Showing posts with label self branding. Show all posts
Showing posts with label self branding. Show all posts

Tuesday, February 3, 2009

Blogging and Business Development

A few days ago I had an interesting conversation with an associate who after receiving some of my regular e-mail about my blog became interested in what I was doing. Wow! that's big, because this is my up line in one of my primary businesses. I was very encouraged by the suggestion of writing a book or teaching a course in Internet marketing. It brought back memories of when I was reading for my Masters degree, one of my lecturers made a similar suggestion about writing in the future.

I had never really taken this seriously until I started this blog with the aim of educating and enlightening in the field of business and Internet marketing. I must say that I am totally enjoying my new found love of blogging so writing a book will be a joy to do right now. This can also work for you too if you enjoy writing. You can use this as a stepping stone for business development.

As I mentioned before in a previous blog, the first step in business and Internet marketing is marketing yourself and self branding i.e this is what makes you stand out from the pack. Writing and creating your own material can help you develop and project yourself as a leader in your chosen field.

Not only is this a great step in improving your communication skills but it allows you to build some credibility. Believe in yourself and what you have to offer and you will see how it will take off.

Remember though, there are no shortcuts in Internet marketing so if you plan to use this as an avenue to grow your business, you will have to do the work to get it going. Blog regularly and provide some value to your readers.

Watch out for my newsletter coming soon!

Tuesday, January 13, 2009

Stand out from the pack

On a recent trip to Paris,I was sitting on the "Big Red Bus" tour and enjoying the beauty of the city on a bright,sunny but cold day when my husband looked over and said, "I could not live here". I looked him dead in the eye and asked "Why not?". He replied because it's different! I smiled at him and said "that's what I like about Paris, I love the difference!" We also visited Dubai and Abu Dhabi and my husband's ohs and ahs on decent into the Dubai International Airport made me laugh! He liked what he saw which he thought was really different. As you can see a person's perspective on what makes something different varies. I love the old, classic historic buildings of France, while he likes the new age designs of Dubai. Both these cities attract lots of tourists each year offering the same product but presented in a different way.

You see, I really like being different. It's the same thing that market leaders try to get across to businesses and individuals promoting products and services. This is what makes a product or service stands out from others in the market? This concept is called market differentiation. It's the value that is added to the product or services offered in the market place.

Think about the value you provide each time you as a leader provides a service or product with your Internet marketing business. Offer something different to your customers and clients other than what others online are offering. You could use skills acquired previously from a career or hobbies you really enjoy. This could become your primary business. If you don't stand out from the pack you won't succeed in your business.



Friday, January 9, 2009

Improve Your Business Image

Have you ever thought about why some people are really successful in their online business and others are not? It's all about your image. If you are now starting out in your online business you want to project the best business image ever. Don't let a bad image disqualify you from achieving success with your business.

You've just started marketing your new Internet marketing business. You should have a profile or biography on your site about yourself. Market yourself, "you" are the one with whom they will be doing business. For example, you've sent a link to your website to people you know or from your prospecting lists let them see who you are, add a photo to your web page and all your links. If you taking part in social networking media put your picture on your capture page. Here are some guidelines to help with your image:

1. Clean photos - get a professional portrait if you don't have one that is suitable. Usually, if people see photos which are tasteless on your biography they won't take you serious.

2. A brief description about yourself - make it fun! You don't want to be seen as too aloof or too serious. People generally like people who they think are cool.

3. Personal information should be kept to a minimum. There is no need to share too much about your personal life.

4. Mention your achievements - this makes you stand out from others and creates value in yourself.

Remember first impressions count even if it's an online business!

Here's to your success!

Marketing "You"- Getting Started

We've all been to that place where we have started a business or we are about to start a business and we need to look for sources to get the message out to our customers and prospects. Today, I am going to look at marketing yourself and the steps taken to get started.

So you've set up your marketing campaign or your business is now ready to go to the market. You are well on your way to start the process of marketing your business. The first thing you need to do is to start with "You". Your customers or potential business partners are not going to look at your opportunity or products if they don't trust the person presenting it to them. Below I've set up a three step process which is necessary to help you get started marketing yourself.

Step 1. - Build Your List

You may have already set up your auto-responder by now whether you have a brick and mortar company or an online business. If you haven't you need to get to it as soon as possible. An auto- responder is an automated system used to generate emails, newsletters etc to your leads once they have signed on to your capture page on your website. Once your leads start rolling in from your capture page the first thing you should do is build a list of your leads. You have collected names and e-mail addresses for your prospects. Remember, you do NOT introduce your primary product at this stage. No selling recommended until you have built a relationship with your leads. Selling products only would not work!

Step 2. - Build Trust

Once your leads are receiving your email about what you are doing and how you can help them develop their business they will start to trust you as a leader. This is where you use forums, social networking media such as Facebook, Twitter, and of course your Blog. Send them information of value that they can use too. Now that your prospects view you as a leader, they will become interested in you and what you are doing.

Step 3. - Market to that list

After you've gone through step 1 and 2 it is now time to introduce your prospects to your primary business. Having built a relationship they will become more interested in your opportunity. Let them know how you can help them with their needs whether it is a product or service. Sell to your leads and prospects! Stick with it and be persistent!

Welcome

Welcome you to my blog! I do hope you enjoy reading my posts!

About Me

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Creative Ideaswas founded and started after experimenting with my creative side. I love making things; whether it's a candle, a piece of jewellery or cooking up some recipe. I enjoy making candles and creating various colours and scents to suit every palette, particularly from natural products. I am also an avid reader and movie person. I enjoy travelling and learning about different cultures. My inspiration is truly Caribbean as that is where I was born and grew up most of my life. So I do hope you enjoy sharing and learning with me on this journey. I invite you to drop me a line or two or leave your comments on the blog. God Bless!