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Posts by TheoMcLanahan:

Base Your Promotions Around Holidays, Special Events

14.08.2008 by Theo McLanahan Category Internet No Comments →

by Theo McLanahan

If you are looking for a way to increase your sales, grab your calendar and plan a sale around the next holiday or an upcoming special event. Planning sales around holidays and special events not only gives you a reason to contact your customers, they can also give you new ideas on how to promote your items.

Start out by taking some time and thinking about the product or service you have to offer and how they can fit into holidays or special events. If you happen to sell cosmetics, you can offer special makeovers for prom, brides-to-be, Mother’s Day, Valentine’s Day, etc. If you sell scrapbook supplies, hold a sale slightly before or after each holiday. Most people will take lots of pictures on the actual holiday and will want to start scrapbooking on their new photos.

If you sell kitchen products, you can create a special for someone having a bridal shower, and you can certainly hold a sale just before Thanksgiving. If you happen to sell books, toys, or other products centered around children, you can hold a sale right before school gets out as well as right before school starts.

If you sell informational products, you can still take advantage of holidays and special events to increase your sales. If you sell an informational product that teaches people how to start their own business, you may want to hold a sale in September, as that is when children go back to school and stay-at-home parents can concentrate on starting a new venture.

January can also be a great month to offer a promotion, as people are realizing how much money they spent on holiday gifts and are looking for a way to pay off their credit cards.

The best way to make a holiday or special event promotion successful is thinking out of the box and making it fun. If the services you offer include event planning, have some summer specials for graduation parties and family reunions. You can give parents who let you organize their child’s first birthday party a year long discount.

You can also join forces with other home business owners and offer combined deals. Going back to the example of selling informational products that teach people how to start a home business, you could take your “New Year’s new-business” promotion a step further and partner with a web designer. Your package could include information on starting an online business and a “starter” website.

Being imaginative is the best way to make your special event or holiday promotion a big success. Use advertisements and specials from other local businesses as inspiration for your own ideas.

About the Author:

Quit giving your articles away for free to the article directories. Sign up for The Article Sense network where you can earn money for submitting articles (not to mention all the usual benefits of article marketing). Visit ArticlesGoneViral.com to find out more.

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Writing a Great Article for Your Website

14.08.2008 by Theo McLanahan Category Internet No Comments →

by Theo McLanahan

If you research Internet Marketing, you will find that articles serve a variety of purposes. Articles provide content for your site, which helps in your search engine optimization. You can market your website by writing articles and distributing them to reprint directories. As you can see, writing articles is very useful, and everyone can do it.

In order to begin writing, you need a subject in mind. Since the list of possible article topics is literally endless, you should start by thinking about the purpose of your article. Also, consider your potential readers. If you article is going to be posted on your website, make sure your article is of interest to the people who visit it.

You can do some keyword research to see what your target market is searching for. The content you choose is important, as the search engines will index this information. When someone searches for a specific term that is found in your content, the page on your site that features that information will come up in the search results.

Since it can help boost the amount of traffic your website receives, posting articles on reprint directories is another great way to benefit from article writing online. These directories offer your posted articles for free to bloggers and website owners to put on their sites.

In exchange for allowing others to use your articles for free, anyone who uses your article will add a box with information “about the author” at the end of what you’ve written. Even when submitting articles to reprint directories, write about topics that would interest visitors to your website. When you write the content for the “about the author” box, which should contain a link to your website and a short auto-biography, don’t forget that you want to appeal to your target audience.

Instead of just linking your “about the author” box straight to your website’s homepage, it might be more advantageous to link readers to a specific page that you think will interest them. Consider an example. If the article you have written is about how to bathe newborns but your link sends readers to a page on your website with content about toddlers, you have not accomplished your goal. Make sure you give readers what they are looking for.

You do not have to be an expert on a certain subject in order to write about it. There is no problem with using the Internet to find some of the important information related to your subject matter. Any information you use to write your article, though, needs to be reworded in your own style.

Never forget, plagiarizing is never appropriate.

About the Author:

Are you trying to get your internet business off the ground? Quit chasing income and treat it like a business. Visit the Internet Marketing Chaos blog at http://www.netmarketingchaos.com for a hype-free take on how to build a business online.

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Press Release Checklist: Are You Getting The Most From Your PR?

14.08.2008 by Theo McLanahan Category Internet No Comments →

by Theo McLanahan

Your business can receive public attention by using press releases. A press release is simply a document that gives media outlets information that they will announce to the public. Such information might include some facts about your business, an explanation of special offers or incentives you are currently featuring, or a description of some special event that your business will be holding soon.

By having a story featured in a newspaper, magazine, or other form of media, your business will receive publicity and credibility. You can also use the clippings of paper stories and links to stories featured through electronic media as part of your press kit.

It would be especially advantageous to distribute a press release in conjunction with the scheduling of some special event, like your store’s grand opening, a special deal being offered, or an exciting event taking place.

There is a simple format to use when writing a press release. If your story can be published at any time, the words ‘For Immediate Release’ should appear at the top left hand corner. However, if the information should only be released after a certain date, use the phrase ‘For Release After [insert date]. Under that, include your contact information.

The next area of the press release is the ‘body’. This is the part of the press release where you include the information you want to publicize. Try to keep your press release under two pages. If it is more than one page include the word ‘more’ at the end of the first page. At the end of your press release insert three number symbols (###).

Since the information in the body of the press release is addressed to the public at large, it is best for it to be written in a crisp, concise manner. You should answer the most basic questions ??” Who? What? Where? When? Why? How? Tell the public who you are, what it is you are promoting, where your event will be taking place, why it is being held, and how they can take advantage of it.

After preparing a press release, get it into the hands of local media like newspapers, magazines, television stations, and radio stations. Consider your target market and make sure they will be exposed to the information in your press release. Press releases that advertise an event for a specific date need to get to the media early enough to be publicized before the event occurs.

Do all you can to make your public exposure complete. That means taking advantage of Internet talk radio programs, newswire services, and other online media outlets.

About the Author:

Did you know you can get resell rights to other people’s website? Find out how you can use resell rights to earn an income on the internet, even if you have no product of your own to sell. You’ll find out more about the site swiper technique at http://www.site-steal.com

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The Real Secret To Getting More Visitors To Your Website

14.08.2008 by Theo McLanahan Category Internet No Comments →

by Theo McLanahan

‘If you write, they will come’ - What does that mean? When it comes to the web, the more you write, the more traffic you’ll have flowing into your website. Whether it is content you feature on your site, blog posts or even press releases, if you want people to know your website exists, start writing about it.

You may have heard the phrase ‘content is king’, and there is a lot of truth to that. The more quality, informative content a site has the more reasons a person has to visit that site. Adding a steady stream of articles and other information to your site will help the search engines find your site and will also keep visitors coming back for more information.

When it comes to articles, don’t just stop with adding articles to your own site. Other website owners are in search of fresh, quality content, too and could use your articles. You can add the articles you write to a reprint article directory, and when a website owner publishes your article, the links that you have chosen to add to the ‘author’s bio box’ will be included. A limitless number of people will be able to read your articles and see your links.

Keeping a blog is another way to increase traffic to your site through writing. Update your blog regularly, several times a week. Your readers will come to see you as an expert and will visit your site for more information on the topics your site features. Point out new articles and other information that you add to your website in your blog posts, including links to your site.

A press release is a way to get free publicity through the media. The purpose of a press release is to give the media, usually newspapers, information that is useful, relevant and interesting. Don’t stop with ‘paper’ newspapers also include online newspapers in your press release distribution.

Even if you have absolutely no experience in doing it, writing a press release does not have to be difficult. Consider the following recommendations for press release writing.

Include your name, URL, address and phone number at the top of the page. The words ‘press release’ should be centered, in bold, and in all capital letters under that.

Then, include the name of the person to whom you are sending the press release and the date that the information it contains can be presented to the public. Writing ‘For Immediate Release’ will indicate that there are no problems with releasing the information at any given time.

The press release should have some sort of title and answer who, what, where, when, why, and how. When you have finished the body of a press release, you should type three pound signs (#) in the center of the page after the last line of typing. Mailing out press releases on paper with your company’s letterhead is another great idea.

About the Author:

If you’re using article marketing to drive traffic to your website, one of the most important parts is to submit to the most effective article directory. At Zogol.com, you can include anchor text backlinks within your article, not just in the resource box. Visit http://www.zogol.com to become a member.

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Why Communicating with Clients Is An Essential Business Skill

29.07.2008 by Theo McLanahan Category Communications No Comments →

by Theo McLanahan

Roping together those few initial clients when starting up a business is no easy task. As a business grows, though, attracting new clients becomes progressively less difficult. However, staying in touch with clients you already have by regularly communicating is substantially easier than trying to hunt down new ones.

Communication is very important in all aspects of life, business is no exception. Developing long-term client relationships is very important, and without communication, it will be difficult to achieve.

When you are working with a client, it is best to keep communication open, as a way to keep them informed. This is especially true if you haven’t worked together before or if you are working on an extensive project. The client can’t see you and doesn’t know the status of the project unless you let them know what is going on. Keeping them informed of your progress will ease any worries they have.

When any sort of miscommunication comes up, consistently contacting you client will help to clear things up quickly, without allowing the misunderstanding to affect your business in any sort of negative way. For example, what if you and your client confuse a deadline? Suppose you thought it had been set for the 18th, but your client was expecting delivery on the 8th. No doubt your client would be quite upset. Staying in close contact, however, will help you keep such problems from ever arising in the first place.

Emailing clients you’ve worked with in the past can be a good way to find new work. All you have to do is take some initiative and ask how they are and if they would like to avail themselves of your services again. Since your clients are busy people, it is easy for them to forget to get in touch with you. Therefore, it is vital that you work at maintaining communication.

Reminding past clients of the work you have done for them will also make them more likely to mention your name to people they work with. Word-of-mouth references are great advertising, so keep up the good communication with clients you have already worked with in order to keep your name fresh in their minds.

Emails and newsletters are a viable way to communicate with clients. Calling each and every client on the phone is certainly not necessary. Sending out a newsletter can also remind past clientele of past products or services they have purchased from you and promote new ones they could be interested in.

Creating a monthly newsletter for your customers doesn’t take a lot of time, and it can even be outsourced to a virtual assistant. Your newsletter can be emailed to your clients once per month, and you can use this time to let them know of any new products or services you will be offering, as well as special sales and other items of interest to them.

About the Author:

If you’re looking for an effective article directory to add to your article marketing plans, check out the Zogol.com website. Your articles will get traffic, which will click through to your site if your article grabs their interest. Plus, you can add anchor text links within the article body, not just the resource box. Visit http://www.zogol.com to sign up for your free account and start submitting.

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