From time to time I will offer an opinion about a subject or area of marketing. This is one of those times.
Earlier today I was looking through some training material I received awhile back. One of the areas suggested for marketing purposes was forums. There were several carefully laid out strategies as to how many non-sales posts you need to make before hitting them with the sales pitch. Depending on the forum it ranged from 10 to 50.
I started to think about this and the more I thought about it, the more it started to bother me. Perhaps I am somewhat of a purest, but I feel that a forum should be a free exchange of ideas and advice. It seems somewhat disingenuous to me to submit posts while counting down the ticker to when you can present your sales opportunity.
There are plenty of places you can and should use for sales. I feel that a forum is not one of them. If you want to provide a link to your blog in your profile, that's fine. That way it is as a result of your contributions that someone else wants to find out more about you. This is a legitimate use of a forum. I guess I feel that there should be some place to go where you are not constantly bombarded with a sales pitch.
The unfortunate reality of the situation is that there ar those that will try to push the envelope to the extreme. They have no regard for the intention of the instrument or regard for others. They are only there for their own selfish interests. They only provide input as a means to an end. There is no genuine desire to be helpful or share anything of value. It is just another vehicle to gain prospects.
I would discourage you from using forums for this purpose. Do not participate unless you are genuinely interested in the subject being discussed. If you do get involved in the discussion, provide valuable input and ask questions because you are really looking for an answer. Leave the selling for another area. Let forums be a place for sharing of information and camaraderie.
To your success,
Bruce A. Bennett
Friday, April 17, 2009
Thursday, April 9, 2009
How to Profit In the Current Economy
One of the sentiments that is running through most peoples thought process these days is uncertainty. This ranges from basic uncertainty about enough money to pay the bills, to will my job be eliminated, to will I have anything left in my 401k when I'm ready to retire. All legitimate concerns given the current state of affairs.
You need to know two things relating to economic downturns. First, there is a reason it is called an economic cycle. For every down turn there is a recovery and then a period of prosperity. Each cycle is different and the recovery and prosperity segments are not always robust. One thing that is certain. their will be recovery and prosperity in some form. This is not conjecture, but historical fact.
There is one other absolute fact, and that is, many people prosper during economic downturns. How is this possible, you might ask? It is quite simple, really. People that prosper during economic downturns identify where there is a need and figure out how to fill that need. There are countless examples of multi-millionaires that got their start during horrible economic conditions. In order to do this you need to separate yourself from all the gloom and doom and look for the possibilities.
One area that is very hot right now is home based businesses. Many of the top economists and strategists are indicating that our society will continue this trend for quite some time. There are many reasons for this and the current economy, complete with record layoffs, is certainly a driving force. People are fed up with letting others decide their worth and value. They realize that job security does not mean what it used to. At least not in the corporate world. For this, and many other reasons there is a real desire to take personal control, and one way to accomplish this is to start a home based business.
The variety of home based businesses is staggering. There are MLM's, personal care products, cleaning businesses, resume writing services, website developers, and the list goes on. A factor that makes many of these businesses possible is the development of the internet as a marketing vehicle. This is both good and bad though. To be sure there is the opportunity to reach a world wide audience, but there is also a lot of competition.
The key is to learn the ropes of effective network marketing. One of the tools that I have personally used is Renegade University. It teaches the method of attraction marketing and the tools that are most effective on the internet. Ann Seig and Mike Klingler have joined forces to create the most comprehensive program I have seen to date. I highly recommend it.
In conclusion, keep an eye out for an opportunity that is right for you. Align your self with a mentor. This is an important step. It will dramatically reduce your learning curve and help you avoid costly mistakes. If you are comfortable with the information I have provided I would be happy to fill that role for you. Finally, remember the economy is a cycle, it will come back and you want to position yourself to take advantage of today, tomorrow and beyond.
To your success.
Bruce A. Bennett
You need to know two things relating to economic downturns. First, there is a reason it is called an economic cycle. For every down turn there is a recovery and then a period of prosperity. Each cycle is different and the recovery and prosperity segments are not always robust. One thing that is certain. their will be recovery and prosperity in some form. This is not conjecture, but historical fact.
There is one other absolute fact, and that is, many people prosper during economic downturns. How is this possible, you might ask? It is quite simple, really. People that prosper during economic downturns identify where there is a need and figure out how to fill that need. There are countless examples of multi-millionaires that got their start during horrible economic conditions. In order to do this you need to separate yourself from all the gloom and doom and look for the possibilities.
One area that is very hot right now is home based businesses. Many of the top economists and strategists are indicating that our society will continue this trend for quite some time. There are many reasons for this and the current economy, complete with record layoffs, is certainly a driving force. People are fed up with letting others decide their worth and value. They realize that job security does not mean what it used to. At least not in the corporate world. For this, and many other reasons there is a real desire to take personal control, and one way to accomplish this is to start a home based business.
The variety of home based businesses is staggering. There are MLM's, personal care products, cleaning businesses, resume writing services, website developers, and the list goes on. A factor that makes many of these businesses possible is the development of the internet as a marketing vehicle. This is both good and bad though. To be sure there is the opportunity to reach a world wide audience, but there is also a lot of competition.
The key is to learn the ropes of effective network marketing. One of the tools that I have personally used is Renegade University. It teaches the method of attraction marketing and the tools that are most effective on the internet. Ann Seig and Mike Klingler have joined forces to create the most comprehensive program I have seen to date. I highly recommend it.
In conclusion, keep an eye out for an opportunity that is right for you. Align your self with a mentor. This is an important step. It will dramatically reduce your learning curve and help you avoid costly mistakes. If you are comfortable with the information I have provided I would be happy to fill that role for you. Finally, remember the economy is a cycle, it will come back and you want to position yourself to take advantage of today, tomorrow and beyond.
To your success.
Bruce A. Bennett
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Challenges Faced With Internet Marketing
Hello Everyone,
If you are new to internet marketing or transitioning from the traditional work environment, you may be facing some real challenges as you try to learn the process.
First, you need to know that his is not at all unusual, and with a little guidance and perseverance, you will successfully make the transition.
Marketing on the internet is quite different from the traditional print media that you may be used to. It is also quite different from television advertising as well. The first thing you need to remember is that your advertising to people around the world, so your potential market is HUGE!
You also want to make sure that you are focused in on the type of prospect you want to attract. Ads should be written with this goal in mind. You will also want to decide if you will use free methods of advertising or paid. I would recommend a combination of both, but many people choose to use free methods first. This is perfectly fine as it takes a while to develop a sense of how you want to go about attracting prospects.
If you want to use strictly free methods of advertising I would suggest utilizing web 2.0 or "social media" as a starting point. These include, but are not limited to FaceBook, You Tube, My Space, Twitter, Squidoo and Digg. You can also start a Blog, like this one.
Another area of opportunity is article writing. This is a great way of starting out. Many will shy away from this because they are afraid what they have to say will not be of value. Additionally, many people feel they are not good writers.
Regarding your content, start out by relating who you are, your experience, what value you bring to the table and goals you have for you and your prospects. From that point you can pick a topic of interest and develop a portfolio of information that you can turn into articles. Remember, you want to keep the content original and the length of your article to approximately 300 to 400 words.
Before you start to advertise it is important for you to learn how to develop a website. This may sound intimidating at first, but the process is easier than you might think. You will also want to develop landing pages for specific target markets.
Google is still the king of paid advertising. Although there is quite a bit of competition, there are methods that you can implement to get your ads in primary positions. This type of advertising will yield the quickest results, if done properly. It is equally possible to spend a lot of money and get little or no return, so knowing the ropes is important if you want to incorporate this approach.
If all of this sounds overwhelming please do not worry. I will teach you everything you need to know. Just stay tuned to this blog for information, and videos on what to do.
If you are interested in looking at my primary business, please visit my website at;
http://www.thegrnlife.com
Until next time.
To your success,
Bruce A. Bennett
Online Business and Marketing Coach
Success Builders Group
If you are new to internet marketing or transitioning from the traditional work environment, you may be facing some real challenges as you try to learn the process.
First, you need to know that his is not at all unusual, and with a little guidance and perseverance, you will successfully make the transition.
Marketing on the internet is quite different from the traditional print media that you may be used to. It is also quite different from television advertising as well. The first thing you need to remember is that your advertising to people around the world, so your potential market is HUGE!
You also want to make sure that you are focused in on the type of prospect you want to attract. Ads should be written with this goal in mind. You will also want to decide if you will use free methods of advertising or paid. I would recommend a combination of both, but many people choose to use free methods first. This is perfectly fine as it takes a while to develop a sense of how you want to go about attracting prospects.
If you want to use strictly free methods of advertising I would suggest utilizing web 2.0 or "social media" as a starting point. These include, but are not limited to FaceBook, You Tube, My Space, Twitter, Squidoo and Digg. You can also start a Blog, like this one.
Another area of opportunity is article writing. This is a great way of starting out. Many will shy away from this because they are afraid what they have to say will not be of value. Additionally, many people feel they are not good writers.
Regarding your content, start out by relating who you are, your experience, what value you bring to the table and goals you have for you and your prospects. From that point you can pick a topic of interest and develop a portfolio of information that you can turn into articles. Remember, you want to keep the content original and the length of your article to approximately 300 to 400 words.
Before you start to advertise it is important for you to learn how to develop a website. This may sound intimidating at first, but the process is easier than you might think. You will also want to develop landing pages for specific target markets.
Google is still the king of paid advertising. Although there is quite a bit of competition, there are methods that you can implement to get your ads in primary positions. This type of advertising will yield the quickest results, if done properly. It is equally possible to spend a lot of money and get little or no return, so knowing the ropes is important if you want to incorporate this approach.
If all of this sounds overwhelming please do not worry. I will teach you everything you need to know. Just stay tuned to this blog for information, and videos on what to do.
If you are interested in looking at my primary business, please visit my website at;
http://www.thegrnlife.com
Until next time.
To your success,
Bruce A. Bennett
Online Business and Marketing Coach
Success Builders Group
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