OVERCOMING ANY OBSTACLE - I CAN, I WILL, I MUST (TGIM S7 E12)

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Take time to remember those who sacrificed their lives for us! And may our thoughts and prayer's be with our loved ones that have passed before us!

Reinvent Your Life!

Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results!  

10 Tools to boost your home-based business

As a home business owner, you wear many hats. Marketer, salesperson, entrepreneur! So, it’s natural that you need some help getting all the things done. Technology has introduced an array of tools and items that are ideal for the home-based business owner. Here is our list of must-have technologies for a successful home business.

#1 Google Adwords: This is an excellent tool for even the smallest of home businesses. Google AdWords places your advertisement on relevant web search results and web pages. For example, if you are selling weight loss inducing products, then you can choose to place advertisements of your products on sites that talk about health and weight management or on the search results for ‘Weight loss’ on Google.

#2 SEO: SEO stands for search engine optimization. It means making your website, search-engine friendly. If your website is search engine friendly, then whenever someone ‘Googles’ or searches for your line of products or services on the web, your website will show up in the top results.

#3 Social Media: Being present on popular social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube lend you more visibility on web search results. As an additional method, social media can also be an effective viral marketing medium. If your home business’s page is liked by 10 people who have 100 friends, all 100 of them will be exposed to your product page

#4 Lead management tools: As a start-up, you CANNOT afford to ignore your leads. However, there are tools that let you track your leads, understand who they are, and help you “read” their online behavior so that you can effectively target your sales pitch. Also, since small businesses thrive on personal relationships, these tools can help you build personal relations with your leads. Keep in touch with them in a consistent fashion that is personalized to their interests.

#5 Marketing Automation: Doing everything in-house poses a challenge because you may not have experience in marketing to develop formal marketing campaigns. That’s exactly what a good marketing automation software can do for you. You create your own  templates for  marketing and sales materials such as product brochures, coupons, HTML e-mail campaigns and more! With marketing automation software tools, you can use these standardized templates to create sophisticated, lead generating, professional marketing campaigns in a few clicks. But it is very important to select the marketing automation software that’s right for you. Make sure the automation software you pick is easy-to-use, and flexible enough for all your marketing needs and offers excellent customer support.

#6 Websites & landing pages: Every business must have a website—yes even the smallest home business. A website is the only public “storefront’ you have. Also, when designing your site, make sure there is a personal side to it. Be sure to emphasize what “you” bring to this business. And…make sure your web pages are styled as landing pages to attract leads and get them to sign up for your offerings.

#7 Skype: Skype is a chat software program that allows you to communicate instantly with your clients and prospects—free of charge. You can create a Skype ID and share it with your prospects and clients and they will be able to get in touch with you through voice, video or traditional chat whenever you both are online. For a nominal fee, you will also be able to make phone calls using Skype.

#8 Bluetooth: Cutting the wires: Bluetooth is a wireless connection that links your earpiece to your mobile phone. Using Bluetooth, you can take business calls even when your hands are full—literally. Whether you are driving or sorting through paper work, having Bluetooth technology in place helps. You can also use Bluetooth technology to connect your PC to its peripherals like keyboard, mouse and printer—thus getting rid of the ugly mess wires often cause.

#9 External Hard-drives:  As a home business owner you must always keep back-ups of your business-related data. Client details, invoice details, your marketing and sales materials, prospect database, books of accounts are all important information that you can’t afford to lose. Purchase an external hard disk and develop a routine for daily back-ups, so that in the event of even the worst system failures, your data is still intact.

#10 Smart phone friendly technologies: Did you know that over 40% of web visitors browse using a mobile device? Mobile technologies are gaining in popularity. Android and iPhone markets are growing, and the result is—increased mobile browsing. Make sure your home business marketing materials and website are mobile friendly—or you could be missing out on a large audience. Secondly, it’s time to get a smart phone. A phone that lets you connect to the internet helps you stay in touch with your potential buyers any time. Having a smart phone allows you to send and receive emails related to your home business, chat with your prospects, create or send marketing materials to them and provide customer support—anytime, anywhere.

Every home business owner must have a strong personal brand…do you?

BUSINESS CARD

As a home business owner you might have come across the expression ‘Personal Brand’ a lot. Business gurus advise you, all the time, to ‘Build Your Personal Brand’. What is personal branding all about? Let’s explore.

#1 What is personal branding? Branding is basically creating an identity—an image, a perception in the minds of people about a particular thing.

#2 Why is branding important for a home business owner?  Home-based businesses that use network marketing or an MLM business model thrive on relationships—the relationships you, as the home business owner, build with your prospects and buyers. Unlike the case with large corporations, a home-based business solution/product is as good or bad as the person selling it. When a person is interested in your offering, it’s not just your offering- alone -that they’re looking at. It’s a complete package that includes you, your style of business, and your product.

Here are a few tools that will help you build your personal brand.

Tool#1 You: You are consciously or subconsciously building your brand every moment you interact with others. The way you walk, the way you talk, the way you present yourself, your style of dressing, the manner in which you respond to customer complaints or concerns—every action contributes towards your brand image. The first tool to help build your brand is you!

Tool#2-A Home Business Website: You are the brand. You need to have a home business website that contains information about you and your business. Ideally your website should include the following information:

·         Information about you

·         Success stories

·         Video—your webpage can contain a video featuring you, in which you talk about your business and experience and how you can use them to benefit your prospects

·         Information about your products/services

·         Clients list with logos, if appropriate

·         Client testimonials

·         Your contact information (e-mail, phone, fax, links to social media profiles/pages)

Tool#3-Business e-mail: Once your home business website is up, the next step is to get a business domain e-mail address. While Gmail and yahoo addresses work well, nothing beats the professional touch that a business e-mail address gives.

Tool#4-Social Media: Social media is a great tool for brand building. Go ahead and create your Facebook profile, a Facebook page for your home business, and a Twitter account. But, how will you stand out of the crowd? The answer lies in customization. Customize your Facebook and twitter accounts to reflect your personal brand. One useful Facebook tip—don’t forget your prospective clients are out there looking at your profile. Be very conscious of the kind of image your project. Anything “un-professional,” is to be avoided. Photos of rowdy social events may not create the image you need.

Tool#5-Knowledge pages: Sites such as Squidoo and Hub Pages allow you to create your own web-pages where you can share your knowledge on the topic of your choice. You can give advice, tips, opinions and share insights related to your domain.

Tool#6-Business cards: A business card is a basic requirement. Your card should have your home-business logo, name, professional qualifications, title (can be entrepreneur/founder/proprietor), and contact details. Make sure the design of your visiting card matches that of your home business website.  Some are now using the backside of a card to add additional information. This allows for more information, but means that your prospect has no space to jot info and thoughts about your company.

Creating a personal brand takes some effort, but it lends the much sought after professional feel to your business and the results are worth the effort.

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