Julianne Wish, Member Contributions
An online business thrives and survives based on their traffic. The more traffic you have, the more potential customers you have. And the more customers you have…Yep! The more profits you’ll earn. However, you don’t always want to have to spend an arm and a leg to gain traffic. Here are seven cost-effective ways to increase traffic to your website.
#1 Social networking – Social networking is free. It costs time and energy; however, there’s little else to do on a social networking site except interact. And that’s how you drive traffic. Whether you’re using a Facebook fan page, a Twitter page, LinkedIn or another social networking site, the key is interaction. Create a compelling profile. Interact, share and comment. Then when it’s appropriate, post links to your website and website content. You will drive traffic to your site.
#2 Comment on industry blogs – You’d be surprised to find out how much traffic a blog comment can generate. Subscribe to industry blogs. When appropriate and relevant, comment on new blog posts. Be sure to register with the site and to include a link to your website. Fellow commenters are sure to visit your website, as are other blog readers. It’s a great way to drive traffic. Of course, make sure your comments represent you and your business effectively.
#3 Publish – Publishing is still one of the best ways to drive traffic to your website. Publish on article directories. Publish on other people’s websites. Publish in print and online magazines. And syndicate your website content – this will help it get published all over the web. Each time someone reads something you’ve published, they’ll visit your website.
#4 Blog – Blogging is similar to publishing. However, in addition to posting to your own blog, try to become a guest blogger. Write posts for other relevant blogs. And be sure to link to your website in your profile or author’s resource box.
#5 Giveaways – While the above four tactics are free, giveaways aren’t. You can give away free content like a downloadable report or online course. You can also give away something that’ll generate a lot of attention, like a Kindle or an iPad. Make sure, however, that your giveaway is related to your niche. When you’re giving something away, be sure to promote it. Spread the word on social networking sites. Blog about it. Ask others to share the link.
#6 PPC/CPM – Advertising is not free either. However, if you handle a campaign strategically it can be very cost effective. If you’re using this tactic to drive traffic, make sure you’re sending visitors to a specific page. For example, send them to a sales page or an opt-in page. This way you can track results and keep a tight hold on your budget.
#7 Affiliates – Starting an affiliate program can take time, but it doesn’t have to cost a lot of money. Affiliates can send traffic your direction. You only pay when their traffic results in a conversion. It’s extremely cost effective.
Generating traffic doesn’t have to be expensive. Before you implement any new tactic, create goals and a plan to achieve them. Test and track for success. Repeat any and all successes.
Julianne Alvarez-Wish is a military wife, mother, business owner, professional writer, blogger and legislative advocate. She is the Director of Communications for Our Milk Money, the Colorado State Leader for the National Association for Moms in Business and the owner of Buy By Mom and Buy By Mom Blog. She is the Colorado Springs Stay-at-Home Mom Examiner for Examiner.com. She also blogs at A Wishful Thought. Her passion, purpose and goal is to help parents work from home so they can be home with their children.
Julianne Wish, Member Contributions
Facebook offers a number of business-building benefits. One of the primary benefits Facebook offers is the ability to market your business. You can use Facebook to drive traffic, build awareness and attract attention for a launch. Here are three essential tips for a successful Facebook marketing campaign.
#1 Build a following
Facebook is a social networking site. The best way to build a great marketing campaign is to build a great following. This is accomplished by:
* Interacting with people on Facebook and bringing them into your community. Invite people to friend you or become Fans
* Supporting your prospects through comments, sharing and linking to their sites and informative content
* Offering tremendous value through posts, links and valuable information. You can link to your website and blog posts. Motivate a click by creating a compelling headline and teaser for your post.
#2 Engage and interact
Marketing on Facebook is only effective if your friends and followers feel they can trust you. You earn their trust by engaging with them. They’ll learn to like you and believe in your brand promise if you:
* Provide valuable information on a consistent basis. For example, create a daily tip and post it on your profile or Facebook Fan page.
* Post offers and promotions they can benefit from. For example, you can create a one-time promotion for Facebook Fans only.
* Occasionally entertain. Entertaining can be through sharing stories, videos, links and photos.
#3 Integrate effectively
One of the keys to any successful marketing campaign is integration with your other marketing strategies. When you integrate your Facebook marketing tactics with your other tactics, you’ll receive the best results possible.
For example, you can add a Facebook feed to your website or blog. You can add a “post this on Facebook” feature. You can add a “find me on Facebook” button or call to action to your email signature.
And with many other social networking sites you can integrate your efforts. For example, if you have a Facebook Fan page you can also link it to your Twitter, MySpace and LinkedIn page. You can combine your Twitter and Facebook posts for double coverage.
Facebook can help you build awareness. It can create a community, motivate a purchase and launch a new product or service. Identify your purpose for using Facebook as a marketing tactic. Create goals and embrace these essential tips for Facebook marketing success.
Julianne Alvarez-Wish is a military wife, mother, business owner, professional writer, blogger and legislative advocate. She is the Director of Communications for Our Milk Money, the Colorado State Leader for the National Association for Moms in Business and the owner of Buy By Mom and Buy By Mom Blog. She is the Colorado Springs Stay-at-Home Mom Examiner for Examiner.com. She also blogs at A Wishful Thought. Her passion, purpose and goal is to help parents work from home so they can be home with their children.
Julianne Wish, Member Contributions
Every online and offline business operates through a series of practices. Practices are essentially systems you’ve established to accomplish something for your business. For example, when someone sends you an email inquiring about your products or services, what you do with that email is considered a practice.
How you communicate your practice is considered a policy. Many businesses publish a number of their policies. For example, a return policy or a privacy policy. When you maintain good online business practices and policies, you retain customers.
There are essentially five criteria a policy or practice is evaluated by. It must be:
* Fair and reasonable – Additionally, if you state a policy or a practice you must follow through on it. For example, if you say a client can return a product within thirty days, you must honor that agreement.
* Communicated clearly – Your practices don’t all need to be published on your website. However, they should be communicated clearly when it’s a relevant time to do so. For example, during your shopping cart procedure a customer should be made aware of your return policy. They should also be made aware of your return policy when you thank them for their order and/or when you ship or deliver the product.
* Effective – Your practices should help you accomplish your goals. They should also support and enhance your customers’ overall experience with your company.
* Transparent – Your policies and practices need to be clear and easy for your customers and prospects to find and understand.
* Legal – They need to be legal so you and your customers are protected under the law.
One of the most common practices is your data collection practice and subsequent privacy policy. People want to know how you collect their information and how you protect their privacy. When you make this information readily available on your website and it’s communicated clearly, it’s fair and reasonable and you follow through, you’ll keep customers. It strengthens your relationship with them.
Business Practices Offer Business Benefits
Each practice you create and put into action becomes become part of your business. When your business practices support both you and your customer, your business will run efficiently and effectively. When you miss something along the way, you risk losing customers.
Good business practices support you to:
* Communicate effectively
* Motivate loyalty
* Enhance word of mouth
* Spur positive reviews and feedback
* Generate testimonials
* Operate efficiently
* Profit consistently
Take the time to review your business practices. Do they support your customer to have a fantastic experience? Do they support your success? Are they fair, legal, communicated effectively and honored? When you respect your customer through your business practices, they’ll return again and again. It’s one of the best ways to establish long-term success through customer loyalty.
Julianne Alvarez-Wish is a military wife, mother, business owner, professional writer, blogger and legislative advocate. She is the Director of Communications for Our Milk Money, the Colorado State Leader for the National Association for Moms in Business and the owner of Buy By Mom and Buy By Mom Blog. She is the Colorado Springs Stay-at-Home Mom Examiner for Examiner.com. She also blogs at A Wishful Thought. Her passion, purpose and goal is to help parents work from home so they can be home with their children.
Julianne Wish, Member Contributions
An SEO boost can be invigorating both for your profits and also for your mindset. It’s an accomplishment that can have a serious impact on your business. Here are seven ways to give your website an SEO boost.
#1 Target an easy search phrase – one that has lots of demand and little supply. These phrases are often the phrases that are three or four keywords long. They may begin with “How to” or “Tips for”. Use keyword tools to help you find those unique keyword phrases to focus on.
The reason for targeting these easy search phrases is that you can quickly achieve a top page rank. You can then use these content pages to link to other pages within your website – the pages where you ideally want your traffic to go.
#2 Social bookmark your key pages – Choose a few key pages and list them with social bookmarking sites. Sites like Digg, StumbleUpon and Delicious. Social bookmarking sites create both traffic and incoming links.
#3 Link to your key pages from social networking sites and blogs – Commenting on blogs and participating on social networking sites drives traffic to your site. It can also give you an SEO boost. People may link to your website and specific pages on your website once they learn about your valuable content and information.
#4 Internal linking – Targeting the same key pages, create an internal linking structure within your website to draw attention to these pages. You can identify a keyword or keyword phrase you’re trying to optimize and link to pages that use those keywords.
#5 Write more content on your niche keyword phrase or phrases – Content is ultimately what search engines index. The more relevant content you have, the more value the search engines place on your site. Creating keyword-focused content can give you the SEO boost you’re looking for.
#6 Make sure your existing content is optimized – This is accomplished by:
* Placing keywords in your headline
* Placing keywords in your subheadings
* Placing keywords in your first and last paragraph
* Place relevant and supporting keywords throughout the body of the copy
#7 User-generated content – You can use interactive features to motivate user-generated content. This content can give you a great SEO boost. Look for opportunities to ask for contributions. For example, ask advice and then let people post their responses to your site. (Of course you have full rights and control over the content).
Boosting your search engine optimization takes a goal and a plan. Choose the keywords or keyword phrases you want to focus on. Then embrace these seven tips to increase your ranking for those keywords. Watch your rankings increase and your traffic grow.
Julianne Alvarez-Wish is a military wife, mother, business owner, professional writer, blogger and legislative advocate. She is the Director of Communications for Our Milk Money, the Colorado State Leader for the National Association for Moms in Business and the owner of Buy By Mom and Buy By Mom Blog. She is the Colorado Springs Stay-at-Home Mom Examiner for Examiner.com. She also blogs at A Wishful Thought. Her passion, purpose and goal is to help parents work from home so they can be home with their children.
Julianne Wish, Member Contributions
Think about the people and companies you buy from. You buy from people and companies you like. You buy from people and companies that represent credibility and authority. You buy from people and companies who have created a strong image in your mind.
Your customers buy for the same reasons. They buy from companies that have a strong online brand. Here are five strategies to establish a strong online brand:
#1 Publish off site
Publishing is a wonderful way to establish a brand. Each piece of content you create represents who you are and what you stand for. Your personality carries through in your content. If you publish on other websites, you’re able to reach out and attract more customers. You’re able to develop a strong brand. Publish on:
* Blogs
* Article directories
* Other websites
* Newsletters
* Syndicate your content
And don’t forget offline publications too, including:
* Magazines
* Newspapers
* Journals
#2 Network
Networking, both online and off, helps establish you as a real person. It helps you connect with others in your industry and your community. The more people you connect with, the stronger your brand will grow.
And don’t forget social networking sites. Each interaction, post and comment is an invaluable opportunity to strengthen your brand. In fact, social networking is one of the most effective tools you can use to strengthen your brand.
#3 Be consistent
Consistency establishes a strong brand. If your personality changes from communication to communication, your prospects and customers can become confused. However, if you’re consistently thoughtful, funny, controversial, or serious then your brand will get stronger. This includes social networking interactions, email, articles and content, video and interviews.
It’s one of the most important reasons why you should be your authentic self when branding your business. If you brand your business to be controversial but that’s not your personality, it will be difficult to hold onto that brand image. A small business owner’s brand is most often their personality. It may be emphasized but it’s still uniquely you.
#4 Share
One of the best ways to strengthen your brand is to share. Share a photo or video of yourself instead of a logo or a graphic image. Share stories and experiences as they relate to your topic. Also share your knowledge. Host workshops and seminars. Host online classes. Share information that’s important to you as well. The more people get to know you and who you are, the stronger your brand will grow.
#5 Give stuff away – especially content
Finally, consider giving things away. Everyone likes to get something valuable for free. And you can brand your giveaways. Encourage people to share your freebies with others. For example, you could write an e-book and brand it to you and your business. Give it away for free and encourage others to share it and the information inside. Each person that reads your amazing information will gain a positive image of you and your brand.
There are many strategies to strengthen your online brand to attract customers. Remember that we buy from people we trust and we like. Embrace your unique personality as your brand and apply it to everything you do. You will attract customers naturally through your brand personality.
Julianne Alvarez-Wish is a military wife, mother, business owner, professional writer, blogger and legislative advocate. She is the Director of Communications for Our Milk Money, the Colorado State Leader for the National Association for Moms in Business and the owner of Buy By Mom and Buy By Mom Blog. She is the Colorado Springs Stay-at-Home Mom Examiner for Examiner.com. She also blogs at A Wishful Thought. Her passion, purpose and goal is to help parents work from home so they can be home with their children.
Julianne Wish, Member Contributions, Member Spotlights
After over a decade in autism and early childhood intervention, Brenda retired from a very successful career to raise her now-3-year-old daughter. Her venture into being a mompreneur began as a way to be with her but also provide for her.
1. Please tell us about your business and the service that you provide:
I have two (actually 3) businesses. Aerowyn’s Castle — hair accessories, tutus, custom tees, and much more. Master Signing Time instructor certified to teach sign language to infants, children, families, and educators utilizing the Signing Time curriculum (this one is on hold indefinitely). My newest business is as an Independent Consultant for Rodan + Fields Dermatologists.
2. What motivated you to start your business?
Aerowyn’s Castle began when my daughter was a few months old. She had a TON of hair and we couldn’t afford boutique prices for clips, or rather chose not to spend our money on them. It soon expanded into more items than I can name in this small space. I became a Signing Time instructor because I wanted the full curriculum for my daughter and I figured I’d give the business a shot. Not wanting to schedule weekly time away from her, I never taught organized classes, but have done occasional play dates, etc. It took me a long time to take this plunge into becoming an independent consultant for Rodan + Fields because I made every excuse as to why I couldn’t/shouldn’t. I finally decided to do it because I really needed the products and I found that I was almost instantly profitable. This business provides an opportunity to solidify an income that neither of the other two companies could provide in the same amount of time.
3. What kind of background or expertise do you have in your field?
Everything I make for Aerowyn’s Castle I’ve either taught myself or learned from others I’ve come into contact with. For Rodan + Fields, this is all new to me. I never saw myself in network marketing or any type of sales position. I’m learning every day and what I’m learning most is more about myself and the person I want to be. As far as building and supporting my team, I have a lot of experience in training from my years as an educator and program coordinator.
4. What trends do you see in your current industry?
Aerowyn’s Castle: It seems like everyone is on the tutu/hair bow bandwagon right now and so many vendors have driven the prices down to unsustainable by not accounting for time and incidentals in their prices. I still love making the products, but have come to realize that the income potential is not worth the time away from my daughter. This is why I’m choosing to focus on my skincare business.
Rodan + Fields Dermatologists: I have big goals for this. Anti-aging skincare is projected to double in the next few years and network marketing is an industry that does better when the economy is down. The timing is impeccable for this type of opportunity, especially with this one basically being ground-floor right now.
5. What are the most demanding aspects about your business?
The toughest part of being a work-at-home parent is finding balance. I don’t leave for the office, get my work done, and then come home without it. Then again, even in my old career I always brought work home. Network marketing is foreign to me, so the most demanding part is getting out of my own way and overcoming my fears.
6. What are the most rewarding aspects about your business?
Days like today are why I have my business. In one day I made plans for my good friend and business partner to join me on a trip at the last minute which is a huge step in her personal development, we talked about our dreams for our businesses, I touched base with old friends, worked on fostering new relationships, was able to alternate between calls/emails/research and playing games with my daughter and helping her put her first 24-piece puzzle together, and when she decided to take the all-but-gone nap, I was here for her to crawl in my lap, give me a kiss, give a big yawn, and fall into a peaceful sleep. I then made the executive decision to just hold her while she slept because I don’t know how much longer I’ll get to do that. I also love that I help others realize their dreams as they join me on this journey.
7. What advice would you give to someone interested in starting a business like yours?
Enjoy the journey. You’ll hear people talking about running as fast as you can to the top, etc. and I agree you need to “hustle,” BUT be sure that when you get there, you can look back and enjoy the getting there too. And as most anyone in network marketing will tell you, there are two rules to being successful: Sign up, and don’t quit.
8. What are you most proud of as a parent-preneur?
I’ve never been asked this question, and I’ve been interviewed by several people about being a parent-preneur. I guess what I’m most proud of is me. I’m able to fulfill my desire to be there to raise my family yet I’ve found a way to have a little bit of “me” left. I’d gotten lost there for a while. I had two dreams when I was younger: have a successful career and be a mommy. I’m happy that I’ve found a way to do them both the way I want to do them.
9. How have you been able to balance your time between work and your family?
Still working on that. I did just start using a time tracker for when I’m working on the computer because I found that a) you end up wasting a lot of time doing everything but the project you set out to do and b) I never really knew how much time I spent because I was constantly reading a book, playing a game, making food, helping my daughter with something, etc. in the middle of the project that I felt it took all day when I really only got a solid hour in. I have a few large, time-sensitive projects to complete and then I will be setting more firm work hours with flexible blocks of time to accommodate my daughter’s activities and her career.
10. What has been the most effective way for you to promote and market yourself?
Right now, I’ve been going on word-of-mouth and calling old friends, but I’m working on building my social media outreach.
Finally: What does your “Milk Money” provide for you and your family?
It provides extra breathing room for us while my husband is finishing school and working full-time for free (actually, we pay tuition so that he can work for free). It also gives me back some of my self-confidence and self-worth, occasional reasons to grab some “me” time, and a little less guilt when I decide to splurge on something fun at the store for one/all of us.
Julianne Alvarez-Wish is a military wife, mother, business owner, professional writer, blogger and legislative advocate. She is the Director of Communications for Our Milk Money, the Colorado State Leader for the National Association for Moms in Business and the owner of Buy By Mom and Buy By Mom Blog. She is the Colorado Springs Stay-at-Home Mom Examiner for Examiner.com. She also blogs at A Wishful Thought. Her passion, purpose and goal is to help parents work from home so they can be home with their children.
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