjoy the full benefits of marketing your business online, you'll need to update your website on a regular basis. 

Fresh content is one of the most basic premises of effective online marketing. If your website looks exactly the same each time customers and prospective customers visit it, they'll stop coming back. Adding new content also helps your website index higher with the search engines, which means that it's easier for people looking for the types of products and services that you offer online when you update your website on a regular basis. 

3. Select ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/2458/4-Tips-for-Growing-Your-Business-Online.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/2458/4-Tips-for-Growing-Your-Business-Online.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Forum Marketing for Small Businesses</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Looking for an inexpensive way to spread the word about your small business online? Forums can be a valuable resource for getting the word out about your company's products and services, establishing credibility for yourself and your business, and driving traffic to your website.

Forum marketing has the perfect price tag for small business owners. It's free to participate in forums, so this activity can easily fit into your expense budget. However, benefiting from forum marketing does require time, effort, and consistent activity.

Find the Right Forums
The first step to effectively market your business through forums is to identify the most appropriate forum websites for your purposes. Start out by conducting online research to identify established, heavily trafficked forums that are relevant to your business and that appeal to your target market. 

The best way to identify appropriate forums for your marketing purposes is to spend some time surfing the Internet looking for forum websites relevant to your business. For example, if your business provides corporate logo embroidery services for small businesses, it's a good idea for you too look for good small business marketing discussion boards. 

Spend a few days monitoring the forums that appeal to you, and see what kinds of discussions take place on them. To start with, choose one forum that seems to be the most active and appropriate for your business, and register as a user. 

Keep in mind that you are participating in this forum as a representative of your business, so choose an appropriate username. If your goal is to brand yourself or your company, it's a good idea to your real name or your company's name as your username. 

Create Your Signature Line
Before you make your first post on the forum, you'll need to create a signature line. This usually consists of two to three lines of text that show up on every post you make. Look at the other posts in the forum for examples of signature lines th ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/2445/Forum-Marketing-for-Small-Businesses.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/2445/Forum-Marketing-for-Small-Businesses.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>How to Create a Clutter Free Trade Show Display</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[When you're getting ready to attend a trade show, it's a good idea to spend some time thinking about how you are going to set up your booth. When preparing for a trade show, you have to find the fine line between an adequate display and one that is too cluttered. Many trade show participants make the mistake of putting too much stuff on display, which results in an exhibit area that is crowded and difficult to manage. 

Think Visual Appeal
When you are setting up your tradeshow booth, don't focus your efforts on trying to cram every piece of promotional material you own on the table. Instead, think about what you can do to make the design and setup of your booth have visual appeal to trade show attendees. 

Keep in mind that your booth has to be attractive enough to entice people to approach you so that you have an opportunity to educate them about your company's products and services. Don't make the mistake of making your display look so overwhelming that attendees are turned off by your display or find themselves to intimidated to approach you.

How to Display Company Literature
You should definitely include some type of company literature on your trade show display. For most businesses, a general brochure is the ideal item to pass out at trade shows. You should bring a sufficient quantity of brochures to the trade show with you, but don't stack all of them up on your booth at the same time. Instead, put out just a few at a time, and replenish throughout the day as your supplies begin to dwindle. 

How to Avoid the &amp;quot;Grab and Run&amp;quot;
Many people who attend trade shows take great joy in the freebies that vendors give away at their booths. It's definitely in your best interest to take some kind of novelty item with your company's name, logo, and contact information printed on it. However, as with your brochures, it's important not to put all of your goodies on the table at the same time. 

If you have a huge stack of pens, sticky notes, candy, or  ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/2443/How-to-Create-a-Clutter-Free-Trade-Show-Display.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/2443/How-to-Create-a-Clutter-Free-Trade-Show-Display.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Promote Your Business Through Local Business Trade Show Expo Events</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[One of the best things a small business owner can do to increase visibility for his or her business venture is to participate in local trade shows and business expo events. Most communities with an active Chamber of Commerce or other membership based business organization have at least one annual expo designed to spotlight local businesses. The exhibit fees are usually very affordable, and participating is a great way to gain exposure for your organization.

Finding Events
To find out about trade show events in your area, it’s a good idea to get involved in appropriate professional organizations and networking groups. You should also scour the business section of your local newspaper on a regular basis to find out about upcoming opportunities. Many television stations, municipalities, and convention and visitors bureaus also post upcoming exp events on their online community calendars. The good news is that once you participate in a show, you’ll start to receive email and snail mail announcements of upcoming events. 

Exhibit Considerations
Before you can participate in a trade show or business expo, you will need to develop or purchase a booth display. Displays can be as simple as tablecloths with a few brochure holders, or as elaborate as a full screen multi-media presentation. They can range from being very inexpensive to costing thousands of dollars. 

Before deciding what type of display best meets your needs, it’s a good idea to visit a few trade show expos so you can see several types of displays in person. In addition to cost and design, factors you need to consider include: ease of transportation, ease or difficulty of set-up, and versatility. 

Giveaway Goodies
In addition to creating or purchasing an attractive display, you’ll also need to come up with some type of giveaways to have at your booth. You should purchase some type of promotional items that include your company name, phone number, and website to give away during the events i ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/2442/Promote-Your-Business-Through-Local-Business-Trade-Show-Expo-Events.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/2442/Promote-Your-Business-Through-Local-Business-Trade-Show-Expo-Events.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Learning Search Engine Marketing (SEM)</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Wikipedia defines Search Engine Marketing as a form of Internet marketing that seeks to promote websites by increasing their visibility in the Search Engine Result Pages (SERPs).

I could go into the technicalities of SEM, algorithms, robots, etc. However, if you’re reading this article, you probably aren’t interested in me stuffing a bunch of technical terms down your throat. You would rather learn about search engine marketing and how it can bring you more business.

I chose this topic today based on a couple of conversations I recently had with new clients.

One of our clients had embarked on a small ad campaign with Yahoo before coming to us. He mentioned that when he was spending the money on Yahoo, the traffic to his site was much higher.  When I asked how many sales he garnered from the advertising, he replied that he didn’t know. Website traffic and conversions to sales are two completely different things, with the latter obviously being more important. It’s crucial to keep track of your ROI (Return on Investment), if you are going to invest in online advertising. Make sure that you have the tools within your company—whether it’s your own database for tracking sales, or another form of tracking system—before you spend your first marketing dollar.

Another conversation I had with a client involved a Google Adwords campaign.  He was bidding using every keyword under the sun.  He had a huge CTR (Click Through Rate), but again, nobody was buying.  At the end of the day, his budget was gone and he didn’t have anything to show for it besides lots of traffic and an empty bank account.  Until I explained to him that he was paying for people to come to his site and quickly leave, he didn’t “get it”.  Having the right keywords in your campaign and your ad copy, that are relevant to your product or service, will get you qualified click through to your site.  You don’t want people to click on your ad, only to find that your site doesn’t ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/2436/Learning-Search-Engine-Marketing-SEM.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/2436/Learning-Search-Engine-Marketing-SEM.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>5 Ways to Tell If You Need a New Web Site </strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[I just recently created my fifth website in ten years. Why? Because it was time. I have changed and needed a new reflection on the internet. A new website gives you the opportunity to rethink, re-choose, reposition and rebrand. Here are some of the signs that it's time for a new one

You aren't getting the results you want

The first clue that you need a new web site is that you are not getting the results you want. People are coming to your site but not opting in. Your conversion rate is minimal. Not a good sign of success.  Look at your cpanel webstats and see the pattern of the past year. Chart your growth. I keep a chart of my web stats and mark on it what marketing strategies I put in place during a particular month so I can see how effective it was or was not as the case may be. 

You may need a new opt in, a new design, stronger keywords, and new sales pages - pretty much everything in order to get the results you deserve. A new web site lets you start fresh. 

Is your web site getting the conversion rate you want?
Are you attracting the number of visitors to your site that you need to be successful?

Your niche has tightened and needs rebranding

This niche-tightening is an on-going process. We start out wanting to serve the world and, after time and sometimes trial and error, we figure out the type of people who need and want our services. As we do, we need to change our copy content and our product offering. 

Several years I created a portal web site, which means people coming to my site had to make a choice on which of two websites they wanted to visit. One side was filled with philosophical and inspirational messages and the other was focused on internet marketing which also had some philosophy and inspiration but was definitely targeted for the pro-active internet marketer. You can imagine how different the copy and content was for each of those two sites. It was amazing what that simple change made in how differently I could interact wi ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/2407/5-Ways-to-Tell-If-You-Need-a-New-Web-Site.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/2407/5-Ways-to-Tell-If-You-Need-a-New-Web-Site.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Good Shows in Bad Times: Exhibiting When Your Industry Is In Crisis</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Right now, chances are you'd rather be in any industry than mortgages and home loans. A few months ago, pet foods were on the hot seat, and a good while before that, high tech was under a laser beam of disgruntled scrutiny. 

Every industry has its good times, when there's a lot of positive public buzz and money flows like champagne. However, every industry also has its bad times, where scandal and recall and bad business decisions can hamstring an entire sector.

What do you do when this happens to you? Is it possible to turn in a great tradeshow performance when everything else is going wrong? Is exhibiting even necessary during these bleak periods? 

The answers to these questions may surprise you. Read on to discover what you need to know:

Here are five strategies you can take when your industry is the one facing hard times.

Number One: The Show Must Go On

The first step is the simplest. Keep exhibiting! Many times when times are tough and money is in short supply, the tradeshow budget takes the first hit. This can be a very bad decision.

Attendees know full well that the industry's having a rough time long before they get to the tradeshow. They read the same papers you do and face the same challenges you're encountering. 

When they come to the show, attendees are looking for two things: what's new and exciting -- and in times of trouble, who's still at the show. Maintaining a presence at the tradeshow is a powerful, tangible way to say, &amp;quot;We're still here, we're still a player, and we'll still be here when this slump passes.&amp;quot; 

Forgo the show and you're saying that your company doesn't have the staying power or ability of its competitors. This is one case where out of sight is quite literally out of mind. Maintaining a presence -- even if it's a downsized, circumspect one -- is essential.

Number Two: Take Your Head Out of the Sand

It's important to acknowledge the reality of the industry situation. Attempting to ignore the  ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/2406/Good-Shows-in-Bad-Times-Exhibiting-When-Your-Industry-Is-In-Crisis.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/2406/Good-Shows-in-Bad-Times-Exhibiting-When-Your-Industry-Is-In-Crisis.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Make a Committment PLUS The Silence Close</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[POSITIVE TIP # 13 from Mr. Fanta$tic
Make a Commitment
A wise man once said; Until we Commit we are only taking up space.  If you look around I'm sure you'll start to notice many people that seem to go through life only taking up space.  I encourage you to Make a Commitment to become the best at whatever you do.  Even though you may find yourself doing something for a living or even called upon to do a project that you aren't absolutely in love with, don't use that as a crutch for not doing the best you possibly can. 

Take pride in your work and your reputation and eliminate any possible excuses that might keep you from performing to the best of your ability.  Why not examine everything you do in life (even relationships) to determine if you've really made a commitment to do your very best so you end up with the best possible results.


SALES SKILL # 13 from Mr. Fanta$tic
The Silence Close  
Most of us have been taught that when we ask a Closing Question we're supposed to shut up and wait for the other person to speak first.  Of course if your Prospect or Customer has read the same Training Book, then you'll end up with a very uncomfortable situation where neither of you wants to be the first to speak.  If you ever find yourself in that awkward position, you can try a Silence Close.  After 15 or 20 seconds pass you can ask; 
When I was a little fella my Mama used to tell me that silence gave consent.  Do you believe my Mama was telling me the truth? 
Or, you can ask; 
Are you shaking your head up and down or back and forth?
Or, you can try; 
Since I don't hear anything, should I assume you're writing out the Check?

I also hope you realize that you're throwing in a little humor, which is always great to use in a tense situation. 
]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/2387/Make-a-Committment-PLUS-The-Silence-Close.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/2387/Make-a-Committment-PLUS-The-Silence-Close.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Renovation: A Promotion Tool for Real Estate Agents</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[A real estate agent once asked me to work on the design of his flyer. He told me to come up with a creative and innovative design that stood out. He was new to the industry and had very little experience. I knew from the beginning that just a creative and innovative design isn’t going to help him attract clients – especially considering how much competition he has in a busy city like Toronto. So I decided to concentrate on ways to promote his image with the use of gimmicks and promotions. Why? Because the truth is no one is going sell with an agent who has very little experience unless he/she had something “special” to offer.

The concept of promotions in real estate is not new at all. Many agents use promotions to attract clients to sell or buy with them.  Most real estate agents chose to give offers such as “low commission” or “a chance of winning something”. These offers are too common and have very little impact on the buying/selling experience. In such a situation, it is beneficial to use a differentiation strategy to set yourself apart from the competition.

Here’s a promotional tool that will get your clients all excited: renovations. When getting your flyer designed, I suggest that you add a coupon for a “free renovation worth $500” to your flyer. This would give your clients the opportunity to renovate their existing house before selling it to the buyer. The main benefit to this is that the renovation would add value to the house, so the seller can make more money from the sale. Also, the real estate agent makes more commission because the house now sells for more. Sometimes, the seller may be in a hurry to sell the house and may not have enough time for renovating. In this case, you can offer them a renovation they can use towards their new home. Of course, since you won’t be making any commission from the renovation of a new house, you might want to lower the value of the renovation (to possibly around $400).

Why would a cus ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/2340/Renovation-A-Promotion-Tool-for-Real-Estate-Agents.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/2340/Renovation-A-Promotion-Tool-for-Real-Estate-Agents.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Is Traditional Small Business Marketing Dead?</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[If you're like many small business owners and entrepreneurs today, you're not attracting new customers the way you should. 
 
There was a time when you could just buy a small ad, handout business cards at a networking event or mail a postcard and get clients. That's no longer the case.
 
What changed? Where has all the business gone? 
 
The traditional model is broken and traditional marketing methods are quickly racing toward obsolescence.
 
You want—and have a right to expect— more. 
 
- More prospects. 
- More sales. 
- More money. 
 
But too many entrepreneurs, business owners and sales professionals are wasting their time, money and efforts with traditional marketing practices. These practices  are washed up, worn out and do not deliver profitable results.
 
So what's alive? What's working? What can you do today to make a difference tomorrow without breaking the bank? 
 
Here's a sure-fire approach anyone can take immediately to make a dramatic impact on the bottom-line…
 
How to Revitalize Your Business Using Powerful, Low-Cost Marketing
 
1. Stop Thinking Media
 
Most business owners jump right to asking, &amp;quot;Where should I place my ad?&amp;quot; Then when the chosen media doesn't perform the way they think it should they state triumphantly, &amp;quot;______ doesn't work.&amp;quot;Then that media gets crossed off the list of possible choices and you're one step closer to finding the magic media. 
 
Or so you think. 
 
If you continue this trend and this way of thinking, you will quickly run out of media options and be left with only bus benches and match book covers. With every other media crossed off your list you'll be forced to come to the conclusion that marketing doesn't work. 
 
That's certainty not the case. It just doesn't work the way you're doing it... the traditional way. 
 
You have to stop thinking about where the ad should go and start thinking about who the ad is for. 
 
2. Stop Selling Products 
 
Perhaps we sho ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/2315/Is-Traditional-Small-Business-Marketing-Dead.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/2315/Is-Traditional-Small-Business-Marketing-Dead.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>The Ultimate Problem Solving Technique</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[There’s nothing more frustrating than trying to move forward on a project and getting stuck. It’s frustrating because you may spend days, even weeks, spinning in your head with no solution in sight. Maybe you have to write an article, deal with a high-maintenance vendor or produce an info product, if you feel stuck, don’t worry. There is a proven five step problem solving technique that can get you unstuck and give you fast clarity on the issue you’re facing. 

Finding That Eureka! Moment
Last month, I was working with a multi-million dollar client who was stuck trying to fit all the components of her new program into a cohesive whole. She had binders full of great content and even more info spinning in her head. As I stood listening to her on the phone I went into creative problem solving mode – it’s a mini version of the five steps I’m going to show you.

Here’s what I did…

My eyes glazed over as I listened intensely to my client for 20 minutes. Then I asked lots of questions and poked at the problem with her for another 20 minutes. Nothing resolved itself – but that’s okay because I knew one of the five steps was to be confused and overwhelmed. 

I then stopped listening. My client kept talking but I was thinking of doing my laundry and what I would make for dinner. (I used to feel guilty about this until I realized how important this step is.)

Then in a flash it struck me! I saw all the pieces fit together in a beautifully laid out map in my mind’s eye.

I blurted out the idea. She was silent for a moment. Then she shouted, “That’s it!”


The Myth about Problem Solving
One of the greatest myths about problem solving is that you have to wait for inspiration to hit you. Nonsense! The production of new ideas is as definite a process as getting up in the morning and preparing for work. The key to getting unstuck is following a proven formula that artists, inventors and scientists have used for centuries.


How to C ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/2278/The-Ultimate-Problem-Solving-Technique.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/2278/The-Ultimate-Problem-Solving-Technique.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Lead Generation Made Easy</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Working Smarter Not Harder

Lead generation doesn’t have to be difficult or overwhelming. There are so many marketing gurus around, all giving out masses of instruction on lead generation. Too often people are left confused and frustrated trying to implement all of it. But, there is an easier way. I’ll teach you how to use a simple information product to do the work of lead generation for you.

The secret is using a ten to twenty page special report as a give-away in exchange for a person’s name and email address. Your report should provide the reader with timely and valuable information on a problem they are facing.

Now that you have their name and email you have permission to follow-up with them. The special report did the lead generation for you!

But a report does more than that…

By reading your content-rich special report a lead gets to know, like and trust you (without you even having to use any slick, sales techniques on them).  


How 20 Pages Did All the Lead Generation for Me

A year ago, I gave a 5-minute talk at a local networking meeting in front of about 55 people. A couple of nights before that I wrote a “Special Report” – 90% of it was great content I knew my audience wanted to know about.

After my very brief presentation (I was so nervous!) I asked everyone to take out a business card and write on it, “I want Passive Revenue!” Sure enough, most people did exactly what I asked. I then said I would give them my new Special Report if they handed me their card. And again, sure enough, most people willingly handed me their cards. Lead generation was never easier!

That night I followed up with an email and the Special Report attached as a PDF. But I didn’t stop there. I told them in the email to stay tuned because in a couple days I was going to give them another gift – “So stay tuned.” With this I was building their curiosity.

A few days later, I followed up with another email in which I offered them a  ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/2277/Lead-Generation-Made-Easy.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/2277/Lead-Generation-Made-Easy.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>How to Make Money with an Information Marketing System </strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[If you are like most people, you hate selling. It’s unnatural and uncomfortable pitching yourself or your product. But, not to worry – there’s a solution! You can “sell without selling” when you have an information marketing system. I’m going to show you over twelve ways how you can use the information in your head to do the selling for you over and over again.


The Secret behind a Successful Information Marketing System

Your information marketing system begins with the principle of giving great value to your potential client up front and for free. Begin by asking prospects, “What’s your single greatest question/challenge about (fill in your topic)?” Ask enough people and you’ll see clearly what your prospects want. 

Next, put together a simple information product like a Special Report or an audio CD that answers the most common questions and challenges. Give this report out freely. This way people will get to know, like and trust you because you’ve proven yourself by giving great value to them.


Where’s the Money?

You may be asking, “But if I’m giving it away for free, how do I make money with my information marketing system?” This is the great part. At the end of your special report you give the reader an irresistible offer to buy your product or service. Maybe it has a great discount or an added bonus. At this point in your information marketing system you want them to take the plunge and take action to buy from you because you’ve proven yourself in their eyes. 

You’ll be amazed at how many people will respond once they receive value from you. Here are four techniques to capture the lead so you can later market to them over time:

1. Give away free CDs instead of business cards 
Imagine you are at a networking event where everyone else is handing out their card and folks end up with a fist full of look-a-like cards, not knowing who gave them which card. 

Now imagine that you hand them your audio CD. What ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/2276/How-to-Make-Money-with-an-Information-Marketing-System.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/2276/How-to-Make-Money-with-an-Information-Marketing-System.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>How to Publish a Killer Newsletter That People Actually Want to Buy</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Some info-marketers must search high and low for a lucrative market, but not Ben Glass or Joe Polish. They already knew where their respective areas of expertise were. All they had to do was create a product to cater to the particular demands of their specific niches. In other words, they had to create value.
 
These astute newsletter publishers are now raking in the big bucks by riding on a fast-moving, on-the-right-track bandwagon called information marketing. 
 
Here's how they've become a top earner in information marketing and newsletter publishing…
 
How to Seize Your Market for Your Newsletter
 
Ben is a personal injury attorney so it was only logical that other lawyers would constitute the customers base for his newsletter. But first, he had to find out what kind of information his prospective clients would be willing to pay for. 
 
Joe, on the other hand, is a carpet cleaner. You probably never thought that anyone can make millions out of slime, grime and dust mites that lurk deep in our carpets. But Joe did.
 
He too investigated the needs of his industry. He researched how to turn his knowledge and experience into a hot commodity – a newsletter other carpet cleaners would want to buy.
 
Once Ben and Joe knew which gaps within their respective industries had to be filled, they were ready to launch their newsletters.
 
How to Create a &amp;quot;Killer&amp;quot; Newsletter
 
Ben discovered that promotional information for attorneys was sorely lacking. Eager to teach his peers how to expand their practices, he created an electronic newsletter that was a chockfull of marketing strategies. He provided &amp;quot;right-on&amp;quot; tips that even a roomful of lawyers couldn't object to. 
 
The idea hatched when Ben realized that solo and small law firms do not have the big bucks to spend on publicity. But in order to survive they have to promote their practices and services all the same. 
 
In addition to dispensing marketing advice via his newsletter,  ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/2275/How-to-Publish-a-Killer-Newsletter-That-People-Actually-Want-to-Buy.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/2275/How-to-Publish-a-Killer-Newsletter-That-People-Actually-Want-to-Buy.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>How To Find Your Brand In 30 Seconds Or Less</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Branding is one of those marketing tools that people spend too much unnecessary time splitting hairs over. In most cases you can find your brand in 30 seconds or less by answering one simple question.

I know this will upset some people so let me make it clear that I’m talking to small business owners and entrepreneurs…not large corporations. Branding is one of those marketing tools that’s waived in front of new entrepreneurs as THE most important thing they need right now. I strongly disagree…


The Myth about Branding
Branding is sold as the saving lifejacket for entrepreneurs but that’s a myth. It’s one of many tools…and not the most important.

I saw the myth in full force last week at a business seminar here in South Florida. I stood at the side of the room and watched 87 eager entrepreneurs being hypnotized by an expert on branding. The speaker was sincere and intelligent…it’s just that the audience wasn’t at the point in their business where they needed branding. They needed clients! 

But the speaker showed one commercial after another of Gap, Apple, IBM…all showing the importance of branding. Everyone lapped it all in…and completely missed the elephant in the room…

These were new entrepreneurs -- NOT multi-billion dollar companies with millions to spend on branding. Why would they even THINK about logos and branding when most of them were still figuring out who their target market was?


Your Logo Won’t Make You Money
Stop spending thousands of dollars hair-splitting about the color of your logo! Spend your time developing a headline that converts prospects to leads and leads to clients. Spend your money becoming an expert in your industry. Spend your time POSITIONING yourself as the expert your target market wants to hire…because THESE efforts will translate to money in the bank.

I remember I spoke at an event last winter about the power of knowing your target market, writing a winning headline, and convert ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/2262/How-To-Find-Your-Brand-In-30-Seconds-Or-Less.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/2262/How-To-Find-Your-Brand-In-30-Seconds-Or-Less.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>How to Build Your List of Leads and Clients</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Your list of leads and clients is your retirement. It’s your goldmine that will feed you and your family for decades to come. Your first priority in marketing is building your list. Your second priority is building a relationship with your list over time by providing excellent value again and again.

Here are 3 fast and easy ways to list building…

1. Get a List Management Tool to Hold All the Names You Collect
No – your Outlook doesn’t count! You need a powerhouse program that makes it easy for people to sign up to your list and easy for you to email them regularly. I prefer 1 Shopping Cart:
(www.infoproductguy.com/1shoppingcart.html) 
because it does everything: organize products, sends automatic emails (Auto Responders), and manages your clients and affiliate program…plus much more.


2. Give Something Away For Free To Get People To Join Your List
Most websites miss out on a huge opportunity because they don’t capture a visitor’s name and email. It’s like a guest coming to your house and you completely ignore them! Shouldn’t you at least offer them a cup of tea or a sweet treat? Otherwise they’ll just leave you and never come back.

This is why I recommend offering something to your website visitor that they can’t refuse. And offering them a free subscription to your ezine isn’t enough! If you want to build your list fast, you need something with high perceived value like a free Special Report, eCourse or Audio Download. 

Make your Special Report really shine. Your goal is to get people to say, “Wow! If the free stuff is this good then the paid stuff must be awesome!”

Oh…and don’t hide your free give-a-way within your site. Make it obvious to your visitor right away what they’re supposed to do. I use an “Opt-in Page” as my first page in my website. It’s clear to my visitor that they get free, valuable information. If you don’t want an “Opt-in Page” as your landing page then put an “Opt-in Box” o ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/2259/How-to-Build-Your-List-of-Leads-and-Clients.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/2259/How-to-Build-Your-List-of-Leads-and-Clients.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Warning! This Is What You Are Looking For</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Meet the Guru who is different

There are many Internet marketing gurus who promise to reveal their special secrets - in exchange for a hefty fee.

Not so with Harvey Segal of SuperTips fame.

He gives away his tips and secrets for free.

Like his SuperTips site where you will see his series of free and highly acclaimed SuperTips books.

You can even rebrand them with your affiliate links - all for free.

Harvey is also owner of the definitive information sites full of unrivalled free content
- The Ad Tracking Guide
- The ClickBank Guide

You can seek out the testimonials at his sites and see how the other top gurus rave about his free products.

And if you want to know how he makes money from free books and free content sites he even tells you - exactly - in the classic free ebook 101 SuperTips.

So what is this leading to ?

It's to assure you that when he now offers his ultimate secret tip it WILL be free and of stunning value. No strings attached.

Now let Harvey take over the story.

In my ebook 101 SuperTips I described Tip 100 as

&amp;quot;The greatest SuperTip of all&amp;quot;

And it was - when I wrote the book back in October 2003

As time went by I thought of more and more ways to develop Tip 100 with a collection of new ideas.

Until finally I found the unique twist which improved it by a quantum leap.

So I decided to put all my ideas in a book of its own - The Ultimate SuperTip.

** This book is free.

** I don't even ask for your contact details, just go ahead and download it. http://tinyurl.com/28gdke  

What's in the book ?

 I don't care what product you have. 
I will show you the VERY BEST strategy to promote it

- One which will never fall prey to the latest passing fads or the whims of the search engines.

- In fact you'll see why I have said Goodbye to the search engines.

I'll show you in detail an actual product that I sell with this strategy.
 
 I reveal the ingenious twist that takes this strate ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/2225/Warning-This-Is-What-You-Are-Looking-For.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/2225/Warning-This-Is-What-You-Are-Looking-For.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>10 Ways to Build a Referral-Only Business In Less Than Ten Minutes a Day</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Even though it's one of the most powerful ways to build your business, most business owners don't send out personal cards because they don't know when it's appropriate, what to say, or they feel it doesn't apply to them because their business is DIFFERENT.

It doesn't matter if you're a real estate agent, coach, hairdresser, insurance agent, restaurateur, sales rep or dog walker, your business depends on relationships and if your clients and customers aren't staying with you for the long haul and bringing their friends, there's a flaw in the system.

A Technical Assistance Research Project conducted in Washington, D.C. a couple of years ago revealed the following reasons why customers leave a business:

1% - Death
3% - Move Away
5% - Buy from a friend
9% - Are sold by a competitor
14% - Product price
68% - Perceived indifference

You can add together the first five percentages listed, double them and they still won't amount to the number of clients and customers you lose because they don't have a sense of relationship with you.

In order to create a bond, clients need individual attention, acknowledgement and a feeling that they are genuinely appreciated.

And the simple greeting card has the power to make that happen.

Following are ten creative scripts you can use in a card to strengthen your client and prospect relationships. You will be astounded by the impact this individual attention has on the number of referrals you attract, the loyalty of your existing clients, and the reduction in complaints, returns, and advertising expenses.

After a Networking Event: It was a pleasure meeting you at XYZ last evening. Thank you for sharing your time and telling me about your company's vision for the future. I have been fortunate to work with outstanding individuals like yourself and would consider it an honor to help you reach your vision. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to call.

After a Customer Makes a Purchase: Thank you! It wa ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/2224/10-Ways-to-Build-a-ReferralOnly-Business-In-Less-Than-Ten-Minutes-a-Day.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/2224/10-Ways-to-Build-a-ReferralOnly-Business-In-Less-Than-Ten-Minutes-a-Day.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Four Generations In The Marketplace: What This Means For You</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Every company on the tradeshow floor has a few things in common.  They all want to capture attendee interest, and lure them into the booth with the new, the exciting, the irresistible.  They're all facing similar challenges: short attention spans, myriad shows, and increased competition from every corner of the globe.
 
However, there's one extra special way that savvy exhibitors can differentiate themselves from their competitors.  The company that has the best understanding of their target audience -- their wants, needs, problems, and challenges -- has the ultimate advantage in the exhibiting forum.  It is these companies that take the time to learn about their customers -- and more importantly, their customer's customers -- that succeed on the show floor and beyond.
 
Since the marketplace changes so rapidly, this is crucial. For the first time in recent memory, there are four active generations engaged in the commercial sphere.  This is a radical change which means a lot to your customers -- and of course, to you.
 
In previous years, buying power was concentrated within a narrow range of years: the vast majority of commercial behavior took place within a forty year span, beginning as one graduated high school and grinding to a halt upon entering retirement.  In this environment, a mass market, one-size-fits-all visibility strategy worked fairly effectively.
 
Those days are gone.  Today's consumer can be a member of one of at least four generations, beginning with the pre-pubescent teens and extending right up to the infamous baby boomers.  Companies are targeting themselves to six year olds and seventy six year olds: obviously each requires a different approach from them, and ultimately, from you.
 
It's important to remember that not only are end customers member of these generations, but that attendees are divided among these four generations.  If your marketing prowess has you experienced in marketing to one given group, it's critical to take a st ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/2193/Four-Generations-In-The-Marketplace-What-This-Means-For-You.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/2193/Four-Generations-In-The-Marketplace-What-This-Means-For-You.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>How to Choose a Postcard Marketing Company That Doesn't Cost You</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Yesterday to her surprise my wife received another huge postcard from a local salon. However, it wasn't just the size of the postcard that got my wife's attention right away. Here's what set this postcard apart from the competition:
 
- She recognized the salon. It was the third time she received a card from that salon over the last couple of months and 
- It was written and designed for women just like her, age 45-55 with a high income
 
This simple postcard talked to my wife.  It related to her. It connected to her. It delivered the salon's marketing message in a way that convinced my wife to visit it right away, even though she had been going to another salon.  She felt she was ready for a change.
 
If you invested in postcard marketing in the past, I can almost guarantee your postcards were not as effective and did not create the emotional connection to elicit the above response. 
 
Why? 
 
Because there are many direct-response marketing rules that most people, including postcard-printing companies, fail to follow.  
 
So, how can you choose the best company to handle this important process for you? Here's how you can avoid wasting your money, time and energy…
 
7 Questions to Ask Your Postcard Marketing Company Before Spending Your Hard-Earned Dollars:
 
1. Are you a marketing company or a postcard printing company? 
 
Marketing companies who use postcards as their medium of choice tend to care about your business and your success. They want you to enjoy a generous return on investment. Most postcard printing companies just care about the sale. They use generic pictures. They use generic headlines and body copy. They won't set you apart from the competition and they won't guarantee results.
 
2. Do you offer a complete, all-inclusive turnkey solution with quick turnaround time? 
 
It takes time and effort to effectively complete a postcard marketing campaign.  . Most postcard marketing companies rely on you to do most of the work or to ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/2169/How-to-Choose-a-Postcard-Marketing-Company-That-Doesnt-Cost-You.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/2169/How-to-Choose-a-Postcard-Marketing-Company-That-Doesnt-Cost-You.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>How to Avoid Eating Your Words: 10 Essentials for Networking at Tradeshows </strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Every moment at a tradeshow is important. This includes, of course, all of the time you're on the show floor. Add to that the time you're not actively exhibiting but are on or near the floor -- visiting other exhibits, grabbing a bite to eat, or en route to your hotel room. You only have a limited amount of time to represent your organization to the gathered attendees, so you want to make the most of every minute.
 
That's why networking events, such as dinners or organized off-site outings, are so important. Even though these events are primarily in social in nature, they're the ideal place to start or reinforce relationships with your clients and potential clients.
 
However, networking events can also create high levels of anxiety, especially among exhibitors who don't know what they're expected to accomplish or how they're supposed to conduct themselves to make the most of the opportunity. You don't want to flub it -- nor have your team flub it for you.
 
Here are ten tips your team needs to know to shine like stars -- even when they're not on the showfloor!
 
1. Relax
 
Breathe in, breathe out. Repeat as needed. If you're nervous, take some time to meditate, center, or do whatever you need to do to calm yourself before getting to the event.
 
People come to networking events to get to know you in a social setting. The focus is on fun and conversation: two areas where most people can shine without stressing themselves out.
 
2. Listen more than you talk
 
There's nothing in this world people love more than talking about themselves. At the same time, there's nothing rarer than a good listener. Stifle the impulse to talk, talk, talk and focus on being a good listener. Ask the person you're with about themselves: what they do, what hobbies they enjoy, and so on. Keep it personal and light -- you don't want to come off like you're conducting an interrogation.
 
3. Take your time
 
This tip is especially pertinent if you're at a show overseas. Mos ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/2068/How-to-Avoid-Eating-Your-Words-10-Essentials-for-Networking-at-Tradeshows.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/2068/How-to-Avoid-Eating-Your-Words-10-Essentials-for-Networking-at-Tradeshows.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>5 Tips to Effective SEO Keyword Research Analysis</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Keyword research and analysis can be a daunting task, when done correctly, and expert keyword research is the foundation to a successful SEO campaign. Many new website owners think the keyword research analysis process is easy. They think free tools, such as the Overture Search Term Suggestion Tool is the profit pill that will bring them instant results.
 
Unfortunately, the free tools will only give you a rough guide and a quick indication whether a hunch is worth further research. These free keyword research tools are limited to basic information. When performed correctly, expert keyword research exposes so much more - all the gems that are tucked away deep.
 
Real keyword research requires research AND analysis. There are so many aspects to the process that can not be left to chance.  Attempting to do the keyword research on your own is like going to a veterinarian to fix your car. My advise to all clients I do SEO consulting services for is to simply leave this task to the experts who have the correct keyword research tools and expertise. 
 
Following are 5 tips for effective keyword research analysis:
 
1. Latent Semantic Indexing (LSI) - Use multi-word phrases 
 
Latent Semantic Indexing (LSI) is a vital element in Search Engine Optimization (SEO) for better keyword rankings in search results. LSI is based on the relationship, the &amp;quot;clustering&amp;quot; or positioning, the variations of terms and the iterations of your keyword phrases. 
 
Expertly knowing LSI and how it can be most useful and beneficial for your SEO and the importance it has with the algorithm updates to search engines like Google, MSN and Yahoo which will benefit your keyword research for best practice SEO.
 
LSI is NOT new. For those doing keyword research over the years always knew to use synonyms and “long tail” keyword terms which is a simpler &amp;quot;explanation&amp;quot; to LSI. More often than not, these long tail, less generic terms bring more traffic to your site than the ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/2048/5-Tips-to-Effective-SEO-Keyword-Research-Analysis.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/2048/5-Tips-to-Effective-SEO-Keyword-Research-Analysis.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Small Business Websites: Making Them Findable Online</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[$5000 later-and a score of headaches-you're grinning at the dull computer screen. There's the finished product, the grand ol' website you &amp;amp; your local designer have been slaving over for the past 14 weeks.

I'll readily concede that it looks great-quite polished, actually. But, now what? Will you fall prey to the same virus that so many small business owners are blinded by? The disease that shouts, &amp;quot;It's done! What an investment! Now, sit back and enjoy the money loaded traffic.&amp;quot;

In our technology dependent world, a good website can make or break a start up business. And, what makes a website &amp;quot;good&amp;quot; is not all about its design. A &amp;quot;good&amp;quot; website is one which can also be found.

There are many aspects regarding promoting a website on the net. In this article, I'll briefly touch on a few key basics.

First, never forget that unless you let people know your website exists, the probability that it will draw in crowds of buying traffic all on its own is practically nada. Once your site is completed, you've got to make its existence public. A website is really just a folder on a computer. If you've browsed through the hard drive of your desktop, then you're well aware of the hundreds of folders (some even hidden) that are on there. That's why you have master folders (i.e. the &amp;quot;Pictures&amp;quot; folder) and shortcuts so you can easily access the folder you most often use. 

On the web, people won't just stumble across your website unless you notify other websites of its existence (i.e. through submitting your site's information &amp;amp; link to directories and related websites). If the world wide web is a huge world, then your website needs to break away from its home in the mountains and join a neighborhood. Sure, you can stay isolated, but if you intend to make that site really work, you've got to join hands with as many other legitimate sites as possible.  Obtaining links to your website from other related websites should be on ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/2033/Small-Business-Websites-Making-Them-Findable-Online.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/2033/Small-Business-Websites-Making-Them-Findable-Online.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>15 Tips for Writing Powerful Sales Letters (aka Salesmanship in Print)</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[15 Tips for Writing Powerful Sales Letters (aka Salesmanship in Print)
By Joe Heller, Trust Cycle Selling

I've written this &amp;quot;how-to&amp;quot; article to give you a competitive edge when writing a sales letter. The following 15 Tips (and tricks) will give you everything you need to know to write killer sales letters. Enjoy and prosper - 

The secret to writing a sales letter is that there is no secret. A killer sales letter is written to accomplish one of three things. 

   # 1. Generate interest to qualify (or disqualify) a lead
   # 2. Advance a prospect through the sales process
   # 3. Secure TOMA [Top of Mind Awareness] for additional sales with your existing client base

Question -- What makes writing an effective sales letter so challenging?  Here are the top 15.5 reasons why people fail to write effective sales copy and what you can do about them. 

1) No clear objective in mind before you sit down to write your sales letter -- In order to write persuasively you must have an end in mind, a goal for your reader. Ask yourself, what do you want the reader do when they finish reading your letter. 

2) Lack of an attention getting headline or opening sentence -- You must hook the reader immediately with a captivating opener in order to get the reader to invest their valuable time to finish reading the letter. 80%+ of sales letters fail to generate attention. 

3) Lead sentence fails to extend the theme of the headline into the letter -- You must bridge the reader into the sales copy once their attention is captured or risk confusing the reader and losing their interest. 

4) Fail to write in a conversational tone -- Write like you talk. A letter should be a dialog between you and the reader. The reader should get a sense that you are genuinely concerned with their well being.

5) Copy is boring, fails to keep the reader interested -- You must develop a writing style based on your personality, not on antiquated High School grammar practices t ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/2029/15-Tips-for-Writing-Powerful-Sales-Letters-aka-Salesmanship-in-Print.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/2029/15-Tips-for-Writing-Powerful-Sales-Letters-aka-Salesmanship-in-Print.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>How to Get Featured in O Magazine &amp; Instantly Skyrocket Your Sales</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Getting featured in O, the Oprah Magazine, is like winning the Academy Award. It's a distinction that validates your product like no other publication. 
 
In fact, getting featured in O helped raise one entrepreneur’s sales by 60% in just 30 days. But that was just the tip of the iceberg. The mention brought much needed awareness to a cause close to her heart--breast cancer. Thanks to Oprah magazine the issue is now visible on a grand scale.
 
Knowing how valuable it is to get featured in O, you must consider your competition and understand that, just like The Oprah Winfrey Show, the standards at the magazine are some of the toughest in the industry. O magazine prides itself as a publication valuing beauty, courage, attention to the finer points of relationships, and people doing amazing things in the world.
 
Here Are 3 Things You Should Know If You Want to Be Featured in O, The Oprah Magazine:
 

1. Your product packaging must be beautiful.
 
If your product packaging and product itself isn't an eye-stopper, it's most likely not going in O, The Oprah Magazine. Jeanine Boiko of J9 Public Relations, who placed her client Bonjour Fleurette in the magazine three times for three different products, has this rule of thumb: 
 
&amp;quot;For a product to work in O, ask yourself this: if you walked past your product on the shelf somewhere, would it catch your eye and make you stop? It must have unique, attractive packaging that will photograph well. My advice, especially to new business owners, is to not play it cheap with packaging. At the end of the day, it's all about the draw of your packaging.&amp;quot;
 

2. Your pitch must be meaningful.
 
So, before you make a pitch, heed the advice of The Oprah Magazine Executive Articles Editor Dawn Raffel who says the magazine teaches people
how to live their best life: &amp;quot;It's about realizing your own greatest potential and also about making a contribution to others.&amp;quot; 
 
Whether you want to write about yo ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/2026/How-to-Get-Featured-in-O-Magazine--Instantly-Skyrocket-Your-Sales.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/2026/How-to-Get-Featured-in-O-Magazine--Instantly-Skyrocket-Your-Sales.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Eight Effortless Exercises to Improve Tradeshow Performance</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Tradeshow exhibitors have something in common with the rest of humanity: We’ll do what is easy, but avoid what those things we find to be or perceive as difficult. It doesn’t really matter what sphere we’re talking about: human nature dictates that more often than not, we seek out the smoother path, the gentler grade, the easier climb.
 
So in order to appeal to human nature and improve your tradeshow performance, I offer you this: Eight Effortless Exercises you can do with your team. Nothing here is particularly difficult, yet all are devastatingly effective. If your team can implement what they learn during these exercises on the tradeshow floor, I can guarantee that you’ll be very pleased with the result.
 
1. Go Over the Goals
 
Booth staffers function best when they have full knowledge of what as an organization, you’re trying, to achieve at the show. A show where you’re launching a new product and want to raise brand awareness is, in some ways, a fundamentally different exercise than a show where you’re simply attempting to reinforce existing relationships and move as much product as possible. Meet with your team and spell out exactly what you hope to accomplish. This is a good time to let them know what you expect on an individual as well as an organizational level.
 
2. Play Trivial Pursuit
 
How well does your team know your products and services? How about your company’s structure, organization, and public image? You might be surprised. Test your team with a friendly game modeled after Trivial Pursuit™ or Jeopardy™. Instead of random trivia questions, use questions centered on your products and services. Make sure these questions range from the everyday -- detailing features and benefits -- to the relatively off-topic -- are your products manufactured in the country? If not, where, and under what conditions? This exercise will reinforce product knowledge and help your team be prepared for whatever questions come their way.
  ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/2015/Eight-Effortless-Exercises-to-Improve-Tradeshow-Performance.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/2015/Eight-Effortless-Exercises-to-Improve-Tradeshow-Performance.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>After The Show: Self Analysis A Critical Component to Improve Performance</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Continual improvement is a goal for many exhibitors.  Knowing that tradeshows can play an integral role in a company’s marketing campaign, they’re committed to doing the best job they can this year -- and a better one next year.
 
To continually improve, you have to have a very clear and concrete idea of where you are right now.  An objective measurement of performance is the only way to plan for and achieve an improved result at subsequent shows.  It serves as your baseline.
 
How do you get this baseline measurement?  It’s a two part process, incorporating both measurable and intangible criteria.  The combination of these two criteria gives you the most comprehensive picture possible of your performance.
 
Let’s start with the measurable criteria.  These are your goals and objectives, spelled out in black and white.  If you say that you want to do $X in sales or collect Y number of leads, then you can compare your results against your goal.  It’s simple.  You met your goal, you exceeded your goal, or you fell short.
 
However, there are other factors in tradeshow performance to consider.  These are the intangible, hard to measure things that affect your show: staff performance, booth design, general ambiance, and a host of other criteria.  You need to know how you’re performing before you can improve that performance.
 
Where can you get information on these intangible criteria?  After all, there’s no magic ball where you can look and see how you did.  Tradeshow exhibiting is not like Monday Night Football, with cameras tracking every move and instant replay only a moment away.
 
This is where a mystery shopper’s services can be critical.  By providing an objective, focused analysis of your exhibit, a mystery shopper can pinpoint weaknesses, identify strengths and on occasion, offer suggestions for improvement.
 
It’s important to take the mystery shopper’s report into account. However, it is not the only point of view you’ll wa ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/2014/After-The-Show-Self-Analysis-A-Critical-Component-to-Improve-Performance.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/2014/After-The-Show-Self-Analysis-A-Critical-Component-to-Improve-Performance.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Marketing to Sell--What to Look for in a Strategic Marketing Company</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[by Leslie McKerns--McKerns Development

When firms seek to sell products, some part of the process makes them wonder if they could benefit from the help of a professional marketing firm.  In fact, just recently the following companies came to me searching for a marketing company: 

1.	A group marketing foreign real estate projects (Costa Rica). 
2.	A company selling interactive greeting cards in the US and Canada.
3.	A business selling wholesale pharmaceutical products.
4.	An online children(s) behavior management program.
5.	A company marketing personal strength training.
6.	A firm promoting their own health and nutrition bars. 

Can you figure out what these firms have in common?

They were all searching for a consultant marketing firm to help them sell products, yet had not identified a single specific area in which they knew they needed help. Instead, they decided that they would find a company that marketed only health and nutrition bars or pharmaceuticals, or whatever their exact product was. 

Their one and only question for me was, Do you have experience marketing interactive greeting cards (pharmaceuticals/nutrition bars)? They were all searching for a firm with the exact expertise in their particular business niche. They all wanted to know what my company could do for them, (including pricing) but had not given any consideration to what they thought they needed. 

What is wrong with this approach? Finding a company that only knows how to pitch a single niche product is not the best way to go about finding a strategic marketing consulting firm. 

These companies miss out on a lot of expertise when they skip the self-searching process--What do I need? Exactly what do I not know? 

It is a little like answering the store clerk(s), How can I help you? with a shrug and then a question, What will it cost? 

A marketing consultant can help you establish or promote your business. It does not matter to a strategic marketing consultant what yo ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/1989/Marketing-to-SellWhat-to-Look-for-in-a-Strategic-Marketing-Company.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/1989/Marketing-to-SellWhat-to-Look-for-in-a-Strategic-Marketing-Company.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Engage Your Prospect</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[ Got a big appointment? Want, or need, the sale? Sure you do – everyone wants to make the sale, especially when it’s a big one.

Well, here’s the good news: This column is not about “how to make the sale.” Instead, it contains the elements of a sale that engage the prospect. It’s way more powerful than your typical, “probe, presentation, overcome objections, close, follow up.”

These elements go way beyond traditional selling. These elements are for professionals who want to build relationships – not just make a sale. These elements will make the prospect respect you. These elements will lead to partnering. These elements will make the prospect want to buy from you.

Here are the major elements about the sale that you must incorporate into your presentation:

1. Develop a belief system in your company, your product or service, and yourself, that’s so strong, you assume every sale before you walk in the door. This mental mindset is the single most powerful element you can possess.

2. Do your homework the night before. Prepare ideas to help the customer produce more and profit more. Being ready with ideas that will help the prospect will breed your own self-confidence.

3. Pre-relax. Set your own internal tone. Listen to your favorite music on the way over. Be in high spirits.

4. Set your mind on helping achieve their objectives – not selling your stuff. That will set a game plan and the agenda for the meeting at the same time.

5. Tell the prospective customer you have come with a few ideas that will help them. This immediately separates you from the others. The prospect will be engaged, and listening from the beginning.

6. Make friends with the person or people you are presenting to before you begin your formalized talk. Become likable. If they don’t like you, you have greatly reduced the probability of them buying from you. Make small talk that allows you to find something in common. It helps everyone relax, and if you ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/1985/Engage-Your-Prospect.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/1985/Engage-Your-Prospect.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Network Without Fear</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[   It’s a fact that most of the business that is conducted today is the direct result of network marketing efforts.  Most people have to see a product or service advertisement seven times before they will buy, but are more likely to purchase much sooner if a friend, family member, colleague, or some person of influence refers them to that product or service.

   The biggest issue for most small business owners that attempt networking is fear. They have the fear of public speaking and they have the fear of rejection, and these are the issues I want to address.

   First lets address the fear of public speaking.  This is not as difficult as you may think; it does take a little bit of practice and preparation. I have listed a few things you can do help you get over this.

· Be prepared – practice, practice, practice what you are going to say.  Professional athletes practice the same drills and plays over and over again day in and day out; so that those actions become habit and can performed without thinking and can react to the situation. You have to do the same thing.

· If you are going to a networking event, make sure to                                      have everything you need the night before, if not sooner, and make sure you get plenty of rest.

· Some may say on the way to a function, listen to your favorite type of music to help you relax.  I personally do the opposite and listen to music that motivates me and gets me pumped up.  Which ever works for you to put you in the zone!

   Now you might ask, well how do you deal with the fear of rejection?  Well that’s easy. Develop a rejection free 30sec or so advertisement for your business.  Part of what lends to this fear is that you feel that you are trying to sell everyone in the room your product or service. This is the wrong attitude to have. Your goal when networking needs to be making contacts and how can you help them and how they can help you. Not selling them. Now if they need what ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/1980/Network-Without-Fear.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/1980/Network-Without-Fear.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Marketing - Past, Present, Future</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Marketing - A Juggler's Art: Marketing, in more the one way, is like juggling. This strange analogy will become crystal clear if we take a close look at it. Just like the juggler the marketer too has to do these things to thrive in his business: first, he has to hook his audience; gain their attention through several jazzy tricks; and then hold their attention by still more innovative juggling. All this he has to achieve without losing balance, focus or steadfastness in the art, the industry, in the marketer's case. In short, marketing is all about alluring, attracting and holding a collection of customers for your Company's welfare.

The Purpose Behind: To quote the American Marketing Association's definition, it is &amp;quot;an organizational function and a set of processes for creating, communicating and delivering value to customers and for managing customer relationships in ways that benefit the organization and its stakeholders&amp;quot;. If one dilutes all the verbosity and looks at it, marketing means &amp;quot;selling&amp;quot; a product. This is the prime purpose behind any kind of marketing. The &amp;quot;selling&amp;quot; is accelerated with the help of properly chalked out plans called marketing strategies.

Factors that Influence: With &amp;quot;selling&amp;quot; as the ultimate goal, marketing strategies are influenced by two basic factors: first, acquisition of customers; second, retention of the acquired customers. So every other strategy that is laid out will focus on the above two. A Company has to work closely towards achieving these two to attain the desired cutting edge over its competitors. There are also a few other objectives like creating awareness (informational and educational) about the product, brand-building and accelerating sales.

Traditional Marketing: With the world changing at every nanosecond, marketing is also reeling under a whirlwind of change. New modes of marketing like e-marketing and online marketing have evolved. Yet traditional marketing still ho ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/1963/Marketing--Past-Present-Future.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/1963/Marketing--Past-Present-Future.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>The Marketing Cycle--The Dynamic Payoff of Knowing When you should Market</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[There is a definite marketing cycle, and knowing when you should market can mean a dynamic payoff. You need to be aware of the marketing cycle in your industry, so that you can know when to market. 

To make the most effective use of your marketing dollar and your marketing time, block out a yearly marketing calendar based upon what your client does during certain times of the year. This marketing analysis is going to tell you what to offer and when to offer it. Then, knowing what and when, you simply select the delivery method--will it be postcard, newsletter or some other method?
 
Real life calendar months and events affecting the marketing cycle include:

1. November: November starts the holiday cycle, but many end of year proposals bids and contracts are signed during this period. Expect the company to be staffed but busy during this time (with the exception of the actual Turkey day).

Many company parties are being planned and held, so this can actually be a good time to mix and mingle in a business sense. 

2. December--January 1st: The time between Christmas and New Years is earmarked for holidays. Many companies close their offices during the period of December 22nd to January 1st.  Staff may be thin or non-existent, as employees travel or take time during this period. 

Make a list of your intended target companies and get to know their habits and policies. This will make sure that you do not waste time trying to reach a company that is closed, or spend direct mail marketing dollars sending out time sensitive materials.

You would not expect to reach staff for a coaching or training session in this time period, but you may be able to reach the top business leaders who typically take less time off than they allow for their employees. Top executives often return to the office during the quiet time in order to plan for next year, and this executive is concerned about coming out strong for the New Year. You will catch this top executive after the ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/1953/The-Marketing-CycleThe-Dynamic-Payoff-of-Knowing-When-you-should-Market.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/1953/The-Marketing-CycleThe-Dynamic-Payoff-of-Knowing-When-you-should-Market.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Mystery Shoppers Enhance Tradeshow Performance</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Everything’s perfect.  The display is beautiful, your team is well-trained, you’ve got fantastic giveaway items and the best pre-show promotion you’ve ever had.  This is going to be the absolute best tradeshow ever.
 
Are you sure? You might be the last person who can answer this question honestly.  It’s not that you don’t want to -- it’s that you can’t.
 
Let’s face it.  After you’ve spent weeks, even months, planning, preparing and practicing your exhibit routine, you’re no longer objective.  You’re too close to your work to see it as a stranger would.  This is no fault of your own. It’s human nature.  We can’t engage with our work and distance ourselves from it at the same time.
 
Yet it is critical that our tradeshow performance be excellent.  Your organization’s financial well being depends in part of what attendees learn about your company from your exhibit. How will you know, at the end of the day, what they thought of your booth?
 
This is where the mystery shopper comes in.  By stopping by your exhibit and doing a little covert surveillance, the mystery shopper can provide you with a critical and fair assessment of your performance.  
 
This skilled professional will assess your booth on many levels. Was your team as polished as you thought they were? Was that clever signage really that funny? Did the giveaway items appeal or were they just so much more stuff to haul around the show floor?  The mystery shopper can tell you.
 
Getting an objective opinion of your exhibit is one very valuable and valid reason to hire a mystery shopper.  It’s not the only one.  There’s another reason to consider hiring a mystery shopper, especially if you have a larger company with several display teams.
 
When the cat’s away, the mouse will play. It’s an old saying, with more than a little modern truth to it.  Any time the boss is out of the office, for example, employees tend to slack off a little bit. It’s a good time to c ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/1941/Mystery-Shoppers-Enhance-Tradeshow-Performance.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/1941/Mystery-Shoppers-Enhance-Tradeshow-Performance.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Creating a Realistic Tradeshow Budget</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Having a realistic tradeshow budget is crucial for your exhibiting success. It’s imperative to include all of the costs associated with exhibiting in your financial plan, yet many exhibitors fail to take this crucial step. 
 
It’s almost impossible to realize positive ROI when you don’t know how much you’re spending -- and what you’re spending it on! If you ask most exhibitors what they think the largest expense associated with tradeshow participation is, chances are they’ll tell you the display space.
 
It’s true that exhibiting space is expensive. That 10X10 booth can set you back a pretty penny -- and price tags go up for larger spaces and prime locations. However, exhibiting space itself is generally only 30% of the total cost associated with exhibiting.
 
That 30% of your budget is fairly fixed. A fabulous negotiator might be able to get show management to shave a few hundred off the price of exhibit space, but that’s the exception rather than the rule. 
 
Instead, you’ll want to concentrate on that other 70% of your budget. The expenses that make up the bulk of your participation cost are, to some degree, variable. They’re under your control -- which means, with time, planning, and oversight, you can keep them down. The lower your costs are, after all, the easier it will be to generate a positive ROI on your show!
 
The reality is, however, that most exhibitors don’t pay close attention -- or any attention at all! -- to some of the items that make up the remaining 70%. The cost of their show creeps steadily upward, bit by bit, as small charges mount up and up until they’re a sizable chunk of change. This is particularly common among new exhibitors -- although it also plagues seasoned pros who fall prey to the assumption trap. This is when an exhibitor assumes that things will be done this year the way they’ve always been done previously. Like all assumptions, this one can prove costly!
 
Here are some of the items that mak ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/1940/Creating-a-Realistic-Tradeshow-Budget.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/1940/Creating-a-Realistic-Tradeshow-Budget.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Marketing Your Business-10 Sure-Fire, Wild Fire Revenue Building Strategies</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[
by Leslie McKerns--McKerns Development

Whether you are a new business, an Internet startup or an established business, you will need to market your business and create revenue streams to keep your business alive, healthy and growing. 

As a strategic business development expert, PR strategist and brand manager, people sometimes ask me to promote their business through press and PR before they have fully developed revenue streams to ensure its survival.

Here are 10 sure-fire ways to market your business, build revenue for your business, and vital tips for growing your business and creating revenue sources.

1.	You will need several sources of revenue streams. Start by hosting a brainstorming session asking for idea contributions--these can be ways to market and bring revenue to your business based upon bringing new ideas to your mix or expanding upon marketing strategies you already have.

2.	Get or revamp your website. Add constant and consistent brand building content to the site to make it interesting and to get visitors to tell their friends and return themselves. With Internet 2.0 and all the jazzy add-ons available--make best use of the web as an interactive tool. Consider adding interactive features, games, polls, quizzes, or virtual assistants that can speak and interact with your visitors in real time. 

3.	Monetize your website. Consider adding products for sale and providing a shopping cart and charge card service (PayPal or the like) to your site. Capture your audience while they are engaged and in a buying mood.

4.	Join affiliate programs and sign up for ad programs so that others will host ads on your site, Google Adsense is one program, and there are others to explore. Solicit advertising on your site by bringing your site to the attention of advertisers large and widespread as well as local advertisers. Think Disney, current movie and sports tie-ins on down to local festivals and event opportunities.

5.	Offer a list of products a ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/1933/Marketing-Your-Business10-SureFire-Wild-Fire-Revenue-Building-Strategies.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/1933/Marketing-Your-Business10-SureFire-Wild-Fire-Revenue-Building-Strategies.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Basic Principles of Marketing</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[There are a few things you must know when planning your marketing campaign. These factors are basic principles of marketing. Learning how to market correctly is the biggest task when starting a new business or selling a new product. Without proper marketing, your endeavors will more than likely not succeed. The following are some basic principles of marketing.

[Product] When marketing, you must first create a product or service that is clear and easy to comprehend so the potential buyers will have no problems in understanding what your company is offering. This is by far the most important role in marketing. If you are offering a product or service to impending clients and the client cannot fully understand what your product or service is and does, they will pick up and move on. A few of the things you can include in your campaign to make sure the public will understand your product and service is include a warranty, customer service, instructions, company name, visual examples of how your product or service works.

[Price] The next issue to work with when working on your marketing campaign is to create a price that is reasonable and competitive with your other companies in your market. You should do some research on these companies and find out the average prices of your type of product or service and in turn create a price that is lower than the average if it is possible in your budget and profit margin. The public will notice a product or service substantially quicker if the price is in their budget and with the growing economy, the public will appreciate a low cost product or service.

[Place] When marketing your product or service you must also choose a location that will best suit your company in reaching your prospective market. This is a task that few people will really spend the time on but it plays a major role in how well your business does. Think of it like this, would you promote your children’s toy inside of a bar? You must choose a location t ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/1932/Basic-Principles-of-Marketing.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/1932/Basic-Principles-of-Marketing.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Marketing and Public Relation--Getting Your name in the News</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[by Leslie McKerns

In Marketing and Public Relations it is all about getting your name in the news. But, if you have tried issuing press releases with only modest success, what is next? 

You have to understand that magazines and newspapers are looking for the larger trends for their readers. They are trying to be the source of reassurance and a greater understanding of the big picture. For example, in real estate the issue behind the scene might be, what can I tell my readers about the next big thing in real estate? What can I tell my readers about great places to live, work and play? Where are savvy people putting their money? What businesses are thriving and why? What have you learned that works, and how can my readers benefit?

Is there a way to catch the interest of the big fish in media? Here are some top suggestions for getting your name in the news.

1.	Define a niche that will be your avenue to authority. 

2.	Be a consistent and authoritative issuer of news. You and your firm must be seen as an authority on a particular issue or topic. Only then will you be seen as someone to turn to for regular quotes and your take on the issue.
 
3.	Claim your stake to larger news. Start searching for stories about you and your firm that are larger than the small pieces you issue about staff changes and additions, charities and charitable work. This is the background to who you are, not who you are. 

4.	Make project or service news be about your core business first and peripheral issues later. In other words, if you are a developer of luxury hotels and resorts, hold the news about revamping third base of the kids(s) ballpark until you have the larger news out there consistently.

5.	Bundle your smaller news. Do not send out personnel and other notices piecemeal, one by one. It becomes larger news, and the media cares that you are hiring, adding space, moving to a new building only when they understand the core nature of what you do. Then, bundle the pers ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/1923/Marketing-and-Public-RelationGetting-Your-name-in-the-News.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/1923/Marketing-and-Public-RelationGetting-Your-name-in-the-News.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Salesmanship and Empathy</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[One of the simplest ways to increase your productivity as a salesperson is to tune into your buyer's point of view. When you are in tune with your buyer you have empathy. This means that you can identify with and understand their situation, feelings, and motives.

When you are in tune with your buyer everything you say or do seems to be right on the mark. The buyer gets the feeling that you really understand them and the road to a successful sale lights up like an airport runway. The opposite is also true. When you are not in tune with your buyer nothing you can do or say will seem to be right. When you push they pull and vice versa.

Master salespeople know the importance of empathy and tune in to their buyers as quickly as possible. Novice salespeople on the other hand, rarely make the effort. This lack of empathy between buyer and seller accounts for much of the negative experiences many consumers experience.

This kind of selling requires a genuine desire on the part of the salesperson to try and be of service. It is pretty easy to spot the salesperson with this kind of desire. These salespeople take an interest in the buyer on a more personal level. The empathetic salesperson asks more questions and better questions. They ask the type of questions that get the buyer to open up and talk about their situation.

Buyers like salespeople that reach them on a personal level. Everyone likes to be listened to and understood. When you demonstrate to your buyer that you are interested and paying attention they will open up to you and tell you what it will take to make a sale. Here are a few reminders to help you focus on your buyers; 

(*)Focus your attention on your buyer. Do not allow yourself to become distracted.

(*)Look for something you like in the other person. What do you think their friends like about them?

(*)Get your buyer to tell you their situation, hopes and fears with well prepared questions. 

Sell with empathy and increase your producti ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/1916/Salesmanship-and-Empathy.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/1916/Salesmanship-and-Empathy.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Choosing an Article Submission Service</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Building your list and adding prospects to your sales funnel with article submissions is the hottest sales lead generation trend on the Web today. However, the article submission process is one of the most boring and tedious tasks around. Thats why many authors, experts and businesses choose to outsource their article marketing efforts. 
 
How can you choose the best company to handle this important process for you? Follow these tips to avoid being ripped off from unscrupulous merchants?
 
Here Are My Top 10 Questions to Ask Any Article Marketing &amp;amp; Submission Service Provider So You Can Reach Your Goals:
 
1. Are the sites on your companys article submission list well known across the Web, or are they dummy sites that you set up? Some unscrupulous article submission service providers promise to post your article to hundreds or thousands of sites for a very low fee  like $15! What they dont tell you is that these sites are ones they have created for the sole purpose of posting your articles. No one visits these sites. Search engines dont index these sites. So no one will ever see these articles. Ask for a list of sites they submit to. If they dont seem credible, run fast!
 
2. Does Google index the sites you submit to? If Google doesnt, then you are wasting your time. Ask them for a list of success stories. By going to Google and typing the headline in quotes, you can check whether or not Google indexes the articles they submit.
 
3. Does Alexa index the sites your company submits articles to? Alexa.com is a website that tracks the traffic of all websites. Go there and type your website URL and youll see where your site ranks among the millions of websites. Its easy and fun to do. Try it! Now, ask the marketing company to provide the names of 10 sites they will submit your article to. See where they rank on Alexa. Do they even rank on Alexa? If not, watch out!
 
4. Is this a targeted campaign, or a scattershot approach? Ask the company how well targe ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/1897/Choosing-an-Article-Submission-Service.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/1897/Choosing-an-Article-Submission-Service.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>How to Use Hidden Psychological Triggers &amp; Sell More Products and Services</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Do you remember the stupid beer commercial a few years back with the tagline &amp;quot;Why Ask Why?&amp;quot; 
 
Well, completely unknown to the ad agency, they had almost stumbled onto a breakthrough marketing concept. Telling people the reason why you are doing something is one of the most powerful influencers of human behavior. 
 
Robert Cialdini, Ph.D. in his book &amp;quot;Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion&amp;quot; talks about an experiment by Harvard social psychologist, Ellen Langer, that concluded people like to have a reason for what they do. Her experiment consisted of people waiting in line to use a library copy machine and then having experimenters ask to get ahead in line. 
 
The first excuse used was &amp;quot;Excuse me, I have five pages. May I use the Xerox machine because I'm in a rush?&amp;quot; This request coupled with a reason was successful 94% of the time. However when the experimenter made a request only: &amp;quot;Excuse me, I have five pages. May I use the Xerox machine?&amp;quot; this request was only granted 60% of the time. A significant drop! 
 
Okay now for the shocker. 
 
It may seem like the difference between those two requests was the additional information of &amp;quot;because I'm in a rush.&amp;quot;
 
That's not the case. 
 
Because in a third experimenter, the experimenter asks &amp;quot;Excuse me, I have five pages. May I use the Xerox machine because I have to make some copies?&amp;quot; There's no reason mentioned or new information presented, just the words &amp;quot;because.&amp;quot; 
 
This time a full 93% of the people said yes simply due to the word 'BECAUSE'! And it didn't even matter that there was no reason given. Just the word because triggered a magic response. 
 
More psychological 'triggers' that can massively increase your sales letter success, whether youre writing online sales copy or direct mail copy. 
 
Max Sackheim, famous for the long-running ad &amp;quot;Do You Make These Mistakes In English&amp;quot; and originator of the book-of-the-month ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/1891/How-to-Use-Hidden-Psychological-Triggers--Sell-More-Products-and-Services.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/1891/How-to-Use-Hidden-Psychological-Triggers--Sell-More-Products-and-Services.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>The One Two Punch of Brand BuildingHow to Build a Knockout Brand  </strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[
By Leslie McKerns  McKerns Development

How do you go about building a knockout brand? The one two punch of brand building might not be what you think. Think values and trust, not just colors and logos.

Building a Brand is about (1) what you stand for and (2) the value that brings to those exposed to your brand. If what you stand for is a value system that others want, and want to identify with, you will be able to make your brand easily recognizable. 


1. Start by developing a mission statement. This will be the reason you exist and the value you create. In order to become recognizable, your mission statement must be brief, yet contain the essence of your purpose. (What are you trying to do?) 

A mission statement for a bank might be: To be the greatest financial strength in the industry in order to provide maximum lending opportunities for our customers. 

Or, your bank may be built on relationships: To bring back hometown banking based on community relationships and values.

2. Develop a memorable tagline. Your tagline will express who you are and what you do. 

Financial Strength--For Life(s) Big Opportunities. (Bank One above) 

With Good Friends and Neighbors, Hospitality Counts. (Bank Two above)

3. Create a recognizable face for your company. When someone sees anything written or spoken about a company, they should be able to identify both the company and the values behind it (low cost leader or custom and handcrafted?) 

Hire a branding company to develop your brand image(web, stationery, colors, logo, tagline, mission statement, business cards, postcards, brochures, collateral, newsletters, mailers, rate sheets, warranties, informational cards, posters, signage, advertisements, letters, project sheets, bios, headshots, products, product names, branded or corporate clothing, etc.) 

3. Build Trust. To be believable, you must build trust with your audience. What is the desired public image of your business or service?  Consider how ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/1886/The-One-Two-Punch-of-Brand-BuildingHow-to-Build-a-Knockout-Brand.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/1886/The-One-Two-Punch-of-Brand-BuildingHow-to-Build-a-Knockout-Brand.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>South Florida Magazine Editor Seeks Great Tropical Design Projects</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[
Leslie McKerns of McKerns Development, a Florida based strategic PR, press, marketing and media relations company, is seeking submissions representing great tropical design projects for publication in a luxury lifestyle magazine. Submissions can be made in Architecture, Development and Interior Design. McKerns is the Real Estate Editor (Architecture, Design and Development) of CitySmart magazine, http://www.citysmartmagazine.com, and a professional writer and publicist for the architecture, design and development industry.

The magazine showcases regional, national and international development and design projects with a local tie. If you have a project or room that qualifies and you think it would be right for the luxury lifestyle readers of CitySmart magazine, McKerns would like to hear from you. Currently, we are in the market for fun, with a Summer Fling issue--and we are seeking submissions on great fun interiors and rooms; entertaining backyard getaways, fantastic pools and outdoor rooms.

CitySmart Magazine is South Florida(s) luxury lifestyle publication appealing to the affluent, educated and influential reader. The magazine can be viewed online and the pages of the magazine can be turned, viewed and read.

McKerns interacts with local, national and international stars in Development, Architecture and Interior Design, conducting interviews and writing features about trends in the development and architectural industry and recent and upcoming building projects in South Florida. 

In recent issues, I wrote about the latest in projects and developments in downtown Ft. Lauderdale, and lifestyle resort hotel condos in Boca Raton and Ft. Lauderdale Beach,  says Leslie McKerns. We were able to feature the work of Stiles Development Corporation, Garcia Stromberg Architects, Falkanger, Snyder, Martineau &amp;amp; Yates, EDSA, Trump International, and Adache Group. We feature the Morikami Museum in the latest issue, as well as important green and sustainable pr ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/1865/South-Florida-Magazine-Editor-Seeks-Great-Tropical-Design-Projects.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/1865/South-Florida-Magazine-Editor-Seeks-Great-Tropical-Design-Projects.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Promote with PR--How to Hit the PR Jackpot </strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[
by Leslie McKerns

As a business leader, you are constantly reading publications, studying their content and consistently reading articles about your competitors. Having heard that what others say about you is weighed more heavily than what you say about yourself, you understand the value of PR. Now, you want to be interviewed and need to know how to be newsworthy and how to hit the PR Jackpot.

Select Ideas that Sell. You (or your PR firm) need to devise irresistible ideas. Here are some Leads that Hook Editors: 

1.	Unique astounds. Unforgettable people, places, fresh ideas or unique opportunities. 

2.	Success sells. Strategies to increase power, politics, prestige or profits.

3.	Money talks. The high side and the low side of money. When money is no object, how is value determined? What is low budget, but worthy?

4.	Luxury tantalizes. Luxury living, luxurious people, luxurious places, luxurious products.

5.	Money is wise. Avoiding hidden costs, getting the best rates, negotiating best value or the best terms.

6.	Secrecy intrigues. Confidential secrets or sources revealed.

7.	Seasons Celebrate. Seasonal tie-ins (check with magazines well in advance, six to eight months is the norm.) 

8.	Novelty sells. If you or what you are doing is unique it can be made interesting to the press.

9.	Expertise excites. What do you know that others do not?

10.	Leaders lead. Leadership strategies to get others to follow you, your company and your ideas.

11.	Leaders Teach. Lessons Learned. (It has been said that no one wants to learn, they want to know--so use your best story telling techniques with this one.) 

12.	Trends garner interest. Lifestyle and current trend tie ins--what are you and your associates doing (or going) that is trendy, trend setting, noteworthy and repeatable or truly one of a kind? 

13.	 Danger dominates. Pitfalls or other dangerous aspects of business and how-to-avoid-it. 

14.	 Succession succeeds. Strategies for suc ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/1863/Promote-with-PRHow-to-Hit-the-PR-Jackpot.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/1863/Promote-with-PRHow-to-Hit-the-PR-Jackpot.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Betting on your Future? Not a Good Plan</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Recently, the lottery in NY -- the state I call home -- reached a record jackpot, larger than ever before.  When I penned these words, the grand total of funds just waiting to be won was over 340 million dollars.  As you can imagine, this got people talking.  Almost every local newscast covered the huge jackpot. People were lining up at convenience stores across the state, hoping against hope to cash in and win big.
 
This got me thinking about the two types of people: gamblers and planners.  Both would like to have the big bag of cash, but they take different routes to achieve it.  A gambler might plunk down a dollar -- or two, or twenty, or two hundred -- in hopes of winning big in a lottery, while the planner follows a less exciting route of saving and investing.  At the end of the day, whos more likely to have the big bucks? Chances are, itd be the planner.
 
Tradeshow exhibiting works the same way.  You can gamble on having a good show, approaching it in a frenzy because everybodys doing it and youve heard theres big money to be had, or you can approach it methodically, making a plan, doing your research, and making those actions that are prudent and improve your bottom line.
 
Some gamblers win.  Thats what keeps lotteries going, after all.  Some exhibitors show up with only half an idea of what theyre doing, a horrible exhibit and only fledgling show skills, and yet still have a triumphant show.  But the odds are against most gamblers.  For every winner, there are thousands of losers.  For every successful We just wing it exhibitor, there are hundreds who look at the time and effort expended and realize they could have done much, much better -- if only theyd taken the time to learn what they were doing. Are you willing to take that chance?
 
Im not much of a gambler myself, but even I know you should never lay money on the table without knowing whats at stake.  Ask yourself, what could happen if I leave my tradeshow performance to chance?
 
You co ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/1862/Betting-on-your-Future-Not-a-Good-Plan.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/1862/Betting-on-your-Future-Not-a-Good-Plan.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Athletes Train: Why Dont You?</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Theres nothing like watching an athlete at the top of their game -- the sprinter racing to the finish line, the star center sinking the game winning shot.  They make it look absolutely effortless, as if it was the most natural thing in the world for them to perform that well.
 
Appearances can be deceiving. What you dont see is the long, grueling hours of training and practice star athletes put in behind the scenes: the endless laps around the track with no one watching, the skill drills where that star player practices jump shot after jump shot after jump shot.
 
The same is true for exhibiting.  The truly great exhibitors dont just show up at the show and automatically know how to turn in a great performance.  Theyve trained for the event, making sure that theyve got a good grasp of the fundamental skills needed and the game-day strategy critical to ensure success.
 
What type of training routine does your exhibiting team have?  Most companies, if they answered honestly, would have to say little to no time is devoted to practicing the skills needed to do a good job on the show floor. Its assumed that the skills necessary to be a good salesman or manufacturers rep in the field will automatically transfer over into the show environment.
 
Nothing could be further from the truth.  Someone who jogs everyday, even if they run for miles at a time, does not automatically turn into a top-notch marathon runner.  You can work out in the weight room twice a week at the gym.  That doesnt mean youre anywhere near ready to go compete in Olympic level power lifting!
 
There are some essential differences between the everyday routine your sales reps face and the high-pressure intense situation they encounter on the show floor.  From the extremely limited amount of time your team has with each attendee to the length of the event to the sheer numbers of people one talks to in the course of the day, tradeshows are a demanding event.  One needs to maintain lightning quick r ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/1861/Athletes-Train-Why-Dont-You.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/1861/Athletes-Train-Why-Dont-You.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Are You Celling Yourself Short?</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Cell phones have changed our world.  With few exceptions, we can now talk to anyone we like whenever wed like.  The staccato symphony of ring tones accompanies us through our days: from the morning commute to the crowded restaurant at lunchtime, during meetings and even during the quick stop at the grocery store when the day is done.  Were always connected, always reachable.  Its a marvel.
 
Its a marvel that can destroy your tradeshow performance.
 
Consider the following:
 
Youre at a tradeshow.  An attractive exhibit catches your eye.  The product on display is exactly what youve been searching for.  When you approach the booth, a staffer looks up and with a gesture indicates that you should wait, just one minute, while he finishes his call.  When hes done talking to the important people, the message seems to be, hell be happy to talk to you.
 
How long are you going to wait? After all, youve only a limited amount of time at the show, and there are dozens of other booths on your must-see list.  When you discover that the display just a little further down the aisle also appears to feature a product that could fill your needs, chances are thats all the impetus youll need to move along.  Theres no sense waiting for the staffer to finish his call, not when there are other people who are more than ready to talk to you right now.
 
Lets flip the scenario around.  Youre on the other side of the aisle when your cell phone rings.  Do you take the call?
 
I can hear you now.  But thats different!  My call is important!
 
Guess what? The salesman in the first example thought his call was important too.  And it was -- to him.  It was more important than you were, at least.
 
Talking on your cell phone tells tradeshow attendees three things:
 
1. Your teams focus is NOT on the tradeshow. 
 
2. Your attendee is not the most important person in the room -- that honor belongs to whoever has your cell phone number.
 
3. The attendees business is not valuab ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/1784/Are-You-Celling-Yourself-Short.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/1784/Are-You-Celling-Yourself-Short.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Winnie the Pooh™ and Youat the Tradeshow?</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[At first glance, theres no connection between Disneys Winnie the Pooh and tradeshows.  The same is true of Piglet, Tigger, and the rest of the gang.  What could this cuddly group of childhood favorites possibly teach us about exhibiting?
 
Surprisingly, quite a bit.  There are some very strong similarities between Winnie the Pooh and the other inhabitants of the Hundred Acre Woods and many tradeshow exhibitors.  Dont believe me?  Take a look and see how many of your staffers you recognize:
 
Winnie the Pooh
 
Pooh Bear may be cute, cuddly and approachable -- but hes also got one thing on his mind.  What makes this roly poly bear happy?  Honey, of course!  Hes obsessed with the golden sweet -- when hes not enjoying a meal, hes in search of the next smackerel to fill his rumbly-tummy.
 
A Pooh-style booth staffer is hungry.  He might be talking to attendees, but hes thinking about lunch.  If someone walks by with a sandwich, his eyes are instantly drawn to it.  Scents from the food court get his nostrils quivering.  When he gets a chance to eat, he takes it: even if that means eating in the booth!
 
Piglet
 
Piglet is a very small animal, made even more timid when confronted with unfamiliar surroundings, loud noises, bright colors, and crowds.  His reaction?  Why, to run and hide under the bed, of course, or behind his good friend Pooh.
 
A Piglet-style staffer may be naturally shy or someone who is easily overwhelmed.  Their reaction, inspired by fear, is to fade into the back of the booth and hope no one notices them.  More often than not, they get their wish -- which is good for them, but bad for your bottom line.
 
Owl
 
Owl is an exceedingly well educated bird.  Hes got a brain just cram-packed full of facts and figures -- and he wants you to know it.  No tidbit of information is too small to escape his attention, nor to avoid being retold to anyone who will listen.
 
If you have an Owl-style staffer, you might count yourself lucky.  After all ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/1783/Winnie-the-Pooh-and-Youat-the-Tradeshow.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/1783/Winnie-the-Pooh-and-Youat-the-Tradeshow.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Here's the Traffic, Where are All the Sales?</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Unfortunately more traffic doesn't always mean more sales. Here's 3 tips to benefit more from the traffic you already receive....

We would all like to be able to brag a bit and declare what a flood of traffic our site is receivingtons by the hour, in fact! It seems we all get caught up in the numbers game. I, for one, like to take frequent peeks on how the statistics are holding up. Usually disappointment settles in if I didnt get a big increase from the last time I looked. Its true, traffic mattersor I would not be looking quite so often.

Most website owners have long known that traffic is important. Without it, we will not get any sales. Its also a fact that without a fairly large amount of traffic, youre not going to profit much either. Statistics show that you usually only convert a small amount of sales for a certain ratio of visitors that you receive. Nevertheless, you must also realize that its not just about numbers. Its about targeted visitors and what you do with those visitors once you get them to your site.

Heres 3 quick tips on optimizing the traffic you already receive at your site:

1. Analyze your traffic. Make sure you have some way to track your traffic flow so that you can determine what kind of visitors you are receiving at your website and where they come from. What keywords did they use to find your site on the search engines? Bidding for general keywords, such as biscuits may bring you wasted traffic. For instance, if theyre searching for dog biscuits and you only offer buttermilk biscuits then, this visitor is not a true visitor that will convert sales and your money is wasted.

*Two ways to improve your advertising:

a. Carefully choose keywords that will target specific products and not general products. Also make sure to include specific keywords within your site that will target the right market.

b. Carefully choose targeted websites for your advertising campaigns. Advertising on Marys Online Hotdog Stand will not hel ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/1782/Heres-the-Traffic-Where-are-All-the-Sales.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/1782/Heres-the-Traffic-Where-are-All-the-Sales.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Top Five Marketing Mistakes and How to Avoid Them</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[
by Leslie McKerns--McKerns Development

In this article I will share the top five marketing mistakes and how to avoid them. As a strategic business development, PR and marketing expert, I am often called in to set up a marketing plan, media plan and a delivery system for companies who wish to use an in-house marketing team rather than a consultant. This is absolutely fine with me, except that no one likes seeing their baby turned over to someone without the skills to follow through. So this brings me to the #1 marketing mistake:

1. Number One marketing mistake is handing your business development and therefore the future of your company to a person with no experience in marketing; worse, no experience in your field. In just one example, a top development and construction company turned their marketing, business development and public relation efforts over to a new graduate--in fashion design!     

2. Number Two marketing mistake is to market exclusively within your own field. An example would be an article in a magazine that only reaches the professionals in your field, not your end user or target client, or an ad in a technical or trade publication that only reaches your competition not your end user. You need a comprehensive media plan within your marketing effort and a targeted method to reach the media that your clients read.

3. Number Three marketing mistake is one-shot marketing. (This is the opposite of the scatter-gun approach in which random marketing shots are fired against a wall to see what will stick.) In one-shot marketing, a company picks a single element from a comprehensive marketing plan and produces this one element as their only marketing effort. This one-shot marketing approach could be a single postcard or letter mailing, a single ad, a single conference or event or a single press release. An effective marketing effort requires a concentrated marketing effort over a period of time, with at least four and up to seven points of conta ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/1780/Top-Five-Marketing-Mistakes-and-How-to-Avoid-Them.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/1780/Top-Five-Marketing-Mistakes-and-How-to-Avoid-Them.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Sales Lead Generation Tips:How to Build Your Hyper-Responsive Prospect List</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Article marketing is the best sales lead generation technique on the Web today. Unfortunately, many marketers writing articles on the Web fall short in their sales lead generation efforts. They simply cant get people to visit their websites. 
 
This is a critical fallacy that will render your article marketing campaign worthless. You must get people to visit your website and join your mailing list. If you dont, you are wasting your time, money and energy. 
 
Sure, it is great to write articles displaying you as the expert in your field. And, yes, it is nice to post articles that help the world in general. But if your goal is to use article marketing as a sales lead generation technique that builds your email list, you might be falling short if your articles dont have a call to action that grabs readers by the throat and pulls them to your website. 
 
How do you do this?
 
You must have an irresistible offer so people will come to your website and identify themselves. Once you capture your prospects names and email addresses, you will be able to create a sales-winning relationship. If you dont do this critical step, youll never have another chance to sell to these people.
 
Here are four irresistible products or services to help prospects make the critical decision to visit your website and give you their email addresses:
 
 Special reports. Dont confuse special repots with newsletters. These are 3-5 page reports on a special topic. They should include your own insights that prove you are the expert.
 
 Quizzes. People love to take quizzes. Create quizzes that have 10 yes or no answers. Design questions so people will see their pain. This sets you up as the expert who has products and services that can help them. Heres a great site that features a quiz. http://kisstheorygoodbye.com/quiz/quiz.php. Take the quiz and then see how Bob Prosen leads you into learning about his book.
 
 Free 15-minute consulting sessions. When offering free consulting ser ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/1779/Sales-Lead-Generation-TipsHow-to-Build-Your-HyperResponsive-Prospect-List.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/1779/Sales-Lead-Generation-TipsHow-to-Build-Your-HyperResponsive-Prospect-List.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>How to Give Great Media Interviews</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[

By Leslie McKerns--McKerns Development

As a Publicist and writer, I am constantly called upon to interview subjects for magazine feature and news articles. People always ask me, can you get me published? What they are really asking is, why would the news or feature magazines want a story about me? 

Magazines want a story when it is lively, unusual, informative, educational or entertaining and follows the format that the publication uses and the public reads. Before you are interviewed for a print publication, do some advance preparation.

Here are five top tips I can share on what will make your interview outstanding and contribute to a great article.

1.	Take responsibility for giving a great media interview. Know exactly what you would like to get across to the reader. Practice steering your interview back to your central topic with bridging statements. Bridging statements are used during the interview when you sense that a reporter is veering off course from your chosen message. Examples of bridging statements are, I think your readers would be interested to know, that reminds me of a similar issue, let me just add that, I think youll agree, another relevant point is, you are correct in that, but I think Id add. 

2.	 Send the interviewer advance information. Include background information on you and your topic. If you know something particularly interesting about the subject, share it in your notes.

3.	Be interesting. Use colorful, lively and descriptive wording. Think about the central theme of your article and craft one or two quotes that you can weave into the interview. If you dont know how to be interesting, study how other people provide great interviews. Start a clip file and review it often. Think about your work or the information you want to share with the media. What comments could you make that are a lively take on the issues? What unusual or informative perspective can you share? What stories, incidents or statistics back up your  ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/1775/How-to-Give-Great-Media-Interviews.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/1775/How-to-Give-Great-Media-Interviews.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>You know referrals are important. How do you get them?</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[For any Realtor, referrals are the lifeblood of business. In fact, the highest compliment a client can give a Realtor is their name and number to a friend or family member who is looking to buy or sell. But the reality is, unless a Realtor keeps his or her name in front of their clients on a repeated basis, even the best-intentioned client can simply &amp;quot;forget&amp;quot; to pass on the contact information.

So, what is the best way to stay on top of clients' minds? There are many methods to use. Here are just a few.

Send out a monthly newsletter, either online or through the mail. The newsletter should be less about the Realtor, and more about the market. Most homeowners are interested in what's going on in their local market, even if they did just buy or sell. So, fill the newsletter with information the reader will find interesting and pertinent, but not too technical. Include mortgage information as well, but don't go overboard. Then change the direction and talk about cultural events taking place in the area, new restaurants that have opened, holidays coming up, and then turn it back to real estate and highlight any new listings. The idea here is to remind the client that their Realtor is still in business.

An online newsletter is easier to manage and more cost-effective than sending it through the mail.  Having said that, however, does not mean that sending it through the mail is a bad idea. The best delivery mechanism depends on the Realtor, the client base, and how the Realtor likes to communicate.  

Another great way to keep in front of clients is to send clients greeting cards on particular milestones such as right after closing, six months later, one year later, birthdays, anniversaries, etc. Sounds pretty basic but most Realtors do not do this. There are a few companies out there that enable a user to simply shop for a card online, type in the message, click a button, and they will take care of everything else - printing the card, addressing the  ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/1756/You-know-referrals-are-important-How-do-you-get-them.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/1756/You-know-referrals-are-important-How-do-you-get-them.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Establishing Your Identity on the Internet</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[If part of you business plan is to brand your name on the Internet, investigate if some else with your same name is already well established.  Vary your name to create a unique name that will have very little competition on the search engines.

If your business plan involves establishing a personal identity on the Internet, this requires some advanced planning.  You say, &amp;quot;I am who I am so why do I have to plan who I will be?&amp;quot;  Good question.  But let me give you an example - myself, John Howe.

As part of my business plan, I decided that I would become established as an expert on the Internet dealing with the Boomer generation. I launched off on that quest.  All was going well for a while until I googled &amp;quot;John Howe&amp;quot;.  I found that the first several Google pages were full of information on John Howe, but alas, it was not yours truly.

The John Howe who occupies the first several pages of Google is an illustrator from Vancouver, BC, Canada.  He is best known for his illustrations based on J. R. R. Tolkien's worlds (Middle-Earth).  His website is http://www.john-howe.com.   He was the lead illustrator for the very popular &amp;quot;Lord of the Rings&amp;quot; Trilogy.

You know the old saying, &amp;quot;If you are going to have to fight a battle, choose your own battlefield&amp;quot;.  Well, my parents took care of that for me by giving me two middle initials.  V and W.  When people ask me what it stands for, I keep a straight face and tell them, &amp;quot;Volkswagen&amp;quot;.  Actually it is Vernon Wallace.  My parents were Canadian and having two middle names is more common in Canada than in the US.

Anyway, I chose to adopt the full name, John V. W. Howe as my Internet Name, since that sets me apart.  I even had to go through special procedures with some sites (Ezine Articles, etc.) to ask them to go back and change my registered name from John Howe to John V.W. Howe.

It was worth the effort since if you google &amp;quot;John V W Howe&amp;quot; you will find that  ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/1747/Establishing-Your-Identity-on-the-Internet.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/1747/Establishing-Your-Identity-on-the-Internet.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Shows Through The Eyes of a Sales Professional</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Face-to-face contact is more important than ever in today&amp;amp;rsquo;s business ever changing business environment because, among other things:
&amp;lt;ul&amp;gt;&amp;lt;li&amp;gt;Most products, services and solutions are perceived as commodities&amp;lt;/li&amp;gt;&amp;lt;li&amp;gt;Mergers and acquisitions which have:&amp;lt;ul&amp;gt;&amp;lt;li&amp;gt;Customers wondering &amp;amp;ldquo;Who am I doing business with anyway&amp;amp;hellip;&amp;amp;rdquo;&amp;lt;/li&amp;gt;&amp;lt;li&amp;gt;Employees wondering if they have a job, and how to best do it&amp;lt;/li&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/ul&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/li&amp;gt;&amp;lt;li&amp;gt;Most customers can&amp;amp;rsquo;t define their best suppliers&amp;amp;rsquo; 	current capabilities&amp;lt;/li&amp;gt;&amp;lt;li&amp;gt;Most employees can&amp;amp;rsquo;t properly answer the question &amp;amp;ldquo;Tell 	me a little bit about your company...&amp;amp;rdquo;&amp;lt;/li&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/ul&amp;gt;  When you combine these points (and the many others that can be made about our evolving global business environment), it&amp;amp;rsquo;s no wonder that salespeople are stereotyped as disliking shows. The stereotype conveys, among other things, salespeople don&amp;amp;rsquo;t:
&amp;lt;ul&amp;gt;&amp;lt;li&amp;gt;Want to be at the show or event because it&amp;amp;rsquo;s a waste of time;&amp;lt;/li&amp;gt;&amp;lt;li&amp;gt;Have time to staff an exhibit and do all of the other things that 	need to be done;&amp;lt;/li&amp;gt;&amp;lt;li&amp;gt;Want to invite their customers because their competitors will be 	there; and  	&amp;lt;/li&amp;gt;&amp;lt;li&amp;gt;Ever get any good leads (in their territory).&amp;lt;/li&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/ul&amp;gt;  
Like most stereotypes, this one isn&amp;amp;rsquo;t necessarily true. More and more, salespeople and sales managers are recognizing that shows and events have evolved from marketing events into marketing and sales events and are the one and only time many prospects and customers will ever have face-to-face contact with anyone from your company. Shows and events as sales activities are, more than ever, the most cost-effective and time-efficient way to:
&amp;lt;ul&amp;gt;&amp;lt;li&amp;gt;Create sales opportunities with both existing and new customers;&amp;lt;/li&amp;gt;&amp;lt;li&amp;gt;Diff ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/1743/Shows-Through-The-Eyes-of-a-Sales-Professional.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/1743/Shows-Through-The-Eyes-of-a-Sales-Professional.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Marketing &amp; Business Development Questionnaire, Diagnose your Needs II</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[

By Leslie McKerns
McKerns Development
[URL=http://www.freewebs.com/mckernsdevelopment]http://www.freewebs.com/mckernsdevelopment[/URL]

Use this questionnaire to diagnose your marketing and business development needs. Then assign a simple formula and rating system to fix it.

Directions: As in Part One, thoughtfully and completely answer all questions. There are no right or wrong answers. If you are not currently doing something on this list, it does not mean that you must start. It does mean that you can use this questionnaire to diagnose your marketing and business development needs.

Assessing the Success of Your Current Marketing and Business Development Program

1.	Do you have satisfied clients, customers or patients?
 
2.	Have you captured this business success with written or filmed testimonials? 

3.	Can you name two or three problems you solved for your satisfied business clients, customers or patients? 

4.	Are these services highly marketable to future clients or customers?

Your Competitors

1.	Name three of your major competitors. Why have they been successful in your target markets? 

2.	What have these competitors done that you do differently?
 
3.	Can these differences give you an advantage or define a niche?

You and Your Staff

1.	What is the style and working manner of your office? Is this an advantage in your potential market?

2.	Do your clients come to your office, or do you go to theirs? Are you able to conduct a tour of your office? 

3.	Do you have plans, models, work in progress, videos or other material of high interest that you can show a prospective client?
 
4.	Do you have open houses? When? 

5.	Have your ever done a joint open house with sub-consultants, complementary firms, other disciplines or even vendors?

6.	What would get your guest list to attend your open house?

7.	Do you and your staff regularly explore objectives, goals and marketing opportunities? 

8.	Are all parties responsib ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/1741/Marketing--Business-Development-Questionnaire-Diagnose-your-Needs-II.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/1741/Marketing--Business-Development-Questionnaire-Diagnose-your-Needs-II.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Marketing &amp; Business Development Questionnaire, Diagnose your Needs Part I</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Use this questionnaire to diagnose your marketing and business development needs. Then assign a simple formula and rating system to fix it.

By Leslie McKerns
McKerns Development
[URL=http://www.freewebs.com/mckernsdevelopment]http://www.freewebs.com/mckernsdevelopment[/URL]

Directions: Squint your eyes tight and reach frantically for sand (to bury your head). Or, you could thoughtfully and completely answer all questions. There are no right or wrong answers. If you are not currently doing something on this marketing and business development list, it does not mean that you must start. It does mean that you can use this questionnaire to diagnose your marketing and business development needs.

Your Current Marketing &amp;amp; Business Development Program

Describe (in one or two paragraphs) your current Marketing &amp;amp; Business Development Program (who, what, when, where.)

How many of the following elements apply to your marketing and business development program?

1.	Our company has and follows a written Marketing Plan &amp;amp; Calendar of Action.

2.	Our company has collateral material (brochure, job sheets, catalog sheets, flyers) pre-printed and assembled by category of potential interest. 

3.	Our company has elements of collateral formatted and able to be tailor-made each time we need to reach a new audience. 

4.	Our company has an effective and active website. The website is updated with new content on a regular basis. The website hits are monitored, leads tracked and contact information gathered. 

5.	Our company has and maintains an active database of contacts. The database is current and updated often.

6.	Our company database is regularly analyzed for effectiveness. How are potential contacts reached? How often? With what results?
 
7.	Our company participates in the communities where our office and business is located. How?

8.	Our company leaders attend conferences and provide outreach such as speaking engagements and seminars. Whe ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/1740/Marketing--Business-Development-Questionnaire-Diagnose-your-Needs-Part-I.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/1740/Marketing--Business-Development-Questionnaire-Diagnose-your-Needs-Part-I.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>5 More Marketing Tips to Increase Sales</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Use any of these proven techniques for marketing to increase sales.  Entrepreneurs, Consultants and Business Developers can find additional information by visiting http://www.sellingadifference.com

Selling Tip #1:  Get Referrals

Valuable content is the only way to get quality referrals and quality leads.  Include e-mail a friend or tell-a-friend invitations with all outgoing correspondence.  You can include messages like this in the signatures of e-mails, at the bottom of articles, in newsletters and in your blog.

Because you are close to your genius solution and know all the ins and outs of its application, do not assume that your target market knows what to do with it.  Ask for what you want.  Spell it out for everyone.  If you want referrals, ask for them.  Put the referral-generating process at the forefront of your audiences mind.

Selling Tip #2:  Create an Opt-In List

Like all marketing you do, make it easy for your valued customer to do what you want.  Create a system that does not require much time or thinking to participate in.  People are busy and if a process becomes too long or cumbersome, theyll be moving onto something else.  You can create opt-in lists for your newsletters, regular article features, reports, advice, etc.

Selling Tip #3:  Start an Affiliate Program

Affiliate Programs are similar to getting referrals, the difference being that you actually pay commissions from revenue that is generated as a result of a referral.  The great thing about Affiliate Programs is that you only pay when you get a sale.  There are people who make great livings simply from affiliate commissions.  Aligning yourself with some fantastic promoters is a great way to reach thousands upon thousands of people.

Selling Tip #4:  Hold Seminars

When marketing your seminar to a targeted audience, try using a real invitation sent in an envelope through the mail.  Curiosity usually gets the better of people when theyve just received an invitation thro ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/1738/5-More-Marketing-Tips-to-Increase-Sales.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/1738/5-More-Marketing-Tips-to-Increase-Sales.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>5 Tips To Increase Exposure &amp; Gain Credibility with Your Target Market</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Below are some useful marketing tips that you can implement immediately to increase your exposure and gain credibility with your target market.

Tip #1:  Have your company website appear in the top 10 lists of search engines by using a careful linking strategy

For your company to appear as one of the top ten in a www.google.com search, for instance, you can first start by searching for your company.  Go to www.google.com and enter in some key words that would bring visitors to your own site.  Make a note of the companies that appear in the top ten list to research their linking strategy.

You can also research industry-relevant sites.  For instance, my target market includes professionals who sell and market service-based businesses. Rather than just researching sales training, I can research the specific industries that my target market comes from as well.  I could research recruiter training, recruiter resources, consultancy training, consultant resources, entrepreneur resources, etc., etc., etc.

Once you have compiled your Top Ten Lists, use a free service like www.alexa.com to research who these companies are linking to, who is linking to them, how much traffic they are receiving and related-sites information.

When you have this invaluable knowledge, research the websites that you are interested in.  For example, how many links appear on each page and where would yours be positioned?  Is your link going to appear at the bottom of a long list or at the top of a short list?  If youre looking at reciprocal linking, is the site relevant to your audience?  You dont want to lose credibility by linking to any old site.  It must provide value to your target market.

Once you have decided on which sites you would like exposure on, craft a reciprocal link proposal.  To make it easy for these sites to accept your offer, let them know that you have already added their link to your website and why you have done so.  This is your opportunity to praise their out ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/1732/5-Tips-To-Increase-Exposure--Gain-Credibility-with-Your-Target-Market.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/1732/5-Tips-To-Increase-Exposure--Gain-Credibility-with-Your-Target-Market.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>7 Steps Any Solopreneur Can Use to Build a Winning Brand</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Copyright (c) 2007 Mary Foley

What does your brand say to your customers? What, you don't have a brand because you're a solopreneur; a one-woman shop? Ah, but you do. If you have business, you have a brand, whether you realize it or not.

Think of some of the world-wide brands we experience every day - Target, Dell, and BMW. Just mentioning these names conjures up a feeling, doesn't it? For example, when you thought of Target you may have felt a bit light and happy because of their upbeat commercials. When you thought of Dell you might have thought &amp;quot;They're a friendly computer company. I could see myself buying a computer from them.&amp;quot; Or, when BMW crossed your mind, perhaps the image came to your mind of your hands intensely gripping the sterling wheel of the &amp;quot;Ultimate Driving Machine&amp;quot; while your foot is seriously on the accelerator as you swerve around tight-in corners. Oh, the feeling of power under your feet!

When someone says your company's name, people get some kind of immediate gut feeling, too. Something goes through their mind - That's your brand.

The question is, &amp;quot;Is it working for you?&amp;quot;

Your brand is the experience your target customers have while interacting with you. If their experience evokes a strong, positive emotional response, then you've got a great brand. Why? Because customers buy from emotion and back it up with their head. If your customers have trouble remembering your name when you're not actually in the room then you need to work on your brand.

Creating a brand isn't just for the big companies; it's for companies of all sizes because we're all fighting for attention from our target customers. Here are seven steps any solopreneur can use to building a winning brand:

Step 1: Rekindle Your Passion - Why did you start your business? What really brings you satisfaction when you're working with your customers? Tap into your passion about your business and let it resurface. Therein lies the essential ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/1715/7-Steps-Any-Solopreneur-Can-Use-to-Build-a-Winning-Brand.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/1715/7-Steps-Any-Solopreneur-Can-Use-to-Build-a-Winning-Brand.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>The Marketing Formula That Produces Profits</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Copyright (c) 2007 Mary Foley

You start your own business to find fulfillment, flexibility, and freedom - and to help others. You know you have a terrific product or service. You're talented, and passionate about what you're offering. But how are you going to get customers?

One word: Marketing.

Most businesses start with a drive and passion for what's being offered - the Field of Dreams &amp;quot;if you build it, they (customers) will come&amp;quot; approach. The excitement you feel about your products and services will just jump out at your prospects and have them knocking down your door, right? If only it were that easy.

It can be that easy - in fact, it's as easy as 2 + 2 = 4.

It's called the Marketing Formula. This simple formula has the power to bring customers pounding on your door.

The Marketing Formula: I + E + E + D = Profit$

I = Interrupt Get their attention, wake them up. &amp;quot;May I have your attention?&amp;quot; This is typically done through the headline.

E = Engage Excite their curiosity, build a case for your offer. &amp;quot;Now that I have your attention, here's why you should keep reading.&amp;quot; This is done through the sub-headline.

E = Educate Give them the information to decide, including specific and measurable results they can expect from your product or service. &amp;quot;Give me the evidence as to why your product or service is any better, or any worse, than anyone else's.&amp;quot; This is done through the body copy.

D = Decide Call them to action with an offer that gets the attention of anyone even thinking of buying what you're selling. &amp;quot;Tell the customer what you want them to do.&amp;quot; This is done with your offer.

Marketing may seem like art, but it's really much more of a science.

You can have a gorgeous ad with terrific, eye-grabbing graphics, but if you don't interrupt and educate your customer and spur her to a decision once you've got her attention...well, you've got a nice piece of art for your office wall, but y ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/1714/The-Marketing-Formula-That-Produces-Profits.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/1714/The-Marketing-Formula-That-Produces-Profits.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>5 Key Lessons I Learned From Working at AOL About Creating a Brand</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Copyright (c) 2007 Mary Foley

After 10 years of forging my career at AOL during their rise to global dominance, I consider myself corrupted. The lessons I learned there are seared onto my brain. And, thankfully so, because I've used everything single one in building my own business.

One huge lesson I learned was about BRANDING. By 1997, AOL was the number one online service, but the lead wasn't so huge that Microsoft's new MSN service couldn't take it away. If AOL was going to continue to bust open and take a huge lead, we needed to do something a bit different. Enter COO Bob Pittman. His first, foremost, and I believe, most valuable, thing he ever did was to insist that the company get serious about creating a brand. Not simply a well-known company, not a recognized logo, but a brand, something that evokes a strong emotion, that's incredibly attractive, and that people want to stay attached to.

We started to get deliberate about creating a brand. Everything we did - from look and feel to marketing to customer service to pricing to online content and more - communicated several tenants of the AOL brand: easy, affordable, and useful. It worked. By the year 2000, AOL was a $7 billion dollar company with 23 million members and a wide lead in the top spot.

When I left AOL and started Bodacious! Ventures, I took everything I learned about branding and applied it to my new business. Here are five key lessons about creating a brand that you can use for your own business:

1. Every company has a brand. The question is, &amp;quot;Is it working for you?&amp;quot; Creating a brand isn't just for the big companies; it's for companies of all sizes. We're all fighting for attention from our target customers. If you don't create a brand, then you risk not being remembered and not being emotionally attractive. Both are a prerequisite for sales.

Ask Yourself: What is my brand? Is it working for me? Am I willing to make changes if needed?

2. Your brand must evoke a strong ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/1713/5-Key-Lessons-I-Learned-From-Working-at-AOL-About-Creating-a-Brand.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/1713/5-Key-Lessons-I-Learned-From-Working-at-AOL-About-Creating-a-Brand.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Top 5 Marketing Tips for Busy Executives </strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[I have a favorite financial radio show--Dave Ramsey. He answers questions by saying, If I woke up in your shoes, here is what I would do. Now I am going to say the same thing to you busy executives that do not have the time to market your business. 

Number One thing I would do if I woke up in your shoes and did not have the time to market my business: I would fire my less than ideal clients, and replace them only when you find clients that energize and inspire you, and most importantly, clients with whom you do your best work. This is based on marketing guru, Michael Port s Red Velvet Rope Policy as outlined in his popular books and lectures. 

Number Two: I would do the same with any staffer or individual who saps your energy and your productivity. Fire and replace them only when you find stellar individuals who bring more to the table than they take away. This method assumes that you understand that in any relationship, both must benefit. 

Number Three: I would hire an independent publicist and provide that person with an overall understanding of my brand, what I am trying to achieve with my business and where I see it in five years. I would give the publicist 12 (one per month) ideas for stories and press about my firm that I think will get the attention I deserve while promoting the true core nature of my business. I would schedule a meeting per month via the internet to review ideas and see progress.

Number Four: I would find four key steps to building trust and credibility; once you build trust and credibility, business will follow. The four areas can be with your clients, with your staff, with your associates and complementary business contacts and with your community. The action steps can be to find ways that you can interact and impact these groups; while you benefit them, you will benefit yourself and your business.  Brainstorm trust and credibility on a daily basis. What makes you trust and believe your chosen leaders? What activities can you p ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/1703/Top-5-Marketing-Tips-for-Busy-Executives.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/1703/Top-5-Marketing-Tips-for-Busy-Executives.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>8 Powerful B2B Sales Lead Generation Techniques To Reach The Sale Prospects</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Most of the fastest growing B2B companies do not rely solely on just one sales lead generation method. They have a complete arsenal of sales lead generation tools at their fingertips, that they can use at ay given time.
 
Here are my eight proven B2B sales leads generation techniques gleaned from helping over 170 B2B companies reach their sales prospects:
 
1.  Sales lead generation using relationship marketing  
 
Relationship Marketing is the approach underlying all of the sales-lead-generation-success methods. Relationship marketing simply refers to cultivating a personal, sales-winning relationship with your prospects. Its about developing longer-term relationships with customers rather than individual transactions.
 
During my 20+ years of experience in B2B sales lead generation, I've discovered the key to picking up sales others leave on the table is to keep in touch with your prospects via a series of ongoing communications and offers throughout your prospective customers' consideration processes. 
 
2. Sales lead generation through complementary partner referrals 
 
By joining forces with complementary partners, you can instantly multiply your sales lead generation pool and make it easier for companies to engage in doing business with you. Out of all the sales lead generation programs available to you, complementary partner referral programs can generate the highest qualified B2B sales leads.

3.  Sale lead generation using search engine optimization and Internet marketing strategies

Business buyers are more sophisticated and getting harder to reach than ever. Studies show that about 90% of business buyers start with research on the Internet, therefore its critical to have a well-tuned sales lead generation program that includes search engine optimization (SEO)/Internet marketing strategies to attract prospects at the beginning of their buying cycle.  
 
4.  Sales lead generation via telemarketing
 
Even though many people despise the th ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/1700/8-Powerful-B2B-Sales-Lead-Generation-Techniques-To-Reach-The-Sale-Prospects.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/1700/8-Powerful-B2B-Sales-Lead-Generation-Techniques-To-Reach-The-Sale-Prospects.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>IT Marketing:  Should Blogging Be on Your B2B Marketing To-Do List?</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[For the past few years, you've heard so much about blogging that you're reluctantly concluding that now might be the time to join the parade.  Yes, blogs do have a place in the IT marketers arsenal, but only under the right circumstances. 
 
Blog Basics 
 
A blog is a personal diary. A daily pulpit. A collaborative space. A political soapbox. A breaking-news outlet. A collection of links. Your own private thoughts. Memos to the world.  Your blog is whatever you want it to be. There are millions of them, in all shapes and sizes, and there are no real rules. 
 
In simple terms, a blog is a web page made up of short, frequently updated articles, or &amp;quot;posts,&amp;quot; arranged chronologically like a journal. New stuff shows up at the top, so your visitors can read what's new. Then they comment on it or link to it or email you. Or not. 
 
Since blogs were launched, almost five years ago, they reshaped the web, impacted politics, shook up journalism, and enabled millions of people to connect with others and have a voice on the Web. 
 
Should You Blog or Shouldnt You
 
The reason you probably know the definition of &amp;quot;blog&amp;quot; is that blog readership is high among IT professionals like you. In August 2006, IT information-search company KnowledgeStorm surveyed 4,500 of its registered users, who are typically IT professionals. Of those surveyed, 80 percent said they read blogs, including 18 percent who read them daily and 33 percent who read them weekly. Keep in mind the percent of IT professionals that read blogs is dramatically higher the overall percentage.
 
While there are millions of blogs online, including my own B2B Marketing Blog, consider that Pew Internet &amp;amp; American Life Project reports that only 39 percent of Internet users read them. Before you decide to enhance your brand image and awareness with a blog, make sure your target audience is among the 39 percent of Internet users who read them.
 
I recommend considering blogging if and only ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/1699/IT-Marketing--Should-Blogging-Be-on-Your-B2B-Marketing-ToDo-List.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/1699/IT-Marketing--Should-Blogging-Be-on-Your-B2B-Marketing-ToDo-List.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Content Doesn't Matter if You Don't Want Traffic to Your Site</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Im afraid youve heard the truth too many times already.  Content, content and more content is what you need to get traffic to your site.  But, of course, its not just any content.  First of all, it has to be valuable content.  Not just yack-yack.  Whos really going to come back for more of that?   Secondly, the content should apply to whatever you sell or offer.  

Heres three quick tips on using content for your home business:  

1. Use content to gain repeat visits to your site.  Please dont sink your head in the sand.  Its true.  Find all the freebie places to advertise, but it will never be as valuable as spending your time researching and writing worthy content for your site.  If you have a direct sales company website, then make it a priority to create your own website.  Dont wait!  Youll be missing out on an opportunity to brand yourself, collect leads, and add your own content to your site.  Add valuable content that will get your visitors begging for more.   Here are three ways that you can start:

*Include informational articles on your site.  The main purpose of internet users is still to find useful information.  You dont have to be a professional writer.  Simply do some research on your subject,  place your information in a decent order and make it sound interesting by letting your personality shine through as if you were talking to your best friend.  We usually offer our own friends valuable information with enthusaism and even have fun telling our view. 

*A monthly newsletter is a great way to offer content. Be sure to include your newsletter sign up on each page.  Entice them with all the goodies they will get or information they will learn from your newsletter.  Tempt them even more by offering a free ebook, report or ecourse.

*Drawings and contests can be considered content for your site as well.  Make them fun and interesting. Hold a free drawing each month if you can.  People love to win prizes and this is a timeless promotion that wi ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/1695/Content-Doesnt-Matter-if-You-Dont-Want-Traffic-to-Your-Site.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/1695/Content-Doesnt-Matter-if-You-Dont-Want-Traffic-to-Your-Site.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>How to Write Ad Copy That Sells</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[In our fast-paced society we all want quick results, delivery now, quick customer service, overnight shipping, etc. Why is that? The reason is simple -- &amp;quot;Time Is Money!&amp;quot;

Picture this, a website with class &amp;quot;A&amp;quot; graphics, a beautiful flash menu, video with sound and all the bells &amp;amp; whistles. Now imagine this beautiful website without any physical words at all. How many sales do you think it would make?

Rudyard Kipling once said, &amp;quot;Words are, of course, the most powerful drug used by mankind.&amp;quot; Words make us laugh, cry and fall in love. Words have started wars and ended them. Same thing holds true when writing ad copy for your web site. The words you use have the power to positively explode your sales, or completely terminate them.

Great copywriters of the advertising age have given us tested formulas for the mechanics of writing effective sales copy. Attention-getting headlines, body copy which appeals to your readers' emotions, and benefit-laden bullet points. You must answer the question &amp;quot;what's in it for me?&amp;quot; While you're at it, don't forget to build credibility, ask for the sale, offer a bonus and finish with a P.S. that reiterates the call to action.

You write the ad copy but something is still missing. What you may have left out is the importance of style and delivery. Great copywriters, like great musicians, have practiced their delivery for years, honing their skills to razor sharpness. Like a Les Paul guitar in the hands of Eric Clapton, an accomplished copywriter's skilled delivery requires more than just an intimate knowledge of the basic fundamentals.

What about the rest of us? What if I need to make sales NOW? Here is a secret that will speed you on your way to writing effective copy every time:

Make use of these words in your ad:

1. &amp;quot;Fast&amp;quot; or &amp;quot;Quick&amp;quot; 2. &amp;quot;Guarantee&amp;quot; 3. &amp;quot;Limited&amp;quot; 4. &amp;quot;Easy&amp;quot; or &amp;quot;Simple&amp;quot; 5. &amp;quot;Testimonial&amp;quot; 6. &amp;quot ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/1687/How-to-Write-Ad-Copy-That-Sells.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/1687/How-to-Write-Ad-Copy-That-Sells.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Marketing Your Business Opportunity Online: How Do I Adapt To the Internet?</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[The way we market  business opportunities  is changing rapidly. From VOIP, video conferencing, email support, telephone answering services, and of course... the almighty Internet. As small business owners, we are faced with hundreds of decisions our elders never had to contend with.

Some keep hearing from other home business opportunity associates that Internet marketing is the greatest method of increasing business and building a foundation for repeat customers. The only problem is that you may be a beginner and have just learned how to send emails, let alone learning about SEO, web design strategies, content analysis, auto responders, pay per click, ROI, etc.

The question is do you hire a Internet marketing company or do you learn how to do it yourself?

Investing time into your company is what we small business opportunity owners do best but, in many cases, when it comes to learning new marketing methods we quickly open our wallets to anyone out there who seems like the right person to help with the situation. This is the worst possible decision you can make.

Diving into the Internet marketing community with your wallet open will result in a disaster if you aren't properly trained on how to spend your money wisely. The key is definitely not to hire an SEO (Search Engine Optimization) company to take your money and attempt to promote your business opportunities behind your back. Instead, try finding someone who offers you their &amp;quot;training services&amp;quot; so you can train yourself or someone within your organization to learn more about what is required online, how much effort it entails, and what pitfalls to avoid.

As a business owner, if you blindly search online and pick a company to assist in online marketing, you really have no idea what you could be getting yourself into. There are no secrets to promoting your business online, only a lot of hard work. That being said, anyone with a computer can easily learn how to get their company high search ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/1686/Marketing-Your-Business-Opportunity-Online-How-Do-I-Adapt-To-the-Internet.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/1686/Marketing-Your-Business-Opportunity-Online-How-Do-I-Adapt-To-the-Internet.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Marketing To Women: What You Desperately Need to Know to Reach &amp; Engage Wom</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Women as consumers are different from men as consumers in so many ways! Men are more direct-driven to their destination goal, while women meander and enjoy the journey.  Women are multi-taskers and jugglers trying to stay in control while working hard at many different things in their life.
 
As a healthcare marketer, you must first understand women as healthcare consumers. You must know why health and wellness is important to them in their multi-dimensional roles as consumers, caregivers, career women and community leaders.   Gone are the days when most women were stay at home moms or at least similar in their life paths and stages.  Todays women are interested in health for a variety of reasons that relate to their multi-dimensional lives.   
 
Here Are My Top 4 Essential Strategies to Reaching and Engaging Women as Healthcare Consumers:
 
1.  Involve women in co-parenting or creating your messages with you.
 
Informal, interactive research providing springboards for spontaneity helps create a more transparent, empowering and compelling messages your audience (women) wants to hear and trust. This is one of the most intuitive, and most effective marketing to women strategies. Remember, women love to share ideas, spontaneous feelings, dreams, fears an most of all information. Todays women are seeking information and readily sharing what they have read in health or self-help books, womens magazines and on the Internet. 
 
To create a dynamic exchange of information and ideas and to maximize spontaneity, host these natural gatherings in settings such as coffee lounges, spas and wellness centers, living rooms and restaurants. You may even want to create a mini TV talk show and discover salient issues that can propel your marketing efforts and build your business.
 
2.  Position your health, lifestyle or healthcare message in a womans peripheral vision.
 
Neither a full frontal attack nor splashy, expensive product or service-focused advertising will captu ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/1664/Marketing-To-Women-What-You-Desperately-Need-to-Know-to-Reach--Engage-Wom.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/1664/Marketing-To-Women-What-You-Desperately-Need-to-Know-to-Reach--Engage-Wom.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Proven Strategies for Improving Your Alexa Rank</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[After spending two years building my own website, I was very disappointed that my Alexa ranking was still higher than one million. Alexa ranks each website based on the number of visitors it receives. The top ranked website, Yahoo! has an Alexa rating of 1 or 2. Less popular sites could be ranked up to 5,000,000.

In order to improve my Alexa rating, I spent about three weeks combing the web to find tips, secrets, and proven strategies for increasing my Alexa ranking. Unfortunately, many of the sites offering advice didn't even have a high ranking themselves. Finally I discovered a number of sites ranked within the top 100,000 that were all applying the same &amp;quot;Alexa techniques&amp;quot; to improve their ranking. I've begun implementing a number of these techniques and have improved my Alexa ranking by 250,000 spots in just one week.

Here's what you need to know. The basis for many of these techniques is the fact that your Alexa ranking is based reach and page views. However it only counts those who visit your site and have already downloaded the Alexa toolbar. Anyone can download the toolbar for free which is automatically added to your browser and tracks the sites you're visiting. Increasing visits from those who do not have the Alexa toolbar installed will not help your Alexa ranking.

I've summarized the 7 strategies that I've discovered and applied to my own website to increase my Alexa ranking. Apply these strategies to your own website and see your ranking climb towards the top.

1. Download the Alexa toolbar and use it every day to visit your own website. Alexa even gives you the ability to co-brand the toolbar with your own logo and give it away. You can download the toolbar here: http://pages.alexa.com/prod_serv/associatetoolbar.html

2. Use Alexa redirection whenever you can. No matter when or where you provide a link to your website, be sure to use the equivalent Alexa redirect URL. For example, when providing a link to my website, I use http:/ ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/1638/Proven-Strategies-for-Improving-Your-Alexa-Rank.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/1638/Proven-Strategies-for-Improving-Your-Alexa-Rank.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>The Secret Weapon Every Savvy Exhibitor Should Use</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[It's time for a visualization exercise. Are you ready?

Picture this:

You're standing, with your booth staff, in your exhibit at a large tradeshow. This is one of the best shows you regularly participate in as it attracts a sizeable number of your target audience. Your team is prepared. Your display looks terrific. You've got interactive demonstrations, you've sponsored a speaker, and your giveaway items convey your marketing message, appeal to your target audience, and are in plentiful supply.

Looks good, right?

There's something in this scene, something I haven't mentioned yet, that could make it all even better. Something that will not only boost your ROI, but will create that most vital of marketing tools.

What is it?

It's a secret weapon that's more than come of age. In fact, it's been around since the beginning of time but only now is it realizing its full potential. This build up and suspense is all about &amp;quot;word of mouth marketing&amp;quot; and how you can use it to your advantage on the tradeshow floor.

I've recently read Seth Godin's Flipping the Funnel, and it really brought home the concept of how underutilized tradeshow attendees are as a marketing tool. Attendees are more than prospects and contacts: they're a potential sales force, just waiting to be tapped on your behalf.

According to Godin, we should:

Turn strangers into friends.
Turn friends into customers.
Turn then ... do the most important job
Turn your customers into sales people.

Why?

Why would you want to recruit a whole bunch of amateur salespeople, you might ask, when you already have a perfectly competent, fully trained professional sales team? After all, you've spent considerable resources recruiting, training, and retaining your current team. Isn't that enough?

Frankly, no. Regardless of how big your sales force is, there's no way they're going to be able to connect with every person who might be interested in your products and services. Even working  ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/1629/The-Secret-Weapon-Every-Savvy-Exhibitor-Should-Use.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/1629/The-Secret-Weapon-Every-Savvy-Exhibitor-Should-Use.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Bring on the Baby Eyes</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[They say, &amp;quot;you can't teach an old dog new tricks&amp;quot; -- but if that old dog is an experienced exhibitor, he'd better learn some new tricks to stay alive in today's competitive tradeshow environment!

Recently, I had a range of experiences that brought home the importance of going to every tradeshow with 'baby eyes' -- with an open mind and willingness to consider everything about your exhibit from a number of different angles.

What are 'baby eyes'?

If you've ever spent any amount of time with a baby, you can't help but notice the way they view the world. Every single thing around them -- every object, every person, even every shadow on the wall -- is not only worthy of attention, they're downright fascinating.

Babies are fascinated by everything because it's all new. They've never seen it before -- and they lack discernment. Without a frame of reference, babies have no way to tell if they should pay attention to the fuzzy stuffed animal or the crinkly wrapping paper it came in.

That's true, but there's another aspect that's well worth considering. When a baby looks at something for the first time, they really see it as it is: free from any preconceived notions, and without any baggage. Additionally, babies are blissfully unaware of what other people think. They view new things not only free from their own expectations but free from the expectations of everyone they know.

What does this mean for tradeshows?

Eventually babies stop viewing everything as new, exciting and wonderful since this is a survival mechanism. After all, if we were constantly stopping to admire everything that caught our fancy, we'd never manage to do those tasks necessary for survival. Focus is imperative, especially for people who want to Get Things Done.

This is especially true at tradeshows. There are so many stimuli -- bright colors, attention grabbing signs, loud noises, crowds, vivid displays, interesting people -- that it's easy to get overwhelmed and find yo ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/1628/Bring-on-the-Baby-Eyes.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/1628/Bring-on-the-Baby-Eyes.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>No Brainers: 27 Low or No-Cost Ways to Improve Your Next Tradeshow</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[There are lots of ways to improve your team's performance at tradeshows. From snazzy new displays to intensive training to rewards and incentives for top producers, it's difficult to even count the myriad ways What's not difficult is to realize that some of these improvement methods come with hefty price tags.

Don't despair. There are many ways to pump up performance without breaking the bank. In fact, I've collected 27 low or no cost ways to improve your next tradeshow:

1. Research the show BEFORE you commit: Does it attract a large number of people from your target audience?

2. Give yourself enough time: Planning and preparation for a major show can take 12-18 months.

3. Involve top management in the planning process. You'll get better results from your team if they know upper management is supporting their efforts.

4. Send e-mail reminders to loyal customers and strong prospects before the show, urging them to stop by your booth.

5. Define goals and objectives for show participation.

6. Share these goals and objectives with your booth staff. They can't achieve your goals and objectives if they don't know what they are.

7. Plan for security as needed: you don't want expensive prototypes or demo models 'walking away'.

8. Brief your team on common tradeshow espionage practices and how to defend against them.

9. Send enough people to ensure adequate booth coverage throughout the show.

10. Give each booth staffer a specific role, with job expectations clearly spelled out.

11. Stress the value of friendly greetings, polite manners, and appropriate body language.

12. Take the time to familiarize your team with the lead collection technology you'll be using before the show.

13. Make sure at least some of the people going to the show are prepared to answer technical questions.

14. Send friendly, personable people with a genuine enthusiasm for your company, its products and services. These may not be your most senior people: mak ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/1627/No-Brainers-27-Low-or-NoCost-Ways-to-Improve-Your-Next-Tradeshow.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/1627/No-Brainers-27-Low-or-NoCost-Ways-to-Improve-Your-Next-Tradeshow.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>What To Do When You Can't Find That Perfect Prospecting List</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Imagine youre implementing a B2B prospecting campaign. You know your target decision maker is employed in virtually all companies, but you simply cannot find a list of names with your prospects title. Believe it or not, this happens more often than not.

So, what do you do? Do you buy a list of CEOs, owners, and presidents?

Or, do you incur the time and expense of calling each company to find the right person in charge of your product or service?

A Case Study: Lets take a real example of a program we at VSA implemented for a security-type service. Our client wanted introductions to decision makers at specific companies, but the names and titles for these decision makers were not available on a ready-to- purchase list. And, when we researched further, each company housed the decision maker in a different department: the security department, IT, operations, or the manufacturing plants, and so on. So, we couldnt even purchase a list of heads of IT, for example.

We decided to implement a phone and mail campaign over the course of a year, targeting multiple people at multiple levels within each company. We wanted the CEO and other C-level executives to learn our clients name and service offering. We also wanted to reach the manager-level individuals because they were close to the decision making process for our clients service. After our initial set of mailings, we made follow-up phone calls to the recipients. Any time we learned of a better contact we included these individuals in future mailings, so our list became increasingly focused.

This dual-pronged approach  mailing/phoning the C-level executives AND manager-level decision-makers  proved effective.

The best people to target from a selling perspective were the manager-level individuals in immediate need of our clients service.

However, since our client had little existing name recognition and was entering a high-profile market where C-level executives needed to approve the purchase, targeting ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/1609/What-To-Do-When-You-Cant-Find-That-Perfect-Prospecting-List.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/1609/What-To-Do-When-You-Cant-Find-That-Perfect-Prospecting-List.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Prospect List Predicts Success</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Do you know what the biggest predictor of success for your prospecting program is?

YOUR PROSPECT LIST!

Sales courses and sales writing  theyre of vital importance. But, if you cannot reach the right decision-maker, then these other tools are almost wasted efforts  and money.

Here are two case studies  where the list made all the difference between success and failure.

Client A is an established, successful firm who really knows its market.

The executives know that the best prospects for them are manufacturing firms primarily with male employees of a certain age group. They know the range of employee size, and the decision makers title.

In the past year, this client has come to VSA several times. At the clients request, VSA ordered prospect lists that fit the exact criteria our client wanted  not an entirely quick task, but one well-worth the effort. This kind of list can be ordered at virtually any list broker, but requires asking the right questions and scrutinizing the list delivered by the vendor.

Then, the VSA calling team began dialing for Client A.

We spoke to a real human being at nearly each prospect firm - a rarity in today's world of voicemail! Our rate of appointment-generation was excellent.

Our client visited prospects and made multiple sales, generating a significant return on investment.

Client B is a start-up firm, with no track record.

This client had previously hired a west coast firm, who didnt quite understand the market, to help them build a custom-list of prospects. This list was comprised of businesses with recent property damage because our client wanted to finance the repairs. The list included the apparent decision- makers names, telephone numbers, and addresses. What more could we ask for?

The VSA team began dialing for Client B.

We soon discovered something very interesting. Because of the property damage, most telephone numbers were disconnected, and few had forwarded numbers. When we found a fo ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/1608/Prospect-List-Predicts-Success.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/1608/Prospect-List-Predicts-Success.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Building Brand Awareness: 7 Ways To Educate Customers</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[The business world has long recognized the value of creating a recognizable and clearly defined brand. From top business executives to entrepreneurs striving everyday in their communities, and from traditional corporations to the Internet, building brand awareness is the most significant marketing practice today. Iit always will be as consumers continue to seek out their favorite brands.
 
Your customers are navigating a bewildering range of channels and feverishly marketed products before making a purchase decision. We are so bombarded by product brands that we are barely conscious of them much of the time.
 
In order to compete in todays cluttered marketing environment, businesses need access to Americas future customers. They need to start building brand awareness in the classroom before buying and brand loyalty patterns are set.  
 
Here Are My Top 7 Ways To Educate Customers In The Classroom &amp;amp; Simultaneously Build Brand Awareness 
 
1. Distribute product literature and/or give free product samples to learning institutions.  Learning institutions are usually open to learn about business products that would enhance and add value to what is being taught in the classroom.  
 
2. Establish information/demonstration booths in the classroom. The classroom information/demonstration booth will allow students to interact with your companys product and provide ongoing information to potential customers as they develop their own buying power. Your conversion rates will be much higher due to the education that is available to the students. 
 
3. Give free training on the use and benefits of the product.  This is a perfect opportunity to give students hands on training, and teach them about your products value.
 
4. Encourage educators to include information about your product or services in a curriculum guide. This one tip has the potential to multiply your market base nation-wide.
 
5. Offer a contest that empowers students to buy and use your product.  ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/1594/Building-Brand-Awareness-7-Ways-To-Educate-Customers.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/1594/Building-Brand-Awareness-7-Ways-To-Educate-Customers.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Relationship Marketing in 2007</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[A cliché in the motivational speaking business is that 'the definition of insanity is to continue doing the same thing and yet expect a different outcome'. Corny as it is, it applies as much in relationship marketing as anything else. And if we want our businesses to continue developing, growing, becoming or remaining a success, it's vital that we re-look why we're doing what we do, and how we're doing it.

When I'm conceptualizing a proposal, report, talk, workshop, negotiation or a presentation, I ask myself, 'What's my objective?' Having done this for a long time, I know that it simplifies and fast-tracks the entire process. When I know the objective, I can test any element, thought or material against that objective or desired outcome for either inclusion or exclusion. I do this by asking myself, 'Will this take me towards the accomplishment of my objective?' If the answer is no, then however appealing, novel, innovative or whatever else the item may be, it either gets ditched entirely or gets put on hold in the project 'parking lot' for later re-consideration. You have to be that rigorous in your self-discipline.

The analogy for the objective-driven approach is a wagon-wheel. The objective is the hub of the wheel. Only when you've decided on it with crystal clarity, can you start putting the spokes in place. Often people will make decisions about elements for inclusion without first being clear on the objective. The outcome from the process is then usually fuzzy at best or confusing at worst. If the spokes (content elements) are selected on a rigorous 'does this fit with objective?' basis, then the customer, consumer or client perceptions, behaviour and responses are likely to revolve around them in the desired or intended fashion.

OK, so what's all of this got to do with relationship marketing 2007? Quite simply, it's going to be helpful before you start planning or implementing what I'm going to call RM (relationship marketing) activities for 2007, t ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/1590/Relationship-Marketing-in-2007.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/1590/Relationship-Marketing-in-2007.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Sacks of Money to Burn on Marketing and Advertising?</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Do you have sacks of money to burn on your marketing and advertising? All of the small businesses that Ive come across say they dont. Yet there are a good number of small businesses that have held their own marketing and advertising budget bonfires.

How does this happen? A conclusion Ive come to is that many small businesses burn sacks full of money in advertising with miserable results because they just dont understand the core basics of how advertising works.

A common mistake made by many small businesses is doing &amp;quot;a little bit here, and a little bit there&amp;quot;. Heres an analogy to think about. Have you ever been around someone who never finishes a full soda or drink before opening another one? You know the ones. The people who have several partly empty/full bottles or cans scattered around their work area or home. If we could visualize the small business that advertises a little bit here, and a little bit there, that's what they would look like.

When a business does a little bit here, and a little bit there they are ignoring a basic rule of advertising which is to have a concentrated message in an area, medium, or market thats most important to them. The small business owners who fall into this trap usually are the ones who become the most discouraged about advertising. Ive heard them say, Well, Ive tried everything, but nothing seems to work. From here on out, Im going to rely on my sign out front, and word-of-mouth advertising. By doing so theyve made the problem worse by making another mistake of removing themselves from the market and allowing their competition to have it all to themselves. The solution isnt to withdraw. The solution is to dominate or concentrate the message in one area, medium, or market thats the most important to the business with what can be afforded. And you don't add another medium until you can afford another &amp;quot;full one&amp;quot;.

Another full one? Yes, fill one glass full before you add another one, and fill that one ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/1583/Sacks-of-Money-to-Burn-on-Marketing-and-Advertising.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/1583/Sacks-of-Money-to-Burn-on-Marketing-and-Advertising.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>10 Trade Show Thanks for the New Year</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[To start out the New Year, we gave thanks for the people we love, the things we enjoy and made the obligatory resolutions for the New Year.

Now, lets get practical and give thanks to the people who make our industry function, make us look good and help us make money.

1. We thank the Show Sponsor who has the marketing vision and takes the financial risk to put on the event. Without both the will and the way, there would be fewer successful shows.

2. We thank the Show Organizer who, with the Sponsors vision and financial support, puts all the pieces together, draws the contracts, supervises the nitty-gritty and gets us all through the door for the show and out again.

3. We thank the Exhibitors who invest time, money and manpower to present their products to the world in this unique environment. Its how we find out whos who, whats what and become attuned to whats going to happen in our industry.

4. We thank the Attendees who also invest time, money and manpower to attend the trade show and who look, listen and learn about our firms. With the golden hope that Attendees beget Leads beget Clients, we give them much thanks.

5. We thank our Exhibit Managers who make it all go so smoothly. These detail wranglers handle minutia with a smile and professionalism unfathomable by most marketing types.

6. We thank the Exhibit Designers who take our many ..but I think... and I wanna... and turn them into dynamic, attention-grabbing and profitable conveyors of the right image at the right time.

7. We thank the Unions - yes, we do - for their dedication to their crafts, their ability to take boxes and cases and crates, and make them the magic we need for the show - and then pack it all up again.

8. We thank the Freight Folks, from the local courier to the big guys in trucks, trains and planes. We appreciate their understanding of time critical and fragile, and we especially thank them for customer service courtesy and online tracking. Bah Humbug to those wh ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/1552/10-Trade-Show-Thanks-for-the-New-Year.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/1552/10-Trade-Show-Thanks-for-the-New-Year.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>How Does a Trade Show Work? - Understanding the Four Components</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Is a trade show confusing? &amp;quot;It certainly can be,&amp;quot; says Julia OConnor, president of Trade Show Training.

OConnor says her firm estimates there are more than 175,000 trade shows in the US each year and each show can be dynamically different from another. Whether the show focus is Business-to-Business Marketing, Business-to-Business Sales or Business-to-Consumer, these are the four basic components of every event:

1. There is a Sponsor

2. There is a Manager

3. There are Exhibitors

4. There is an Audience

THERE IS A SPONSOR ...

This may be a trade association, magazine, show management company or other organization, but there is one party responsible for developing and sponsoring the event. The sponsor takes the financial risk that the event will be successful.

You sign the contract with, and pay your money to, the sponsor of the event. The sponsor decides if your company fits the criteria established for the show, including size of your booth and location. Some shows allow you to pay your money and select your booth site. Some shows use a point system with criteria, such as how often you advertise in its magazine, if you're a member of the association, or how many years you have exhibited at this show. Shows may have waiting lists, which means if you sign on and are allowed in, you may have no choice of location.

If you have any questions about the show, contact the Sponsor.

THERE IS A MANAGER ...

Smaller events may be handled internally by staff of the sponsor, or may be contracted out to a specialized firm, generally referred to as Show Management. Large events have a contracted show management firm.

Show Management is responsible for the all the details - the day-to-day and hour-by-hour running of the show. In turn, management will sub-contract for components of the show, and will designate official contractors, including unions, for such items as labor, electrical, catering, cleaning, flowers etc.

Show Management's r ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/1551/How-Does-a-Trade-Show-Work--Understanding-the-Four-Components.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/1551/How-Does-a-Trade-Show-Work--Understanding-the-Four-Components.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>The Only Thing That Really Matters In A Network Marketing Opprotunity</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[The only thing that really matters with regard to making money in network marketing in THE SYSTEM!!!

I define system as: &amp;quot;The series of steps that a person must go through in order to recruit the necessary number of people to start making some money&amp;quot;

The problem is that most of the time the &amp;quot;series of steps&amp;quot; necessary for someone to achieve success are not simple, nor are they easily duplicated

Below is an excerpt from the piece I wrote back in 2005, this should shed a little bit of light on the problem:

---Start Excerpt

It is important that anyone reading this understands that there are a lot of companies that have come close to developing an actual &amp;quot;turn-key&amp;quot;, &amp;quot;hands-off&amp;quot; system but not a single company has actually succeeded (at least to the best of my knowledge).

Let's back up for a second and let me make one thing very clear. The problem with most Network Marketing companies is that they sell people on their product and compensation plan, but when it comes down to having an EASY way for members to &amp;quot;introduce&amp;quot; their business to others; virtually every company drops the ball. Or what's worse, these companies tell people what to do but the tasks are not easy.

My definition of easy is something that can be done without a lot of effort and with the brain capacity of a 5 year old. We also have to consider the fact that while some things may seem easy, they are in actuality NOT. What's easy for Mike may not be easy for Mary. So what we have to do is develop a set of tasks that ALL people will find EASY. Or even better yet... develop just ONE task that ALL people find easy and have that one task set in motion everything else that will result in new members signing up for the program. (This is called automation!)

A person must be able to accomplish this ONE task easily, quickly, and immediately after signing up for the program. Also, there must be no room for human error when accomplishing this ta ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/1506/The-Only-Thing-That-Really-Matters-In-A-Network-Marketing-Opprotunity.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/1506/The-Only-Thing-That-Really-Matters-In-A-Network-Marketing-Opprotunity.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Back Door Into Google?</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Let's face it, everybody in internet marketing, whatever their business or interest, is trying to get their web site into Google.  I can't say that I blame them.  It can be difficult to even get your page into Google in the first place, much less get a good page ranking once you are in.  In fact, the standard technique of submitting your web site directly to Google may be one of the LEAST effective and speedy ways of getting your site indexed and listed.

When you submit your web site to the Google search engine, it may be days, weeks, or even months before your web page is added, and it may be even longer before your entire website is indexed.  You have little or no apparent control over how quickly your site is indexed, but you can have some possible control over how quickly your web page is added to the search engine data base.

You will read all sorts of articles listing &amp;quot;ways&amp;quot; to get your web page in Google initially.  If you read carefully, you may see that they all boil down to one salient point.  In order to get at least an initial web page into Google, you need links from other web sites.  One point overlooked by many people is that these can be free sites that you have designed yourself, but, like any site that you are trying to use as a back door, they need to be already indexed by Google, they need to be visited regularly by Google, and the higher their page rank within Google the better.  Therefore, if you want to use sites of your own to help increase the speed of getting into the search engine, you are going to have to do a little bit of leg work on that first.  However, once a site has been created and is re-indexed regularly, adding links to new sites and pages can be one way to break into the big time with those sites and pages.

Anytime you want a site to appear in Google, you want it to also have a good page rank and placement in the results.  Most of this comes back to good old search engine optimization (SEO), but that is anothe ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/1488/Back-Door-Into-Google.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/1488/Back-Door-Into-Google.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Testimonials with Impact</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Like many aspects of running your coaching business, getting valuable testimonials is part art, part science. The science is in how to make the request. The art is in working with your clients to craft a useable testimonial.

Time and Space = Valuable Real Estate
When I first began my business, I felt lucky to get any kind of testimonial. As I began to market products and workshops, I realized that text space and the prospects time are limited commodities. In marketing, streamlined language is essential.

Why is less more in marketing? Because as consumers, our attention span is short and many marketing messages are coming at us all the time. The only exception to the less is more rule in marketing is the &amp;quot;slippery slope&amp;quot; - those long sales pages for products. (That's for another ezine.) For a testimonial to compel a prospect to buy, the prospect must:

1. Want to read it.

2. Believe the author is a real person.

3. See themselves in the author - the same challenges, the same goals.

4. See the concrete results the author received from your product or service.

Read This!
It's a scientific fact that most people read only 10% of what's before them, so as marketers we must make it compelling to read what we put before our prospects. That means:

- Short paragraphs.

- Text stacks of 5 lines or less.

- Word-smithed sentences with imperative language.

- Get to the most important points quickly.

- Appropriate grammar and punctuation.

Believe Me!
Prospects will believe your testimonial is from a real person if you:

- Show a picture of the author next to the testimonial.

- Have the author's name and either state, company name or title at the end.

- Have an audio version along with a short written version.

Relate to This!
You know what your prospects biggest challenges and goals are. Ask your clients to speak to those in their testimonial. It won't be a stretch for them.

Buy Me!
To buy your services, your prospect ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/1483/Testimonials-with-Impact.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/1483/Testimonials-with-Impact.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Claiming Clients</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[I'll bet that right now you know anywhere from a dozen to hundreds of people who would buy your coaching services -- if only they knew your services existed and you were willing to ask them to hire you.

Yes! Build a website, publish a bi-weekly ezine, network, create teleclasses and workshops directed at your target market. Those actions will build your pipeline full of future clients. And, you could possibly have a full practice right now if you approached the people you already know and asked them to hire you! This is called claiming clients.

Believe in Yourself and Your Services
Claiming clients is a tried and true high touch approach to business. Every day, serious business people go out and claim clients. I know, because I've hired many of them. For me, the decision to hire was three-fold: 1. I admired them for contacting me directly and asking for my business. 2. I emotionally connected with them as human beings. 3. I perceived value in their services.

Why did I perceive value in their services? Because they showed me through their actions and their way of being that they themselves valued their services. But, if they hadn't asked for my business, it's unlikely I would have hired them.

The best example of claiming clients is the President of Coach U, Sandy Vilas, took 60 people out for coffee in sixty days to establish his first 60 coaching clients. He had fun and profited highly from his effort. And those clients kept referring more, so his marketing was done in 60 days. We can all do this. It's a matter of attitude.

If you're not comfortable claiming clients, set a developmental goal to get comfortable. Make it a game and start now!

- Set big intentions for your game. For instance, set a goal to give 20 sample sessions and get 20 clients in the next month. Increase your network ratio every day. The network ratio is the # of people you've asked for business divided by the # of people you know. If that number is under 1, it's time to get mov ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/1481/Claiming-Clients.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/1481/Claiming-Clients.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>55 Reasons To Send Out a Press Release</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[When should you send out a press release? You want to know my acid test? If it's newsworthy and if it's useful to the reader. It's that simple.

There are many factors to weigh when considering the need to send out a press release. As a publicist I have sent thousands of releases over the years and while there are no hard and fast rules, the most important factor is that you've got to make sure it's newsworthy and useful to the reader. Any thing else and it's just a waste of time for the members of the media.

A good press release can accomplish a lot of things too. It can be used to announce information to the public, your investors, the media, your customers and even your competitors about you and your activities. To help my clients determine whether something is newsworthy I compiled a list of fifty-five press release ideas I give to them to get their ideas flowing about their own businesses. Some are for general consumer media and some may not apply to all business types.

1. Announce a new service.

2. Announce a new product.

3. Tie in with a national holiday, a birthday or anniversary. 

4. Report a new study of your own and your analysis or forecast.

5. Tie in with a controversy by commenting on it.

6. Co-op an event with the media.

7. Utilize a national survey or study to your benefit.

8. Announce your exhibit at a trade show or convention.

9. Commission a survey and report the results.

10. Write a white paper and announce its availability at your web site.

11. Create and promote a special event.

12. Use a current news event to frame your release.

13. Host a seminar and announce the information discussed.

14. Announce an upcoming speaking engagement.

15. Schedule a speaking engagement at the local library... for free.

16. Make reprints of speeches available at your website.

17. Create a contest and offer a prize that's newsworthy.

18. Pricing and policy changes.

19. Patents and trademarks.

20. Liti ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/1469/55-Reasons-To-Send-Out-a-Press-Release.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/1469/55-Reasons-To-Send-Out-a-Press-Release.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Hire a PR Firm... Before You Need One</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[How can a company or individual know if it needs to hire a public relations/marketing firm?

There are many factors to weigh when considering if you need to hire outside help to obtain the public relations, media relations, marketing boost, promotional or advertising assistance needed to take your company to the next level.

If you aren't completely certain after debating the pros and cons ask these questions:

Are we getting all the PR we deserve?

Is our competition getting more than their fair share of media coverage?

Would media coverage bring more business to the firm?

Do we have a PR strategy for continuous year round media coverage?

Is our in-house &amp;quot;PR person or department&amp;quot; overburdened with &amp;quot;in-house&amp;quot; work like the company newsletter?

First of all, let's define a PR firm, some people interchange a PR firm with a marketing firm, or marketing agency, or even an ad agency. Basically a public relations firm handles media relations and is the interface between a company and the news media.

A public relations firm or publicist will &amp;quot;pitch&amp;quot; the media on a story idea involving a company, invention or author. A good pitch about a story that would interest the people who read, watch or listen to a particular media outlet gets coverage.

Many larger companies rely on in-house staff trained in public relations or marketing while others hire PR consultants or publicists to handle their PR campaigns.

Joe Nicassio, author of Guerrilla PR Brand Manager, says whether a company should conduct its public relations, marketing or advertising campaigns internally or externally should be determined by these factors&amp;quot;

Do you NEED solid, consistent media exposure week after week, or are you satisfied with &amp;quot;occasional&amp;quot; exposure?

Do you have the internal staff and expertise to commit the internal resources to your public relations, marketing, advertising efforts?

If you have the internal staff, and they u ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/1468/Hire-a-PR-Firm-Before-You-Need-One.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/1468/Hire-a-PR-Firm-Before-You-Need-One.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>How to Market Your Business During Your Lunch Hour</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[As a publicist and marketing expert I've worked with a number of doctors, lawyers, entrepreneurs and authors in their marketing efforts. I've used practically every form of marketing method from public relations and advertising to internet marketing and direct mail. You name the medium; I've done it... that includes banner towing planes, hot air balloons and highway billboards. But when you're the owner of a small business and captain of your own ship, money is tight and every minute counts so you need to maximize both time and money to the fullest. So, looking at an area that most people just slough off, I am here to tell you how to Market Your Business During Your Lunch Hour.

I've come up with a few things you can do over the lunch hour to promote your business. Here we go:

1. Never have lunch alone. Network with top execs, current clients, people who can influence others, everyone from the pastor at the church to the head of the Chamber of Commerce. Make a list and keep your lunch calendar full. Let's face it, everyone has to eat lunch and if you're buying most people would eat with anyone!

2. Write one article a week. Everyone has expertise on certain subjects related to their field. Write a 600-1000 word article about a focused topic. First come up with a list of topics you want to write about. Then set a goal to have them completed by a certain date; one a week works for me. If you don't have time, hire a ghost writer (you still get to put your name on it). Where do you find a ghost writer? Check your local newspaper; chances are there's a writer who'd like to pick up some extra cash. Can't work with someone so close to home, go two towns away to that community's newspaper. Or, check out this online resource at: www.writeittight.com. Then publish the articles on the internet using sites like www.arrivenet.com. Why should you go through all this trouble? It's simple. People search online for the solution to their problem or for someone or something tha ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/1465/How-to-Market-Your-Business-During-Your-Lunch-Hour.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/1465/How-to-Market-Your-Business-During-Your-Lunch-Hour.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Seven Tips to Get on a Panel at a Conference</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Admit it. You've been to an industry conference and you look at the people on the panel and you wonder, &amp;quot;How in the heck did 'that' guy get on the panel? I could do that.&amp;quot;

Well, you're not alone. Like getting asked to the Junior High Dance you can wait to get an invitation or get aggressive and make it happen. As a publicist I am often asked to get a client on the convention dais and as a result I've got couple of tried and true tactics that really work.

Here are seven tips to help you land that panel gig...

1. Bring a big name to the party. If you have little name recognition organize a panel around a topic and call in a favor from Bill Gates or other notable friend, client, customer or vendor by creating your own panel. Pitch the &amp;quot;ready made&amp;quot; panel, which includes yourself of course, to the conference organization. They have less work, and you get more editorial control over the discussion. Big names draw big crowds. All conferences like big names.

2. Create a catchy title: Even if you have a big name on your panel, an unexciting panel title and no mention of the big name will not be as interesting to the conference planner. Take a page out of the entertainment industry. Would people rather watch &amp;quot;Desperate Housewives&amp;quot; or the same program titled &amp;quot;Five Bored Housewives on Wisteria Lane?&amp;quot;

3. Make a promise. Tell conference planners what prospective audience members will learn and what they will take away from the presentation in the copy describing the program. For example: Tell them they will learn to do X, Y &amp;amp; Z and will be able to implement something tangible in their own business or practice.

4. Offer to promote the conference. Tell conference planners you'll promote the convention to the prospective conference goers. This helps drive more people to the conference and they will surely like that. You can offer to promote the event using: * A PR campaign to industry and consumer media. * A direct mail p ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/1464/Seven-Tips-to-Get-on-a-Panel-at-a-Conference.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/1464/Seven-Tips-to-Get-on-a-Panel-at-a-Conference.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>My Favorite Books on Book Marketing and Promotion Every Author Must Read</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[As a book marketing guy and book publicist it's imperative for me to keep up with all of the great books and magazine articles being published on the topic of book marketing.

I've read dozens and dozens of books on book marketing and usually have found a morsel or two of useful information in each one. Here's a list of my favorites. By the way, I've personally met or have spoken to each author and can attest to the veracity of the material they present and their credentials to discuss these topics.

PyroMarketing. Book marketing professionals know the secrets of success that drove the sales of Rick Warren's The Purpose Driven Life to a chart-busting best-seller and Mel Gibson's &amp;quot;The Passion of the Christ&amp;quot; into a huge cinema phenom. Those of us in the business understand that sales of both blockbusters were driven by techniques outlined in a book called PyroMarketing by Greg Stielstra who gained fame in book publishing circles when he served as the marketing director for The Purpose Driven Life, the best-selling hardcover book in history.

PyroMarketing embraces an idea that really has been in use for some time - niche marketing. That tool is well-known and used every day by book promoters but Stielstra lays out the niche marketing principles with a new, crystal clear message that is so compelling that it is a must-read for anyone who wants to promote an idea, service or product. Buy it at: www.pyromarketing.com

The Web-Savvy Writer: Book Promotion with a High-Tech Twist This is an excellent &amp;quot;how to&amp;quot; book on the ins and outs of online book promotion and publicity focusing on the latest technology. Author Patrice-Anne Rutledge is a bestselling author, successful technology journalist, and online book promotion expert who has utilized online marketing techniques extensively to promote her books and writing career. Patricia plows new ground filling the gap in the book promotion marketplace with her highly focused book on bringing technology ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/1463/My-Favorite-Books-on-Book-Marketing-and-Promotion-Every-Author-Must-Read.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/1463/My-Favorite-Books-on-Book-Marketing-and-Promotion-Every-Author-Must-Read.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Navigating the Radio Advertising Landscape for Maximum Performance</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[&amp;lt;em&amp;gt;Understand Fourth Quarter Hazards to Maximize Profit and Strategic Advantage&amp;lt;/em&amp;gt;

Like all mediums, radio has various structural characteristics that make certain times of the year more or less favorable for advertising performance. Knowledge about these aspects of radio advertising is of tremendous value in maximizing campaign profitability and achieving long term success.

Don't Miss Q1
The first quarter is nearly always the best quarter of the year for radio advertising performance, mostly because of factors that lead to an abundance of inventory supply. That oversupply forces radio outlets to be aggressive in pricing their inventory. As a result of this dynamic, Q1 is always an important time of the year. You want to &amp;quot;get while the getting is good&amp;quot;, so to speak, and Q1 is certainly that time. Strategically speaking, Q1 is also a time when campaigns can either grab a foothold or be displaced by a competitor who has come well-prepared to do battle.

So how do you make the most of the favorable conditions in Q1? The most important thing is to make sure that you've spent Q4 testing and refining both media and creative variables so you can be very aggressive when the first week of the new calendar year arrives. Most importantly, you want to avoid going into Q1 with &amp;quot;tired&amp;quot; creative.

Challenges in Q4
However, while Q1 is one of the best times of the year, Q4 is one of the most challenging. In Q4, a number of factors combine to increase demand for radio advertising, which reduces the quantity of inventory available and sets a higher bar for remnant rates. October marks the start of the political season, when political groups advertise heavily leading up to the mid-term elections. In November, we experience the fall TV sweeps when the TV networks and local stations look to radio advertising to draw viewers in an effort fatten their ratings. Then Thanksgiving marks the beginning of the holiday season, a period that extends  ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/1462/Navigating-the-Radio-Advertising-Landscape-for-Maximum-Performance.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/1462/Navigating-the-Radio-Advertising-Landscape-for-Maximum-Performance.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>The Fundamentals of Direct Response Radio Advertising</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Direct response radio advertising, at its core, works in the same way regardless of what type of business you are in. Whether you own a direct-to-consumer model business, a retail business, a web business, or some combination thereof, direct response radio advertising can help you grow. And grow profitably. The fundamentals of direct response radio, then, must start with a discussion of how radio advertising works within the context of a basic business model. The purpose of this article is to convey the fundamentals of direct response radio advertising that apply across businesses.

First, Two Important Concepts

Throw out all you think you know about advertising, radio advertising, and especially direct response advertising. It's best to begin with a clean slate, a blank whiteboard so-to-speak. There are two important concepts I want to introduce before moving forward.

Concept One: Radio as A Highway From Your Business to Your Potential Customers

Think of radio advertising as a 5,000 lane highway from your business to groups (station audiences) of your potential customers. The many lanes on this highway are the many different radio stations and radio networks that are available for you air your radio advertisement. It is on these &amp;quot;lanes&amp;quot; that you send your message to your customers.

The lanes are clustered in such a way that they reach groups collections of customers who have similar tastes and demographic profiles. Therefore, some of these lanes lead to groups that have a high concentration of people who match your target customer profile. As a result, advertising on those lanes (stations) is more profitable than others with a lower concentration of your target customer profile. These groupings are the radio formats, which are used in radio advertising to enhance the efficiency of, or return on, advertising efforts. For more about radio formats, see our summary at http://www.strategicmediainc.com/radio-advertising.php.

Concept Two: Radio  ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/1461/The-Fundamentals-of-Direct-Response-Radio-Advertising.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/1461/The-Fundamentals-of-Direct-Response-Radio-Advertising.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>To Blog Or Not To Blog</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Blogs (or web logs) have been described as online diaries. According to Andy Wibbels, more than 70,000 new blogs are created each day! Blogs can have many purposes. Some people have personal blogs where they share details of their lives. Sometimes, families use blogs to keep each other updated on family happenings. Businesses use blogs to help build relationships with clients and potential clients.

Here are some ways a blog can help your business:

Blogs are typically updated more often than static web sites. Some bloggers update their sites daily, while others go with a weekly schedule, still others have a schedule somewhere in between. There are no formal rules when it comes to posting on your blog. Your posts can be as long, or as short as you want them to be. So, updating your blog will be less involved than updating your web site.

Blogs also offer a more informal style of writing that allows you to build a more intimate relationship with clients and potential clients. When you post to your blog, it's generally a more conversational style. This allows your own individual personality to come through, and for you to really connect with your niche.

Blogs can be a great way for you to get additional exposure for your business. When you set up a blog, you have the option of allowing blog updates to be posted on blog search engines and directories. By choosing this option, you are giving yourself exposure to a larger audience. Blogging can increase your web traffic and your e-zine sign-ups. Blogs also get regular media exposure. Keeping an updated blog that directly targets your niche is a great way to become known as an expert, and possibly gain media exposure.

You can choose to do a blog along with your e-zine, or you can write a blog in lieu of an e-zine. You can also build a community around your blog by allowing visitors to post comments. This will allow you to get to know your audience and allow them to get to know you further.

Blogging is a gre ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/1434/To-Blog-Or-Not-To-Blog.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/1434/To-Blog-Or-Not-To-Blog.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>EVENT, CONFERENCE AND MEETING PLANNING GUIDELINES: 10 STEPS TO SUCCESS</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Every event whether it's a meeting, party, seminar, conference, charity event, or your high school reunion will have common threads regardless of what it is, where it's held, when or why it is happening. The following common threads are found in every organized event. Make sure you plan each of the following steps thoroughly and you are guaranteed success.

1. Plan Your Vision: Your vision is the main reason and focus for having the event? It is a combination of your goals and objectives.

2. Set the Goals and Objectives: A goal is the general purpose of the event that provides a road map for the planning process. An objective is a measurable, attainable target that contributes to the accomplishment of the goal. An event can have one or multiple goals and objectives.

3. Select a Site: Location, location, location! Every event needs a site! Pick the location to match and support your vision, goals and objectives.

4. Create Promotion/Marketing Materials: You must get your message out. You need to get the basic information to the right people in the right amount of time so they know when to show up, where to go, and what to do when they get there. The message could be as simple as the date, time, and location via the telephone or as complicated as a multi page brochure for a multi-day conference with numerous events combined in one event. Or perhaps some major TV advertising and sophisticated website design for online registration.

5. Identify Your Participants/ Guests: Without them, you would not have an event. Whether they are invited guests, paying participants or required attendees, people will be coming to your event. Know your audience and target them carefully.

6. Create the Agenda/Timeline: Whether it is written down or planned, every event has a timeline. There is always a starting point and a finishing point. This is detail outline of the activities. What is happening from hours before the participants arrive to the follow-up when the event is ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/1412/EVENT-CONFERENCE-AND-MEETING-PLANNING-GUIDELINES-10-STEPS-TO-SUCCESS.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/1412/EVENT-CONFERENCE-AND-MEETING-PLANNING-GUIDELINES-10-STEPS-TO-SUCCESS.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>What is Copywriting and Why Is It So Important to Your Business?</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[&amp;quot;There is no harder job in the world than copywriting, yet there is none more rewarding...both financially and emotionally. It truly is the world's best kept secret job&amp;quot;

First of all, there is some confusion about copywriting...let me dispel the most common myth:

What Copywriting is NOT

&amp;quot;Copywriting&amp;quot; is not &amp;quot;Copyrighting&amp;quot;. Copyrighting is the act of securing the copyright on a piece of work. A copyright is just the legal right to reproduce the work.

What Copywriting IS...

Wikipedia, the online encyclopedia defines copywriting or the act of writing copy as:

Copywriting is the process of writing the words that promote a person, business, opinion, or idea. It may be used as plain text, as a radio or television advertisement, or in a variety of other media. I agree with this definition, but copywriting goes much deeper than that...It is both a science and an art.

Where You Can Find Examples of Copy

It's generally used in advertising and marketing and is primarily used to sell goods and services, but it is also is used to communicate with people. You can find it in all ads that you see everyday... That includes: the Internet, newspapers, magazines, billboards and radio...on the package of things you buy, on the back of your milk carton and even the bible! More on that later...

The Problem With Copywriting and Why Its So Important

The act of copywriting is the most mis-understood skill in any business, yet at the same time it's the most important.

Here's why: It's really just words on a piece of paper.

It makes it even more mis-understood when a copywriter asks for thousands of dollars and it only took them a week to prepare it.

But,

When written correctly and sent to the right people, it has been known to turn a mediocre business into an industry giant very rapidly.

Your words, reproduced thousands of times, leverage your message to thousands of people...and it costs only fractions of a dollar per ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/1397/What-is-Copywriting-and-Why-Is-It-So-Important-to-Your-Business.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/1397/What-is-Copywriting-and-Why-Is-It-So-Important-to-Your-Business.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>How to Market Like Warren Buffett - Through the Eyes of An Investor</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Let's take a break for a minute from the flashy TV ads and the phone calls at dinner time asking us to change long distance plans.

Let's put away and forget everything we know about marketing just for a second, just long enough to see it from another angle, because in a minute I want to show you how to look at marketing and investing that will change your life forever.

To start, how do we define the two terms: marketing and investing? Well, investing is defined as &amp;quot;to commit something (usually money) in order to obtain a financial return.&amp;quot; But the word is based from the word investire in Latin, which means &amp;quot;to clothe, or to cover, gain control of something.&amp;quot;

So investing is all about gaining control over something in order to obtain a return correct?

Okay, now let's examine what marketing means. Marketing is defined as &amp;quot;the total of activities involved in the transfer of goods from the producer or seller to the consumer or buyer, including advertising, shipping, storing, and selling.&amp;quot;

But why on earth would someone want to transfer their goods to a consumer?

To make money, to make a profit and to grow larger as a business that's why. At least, that's how it is in a capitalistic society, which I am presupposing.

So, can you see how the two concepts are linked? Can you see how the very act of marketing is also investing?

Now, let's take a page out of the book of the most famous and ridiculously rich investor, Warren Buffett. You know him; he is the king of marketing. He above everyone else, understands how investing and marketing are linked.

What's important about his style of investing is that he doesn't hold the charts, graphs, market capitalization, and the other technical business statistics with the same importance as does Wall Street.

In fact, he snubs Wall Street by looking at the fundamentals of the marketing aspects of a business. Let's examine them; there are only 3 real big ones:

1) He understan ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/1396/How-to-Market-Like-Warren-Buffett--Through-the-Eyes-of-An-Investor.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/1396/How-to-Market-Like-Warren-Buffett--Through-the-Eyes-of-An-Investor.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>A good brand name commands a premium</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[In the long term, the ailing organisation needs to build a strong brand name as it will help to strengthen the companys future prosperity. The American Marketing Association defines a brand as a name, term, sign, symbol or design or a combination of them, intended to identify the goods or services of one seller or group of sellers and to differentiate them from those of competitors.

Customers can only remember a limited a number of brands in their minds. Brands help the customers to remember the products. Thus, when you think of Mercedes, it suggests luxury, success, prestige, fast speed, well engineered, customer service par excellence and good resale value in Singapore. When you think of Volvo, you think of safety, thanks to the solid-as-a-tank bodywork. When you think of Nike, you might think of Michael Jordon or Just Do It. When you think of Hamburgers, you may recall McDonalds, soft drinks, you think of Coke and fried chicken, Kentucky Fried Chicken.

Customers are attached to the loyalty of the brand rather than the companys name. A brand is merely an idea and the only place that it exists is the mind. Logos, tag lines, designs etc are only the physical expression of a brand. Companies with powerful brands can command a price premium and have a competitive advantage. To build the brand name, you need to define an idea that is relevant to your target audience and next develop programs to best communicate the brand message to your target audience.

In very competitive markets such as consumer packaged goods companies, Nabiscos, Quaker Oats, Gatorades are losing their lustre. Consumers are no longer willing to pay a premium for branded goods. Companies with big brands should also focus on building better relationships with suppliers and retailers to improve the supply chain and maximize profits. You just cannot think of selling products. You have to think about selling solutions. This may include ready meals for working mothers, ready to go breakfast bars, ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/1389/A-good-brand-name-commands-a-premium.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/1389/A-good-brand-name-commands-a-premium.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Local Search: Getting More Exposure for Your Business</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[You've got your website, your business cards, your listing in the Yellow Pages, your SEO, but what are you doing for Local Search optimization?

Local and Mobile Local Search evolved because they were market driven. It's how most people search these days. Now you can narrow your online search by location - specific city, zip code, country - whether or not you intend to get in the car and go there.

Local Search is the modern equivalent to the Yellow Pages. I don't know about you, but I haven't picked up the Yellow Pages in 5 years. For a while I stored them in my office to gather dust. Last year's one I threw in the trash immediately. I'm a computer person.

70% of consumers search for local services and products ONLINE. Over 25% of all searches on the engines are looking for local results.

In doing research for this article, I read what others had to say. One article said that people looked online for information &amp;quot;even if they intend[ed] to spend money locally.&amp;quot; Excuse me, EVEN IF? It doesn't matter to me WHERE I intend to buy, I look online ALWAYS.

Now this search method is available on mobile phones.

I consult in offices and I see what the executives and lawyers go through with their hectic schedules, trying to find out where they're supposed to be literally on the way out the door, with the phone ringing.

A good secretary has a packet prepared (what a luxury) but most of the time the boss is yelling on the way out the door, &amp;quot;Which court? Where is it&amp;quot; or &amp;quot;Where's her office? Get me a map!&amp;quot;

Lawyers are big spenders. They also spend more time in a car than you might think. Courts are located where they're located, and sometimes it's easier to drive a couple of hours than hassle a plane trip. Many use that time to get on the phone, and also to get back to their personal lives. I think some opt for driving because of the possibility of peace and quiet. The only time I talk on the phone with a friend of mine who's a b ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/1385/Local-Search-Getting-More-Exposure-for-Your-Business.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/1385/Local-Search-Getting-More-Exposure-for-Your-Business.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Building Your Fan Base</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Copyright 2006 Alicia Forest

Want to build your fan base? Meaning, do you want to attract more clients or customers to you and your product or service? Then build a platform. A platform is media lingo for having a solid base from which to pitch your work. It's about numbers, about how many people know what you do. It's about building your following, that you can use to then build it even more.

So, how do you build your platform? It's not hard ~ here are some tips to help you do just that:

1. Make sure your niche is narrow and solid. Research your target market until you can narrowly define who it is in that market that you are going to focus on. Make sure you get really clear on your &amp;quot;who&amp;quot; and your &amp;quot;what.&amp;quot; Be certain who your ideal client is and what problem you are solving for them. Then decide what you'll call yourself and/or your service/product. Make it a brand. Give it a unique name that will catch others' attention - even if you make something up.

2. Decide on the best web address (URL) for your business. The easiest way to get search engines to like you is to have a URL that has your keywords in it. For example, www.stopyourdivorcenow.com or www.artellawordsandart.com.

It's ok to have a long URL, since most browsers will prompt the visitor to the site after just entering a few letters once they've visited it once. And a lot of people will bookmark the site as well. Besides, it's easier to remember if your URL spells out what it is that you do.

3. Know your market. Your target market is your best source of information for what they need from you to help them solve their problem. Ask your friends and family to become part of your R&amp;amp;D team and use a free survey instrument like Zoomerang (www.zoomerang.com) to gather relevant and very valuable feedback from them to help you better understand their needs and tailor your offerings to those needs. This is undoubtedly one of the fastest roads to building a successful fan base ..]]></description>
      <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/1378/Building-Your-Fan-Base.php">http://www.buildyourownbusiness.biz/post/index/50/1378/Building-Your-Fan-Base.php</link>
    </item>
    
	<item>
      <title><strong>Website Traffic And Search Engine Optimization:  The Domain Name</strong></title>
      <description><![CDATA[Whether for business or personal use, before there can be a website, there must be a domain name, and one of the most important steps of a search engine optimization plan is to pick the right one.  

So what IS a domain name?  A domain name is that thing that people give you when you ask for their website.  TexasToyota.com, for example, is a domain name.  (That's a plug, by the way.  They really treated me nice when I bought my car from them, so I thought I would pay them back a little.  If you don't believe me, look for an article I wrote titled &amp;quot;If Michael Is Selling, I'm Buying&amp;quot;.)  

Some things to consi