Website Marketing - Are You Feeling Overwhelmed?

Sitting in front of my laptop trying to decide whether I should:
- write a new article,
- create a video and upload it to online video directories,
- make a few posts into various forums,
- get onto Facebook and post some helpful tips,
- share new designs on Pinterest,
- tweet my latest discoveries on Twitter, or
- write a new blog post, or perhaps I should investigate more about Search Engine Optimisation

The reality is I should probably be doing all of the above and then some …

But the longer I sit here, I am feeling more anxious and unable to move ... I can't make a decision about what to do.

If you research online about the best way to promote your business, you've probably felt the same panic. You want to keep up with the latest trends and technologies, but the online world is spinning so much faster and you just can’t keep up.

Now what?

It’s time to let off some steam (Just remember to close all the doors and windows, so your neighbours can’t hear you scream) ….

GRRRRRAAAAGHHH!!!! ….

Are you feeling better? I know I am.

I still haven’t decided whether to blog, tweet, facebook, record, write, post or eat some chocolate, but I definitely feel relieved.

What now?

Time to just sit still, turn the phone off, shut down the internet and just be – preferably outside and in fresh air.

Amazing how getting away from the computer can suddenly give you a new perspective.
By now, you are hopefully feeling a little more sane and are able to think more rationally.

One little step at a time.

Now write a list of everything you would like to achieve in a week.

2 Facebook posts
4 Tweets
1 Blog Post
1 Article
1 Video

All of a sudden it doesn’t seem so overwhelming.

If I have learnt one thing about internet marketing or working on a large project it’s this. All you need to do is take one step at a time.
Set yourself an achievable weekly goal – work on your marketing  for ½ hour to 1 hour a day and before you know it you have achieved so much.
You will be far ahead of everyone else, because most people are still sitting in front of their computer, overwhelmed and unable to move.

No need to jump onto all the latest trends and try to do everything at the same time. You only need to do a little bit every day ... select several marketing strategies and be consistent.  You will be amazed at your results, if you just start moving.
And what do you know … I’ve just done my article for the week … time to grab a coffee and watch the world go by.
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Ivana Katz makes it easy for you to get your business online very quickly. If you're looking for a professional and affordable website designer, visit www.web4business.com.au and download a free website plan or connect with Ivana on Facebook and Google+

Articles - How to Get Free Super Powerful Publicity for your Business

Articles - How to Get Free Super Powerful Publicity for your Business

Having worked with a large number of small business owners, one common mistake I see over and over again is the obscene amounts of money they throw away on advertising. Many of them believe the more money they spend, the more business it will bring. WRONG!!! WRONG!!! WRONG!!!

So what’s a new entrepreneur to do?

It’s simple!!! Write articles.

Writing articles is an excellent way for you to get free publicity. Getting an article published is free and some publications even pay for your contributions. The publicity you receive by having your article published in a newspaper, magazine or website can be worth thousands of dollars in equivalent advertising space. Well written articles yield better results than advertisements and earn you respect from customers, who see you as an expert in your field. 

Read complete article ...

Ivana Katz

Websites 4 Small Business

www.web4business.com.au

30 ways to promote your website on a shoestring budget - Part 19

Articles

Writing articles is an excellent way for you to get free publicity. Getting an article published is free. The publicity you receive by having your article published in a newspaper, magazine or website can be worth thousands of dollars in equivalent advertising space. Well written articles yield better results than advertisements and earn you respect from customers, who see you as an expert in your field.

The best articles are “tips” or expert pieces. People are looking for guidance and will purchase from the experts who show them how to solve their problems.

Your article should include the following elements:

(a) The Headline

This should be attention grabbing and use power words and phrases, such as “How to …” “10 Ways that …”, “Do you want to …”

(b) Lead Paragraph

The first couple of sentences should tell your readers why they should read the whole articles. Show them the benefits they will gain or the pain that they will avoid by reading the article.

(c) Body Copy

This is where you inform the reader how to do something that will enrich their business or personal lives. Use short sentences and provide step-by-step directions that they can easily follow.

(d) Conclusion

At the end you will want to summarise the topics you covered and briefly review the main points. Since you have helped your readers they will most likely want to know more. This is your chance to make your sell by making them an offer with a call to action.

(e) Resource Box

The resource box should supply the reader with the following information:
- Your name - Company name - Contact information - Website details - How to order your product, etc

If writing an article seems too daunting for you initially, you can hire a ghost writer to do this for you – generally at a very reasonable price. If you need someone to help you with this, you may wish to check out:
www.elance.com

Once your article is written you will need to submit it to various publications on-line and off-line. For a listing of Australian printed publications, including the editor’s details, you may wish to buy “The Australian Writer’s Marketplace”, available from most bookshops.

For a listing of on-line magazines (e-zines), visit: www.ezine-dir.com. You can then contact the editor of each magazine and offer them your article.

If you don’t have a lot of time to submit your articles manually, you may wish to consider using article submission services by companies such as:

Submit Your Article – www.submityourarticle.com orThe Phantom Writers – www.thephantomwriters.com

For a small fee they will submit your article to thousands of publications.

Ivana Katz
Websites 4 Small Business
http://www.web4business.com.au/

How to Get Free Super Powerful Publicity for your Business

Having worked with a large number of small business owners, one common mistake I see over and over again is the obscene amounts of money they throw away on advertising. Many of them believe the more money they spend, the more business it will bring. WRONG!!! WRONG!!! WRONG!!!

So what’s a new entrepreneur to do?

It’s simple!!! Write articles.

Writing articles is an excellent way for you to get free publicity. Getting an article published is free and some publications even pay for your contributions. The publicity you receive by having your article published in a newspaper, magazine or website can be worth thousands of dollars in equivalent advertising space. Well written articles yield better results than advertisements and earn you respect from customers, who see you as an expert in your field.

So what exactly is an article???

An article is a short piece of information that aims to educate and inform people about something, which they may be interested in. They are usually between 500 and 3,500 words long and guess what....... you are reading one right now. That’s right, I have written this article because of my passion to share the idea that expensive advertising is probably not the best way to market yourself and get more business.

By writing and distributing these articles you are sharing information, which displays your expertise and gains you trust and credibility. No amount of advertising can gain you either trust or credibility.

So let’s look at this concept of writing and distributing articles as a form of free publicity.

The best articles are ‘tips’ or expert pieces. People are looking for guidance and will purchase from experts who show them how to solve their problems.

Structuring Your Article

Your article should include the following elements:

(a) The Headline

This should be attention grabbing and use power words and phrases, such as “How to …” “10 Ways that …”, “Do you want to …?”

(b) Lead Paragraph

The first couple of sentences tell your readers why they should read the whole article. Show them the benefits they will gain, or the pain that they will avoid, by reading the article.

(c) Body Copy

This is where you inform the reader how to do something that will enrich their business or personal lives. Use short sentences and provide step-by-step directions that they can easily follow.

(d) Conclusion

At the end you want to summarise the topics you’ve covered and briefly review the main points. Since you have helped your readers they will most likely want to know more. This is your chance to make your sell by making them an offer with a ‘call to action’ such as ‘mention this article and receive a 10% discount off orders placed before June 30th.”.

(e) Resource Box

A resource box provides the reader with information on your company and includes the following information:
- Your Name
- Company name
- Contact information
- Website details
- How to order your product, etc

Journalist, marketer and public relations specialist Belinda Crosbie has three top tips for clients writing their own articles:

1. What are the questions you hear most often from customers? Write an article to address these queries. Remember to provide valuable information; articles that sound like one big ad for your company rarely get published.

2. Write with the ‘st’ factor in mind. Tell readers about the latest, greatest, first, most, newest, quickest, best etc. Publications want fresh, new information, so where possible show them the ‘st’ factor with the ‘latest technique’, ‘newest technology’ or ‘10 best solutions for…’.

3. Edit, edit and edit again. As a professional writer, Belinda constantly re-writes and re-works her words. Ask someone to read your article and they’ll often spot errors you miss because they’re reading from a new perspective. If you want to double-check that your sentences make sense - read your article, sentence-by-sentence, from the bottom up. You’ll be amazed what you pick up when you’re not caught up in the flow of the story.


Topics to Target

There are thousands of problems people need solved, so the number of solution-focused topics is endless. If you’re stuck, here are some ideas to get you started.:

Florist
Flower Care Tips, Choosing Anniversary Flowers, Best Way To Buy Your Wedding Flowers, Choosing Centrepiece Flowers For Your Dinner Party, How to Press Fresh Flowers, How to Pick Perfect Flowers According to Occasions, etc.

Baby Related Products/Services
How To Settle Your Baby, Baby Shower Themes & Games, How to Baby Proof Your Home, Baby Sleep Routine, Ways to Help Your Baby Sleep All Night, Age Appropriate Toys, Gifts for 1/2/3/4 Year Olds, 20 Fun Silly Games to Play, etc.

Accountant
Tips For Getting The Best Home Loan, 10 Tips For Financing Your Business, Tips To Save You Money, Choosing Accounting Software, Bookkeeping Basics, How To Save Money On Bookkeeping, Setting Up Budgets, etc.

Hairdresser
Hair Care and Treatment, Hair Loss Prevention, Hair Drying Mistakes, Celebrity Hair Styles, What Hairstyle to Choose For Your Lifestyle, New Hair Trends, etc.

Restaurant
How To Make Restaurant Quality Coffee At Home, 10 Ways to Attract New Customers to Your Restaurant, Restaurant Décor Ideas, 5 Secret Recipes, 7 Publicity Tips for Restaurants, Choosing Restaurant Equipment, Making Healthy Food Choices when Dining In a Restaurant, etc.

Customer Service
How To Stay in Touch With Your Customers, How To Build Good Client Relationship, 7 Tips For Creating Customer Loyalty, Common Customer Service Mistakes, How To Get Back Lost Clients, Looking After Your Customer Service Staff, etc.

These are just some ideas – if you need help choosing topics for your business, please email me – ivana@web4business.com.au

If writing an article seems too daunting, you can hire a ghostwriter to do this for you – generally at a very reasonable price. A writer I highly recommend is Belinda Crosbie – www.lifebydesire.com/business.htm.

Getting Your Articles Published

Once your article is written you will need to submit it to various publications on-line and in printed publications. For a listing of Australian printed publications, including the editor’s details, you may wish to buy “The Australian Writer’s Marketplace”, available from most bookshops.

For a listing of on-line article directories, visit:
http://www.web4business.com.au/ResourcesListArticleDirectories.htm

If you don’t have a lot of time to submit your articles manually, you may wish to consider using article submission services by companies such as:

Submit Your Article – www.submityourarticle.com or
The Phantom Writers – www.thephantomwriters.com

For a small fee they will submit your article to thousands of on-line publications, also known as ezines.

Remember, article writing is far more powerful than any advertising you will do. It will prove to your customers you know your business and best of all, it won’t cost you a cent! So don’t be afraid to try it … what have you got to lose?

Ivana Katz
Websites 4 Small Business
www.web4business.com.au