Making calls is an important part of any business and as an owner in a Small Business you will be making some or all of those calls yourself. Having a system and getting it right is crucial if you want to get those important sales.

1. Script

Have a script and practice it until it sounds natural. Tweak it as you go until it feels and sounds just right.

2. Agenda

Have a simple agenda you can follow during the call and stick to it as much as possible. Think of your call as a meeting and design an agenda to fit with your script and the goal for the call.

3. Practice

Do as many practice calls as possible with someone who is willing to give you honest feedback. Someone in the same or a similar business as your target market would be ideal but if that is not possible them make it someone in business who is willing to give constructive feedback. Practice makes perfect so get in some practice.

4. State

Get in the right state of mind before the call. Find something that works and use it to keep your mood up. Music, visualization or affirmations are popular among successful sales people. Having an upbeat state of mind during calls will make them easier and it will come through in the conversations you have. There is nothing worse than getting a sales call from someone who sounds miserable – so get your state right first.

5. Outcome

Have a clear outcome. Set a clear goal for the call and structure the call to achieve it. Keep the goal simple and focus on selling the next step on your sales ramp. Only the next step!

6. Smile

When you make the call make sure you smile. This comes through in your voice. People can hear a smile over the phone and smiling helps you keep in the right state.

7. Analysis

Stick to the plan but make sure you debrief yourself so you can tweak and improve your process. It is important to know what is working and what is not so tweak your script and process every day. If possible record your calls and use them to train yourself. Sales calls can be daunting but if you follow these simple tips and you will make better calls and get better results.

Remember that every NO will get you closer to your YES so make that next call. Get your head down and keep going and you will get the sale or the new client.

Author Bio: Angus MacLennan is a Business and Personal Coach getting great results with motivated Entrepreneurs and Small Business Owners. His mission and passion is to deliver amazing value to his clients and help them develop their businesses allowing them to have the work/life balance they really want.
Website |  Twitter

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Among the top social media used by business people today are Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube.  By using these sites, you are able to expose your business to more people, at both a local and international level.

Facebook

Facebook has become highly popular in recent years attracting millions of users from across the globe. This popularity has, in fact, led the site’s management to offer marketing platforms that encourage people to share their business endeavors and build communities as well.

To use Facebook to your advantage, make sure to create an interesting personal profile page. Include photos and business information that will attract visitors and encourage them to read through your profile.

Update your information regularly so that existing and potential clients know what you’re up to. Discuss recent happenings regarding your business. Interact with readers who post comments on your page and create a “fans” page and invite clients to join.

Twitter

In just a few years, Twitter has attracted a steady following that is increasing rapidly as the “buzz” around Twitter spreads.  This is the power of social networking sites – they are viral.

Twitter lifts the lid on the activities and conversations of other people. What we are seeing today is news being reported on Twitter before the media even has a chance to tell us.

For business people who want to maximize the vast communication potential of this social networking site, it is best to be consistent when tweeting (telling people what you are doing).

Provide information to your followers about what you are up to with your business and add value.  Share tools, tips and strategies and make your updates interesting and engaging.

LinkedIn

LinkedIn gives you the opportunity to grow your business using less of your own money.  How?  Use LinkedIn to search for potential employees and also as a means to expand their business contacts.

Providing a detailed profile (business information and photos) is the best way to generate interest.

Include a link to your website or blog for those people looking to access more information about you and your business. Interaction is key. Answer questions that provide valuable and interesting information.

YouTube

YouTube enables video sharing on the internet. This social networking site has become the Number 2 search engine, behind Google.

If you have not tried live video streaming as a marketing tool for your business yet, it is time to jump in front of the camera.  Videos are very powerful tools in drawing online traffic.

Create a short, clear video featuring yourself talking about your business. Tell them how you started out, about your journey, provide them with success stories and share your passion about your business.

Create several short videos (perhaps video seminars you conduct, presentations you make, or other business projects) and upload them on YouTube.  Make sure that you post your videos in the category relevant to your business to draw the right target audience.

In using social media to market and improve your business, building trust with your audience is essential. You can only do this by being honest and providing consistently interesting, useful and valuable information. What matters most is that you share your experiences and knowledge.  Doing so can influence people’s lives and encourage them to take action.

Are you having success with network marketing? Share your stories in the comments below!

Author Bio: Wendy Moore is a dynamic sought-after speaker, author and educator who is passionate about showing women in small business how to better understand the internet and take their business online. To find out more about Wendy, visit her online at www.wendymoore.com.au.

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In this post, I don’t want to define Twitter, or tell you how to use it. To each is your own. Do what with you want with your account. In this post, I was to share some ideas and tips on managing your Twitter account.

Twitter Lists. At this point, I am sure most of you are using them. Twitter lists are like, for example, Facebook groups. You group together people by a common interest, whether it be location, profession, or your closest friends. But are you using them to the fullest of their capabilities? Just throwing people you follow on a specific list and just letting it be is not the right way of using the list.

So if you don’t use Twitter lists, there are several reasons why you should start using the service ASAP. You can create lists that group together people for whatever reason and then you get to see those specific list followers in a separate feed (so you don’t have to sit through an hour of feeds to find specific followers). Lists allow you to organize the people you’re following into groups, and they even allow you to include people you’re not following, which is a great tool to use, and I’ll explain why a little later.

So in reality, there are many reasons for creating lists, but here are three ways that you could use the Twitter lists feature. Creating groups, recommending the tweeps on the specific groups, (and most importantly) following people you don’t want to follow.

Create Groups.

Because Twitter lists create grouped tweet streams of the people that are on them. For example, I created a list of VIPs that I follow. By viewing or following this list, you can see and read what all of my closest tweeps are tweeting about. You could do the same thing with your family, friends, co-workers, celebrities or just group Twitter users based on location, subject, or anything else you can think of.

Recommending Tweeps.

You can create a list of people you think other Twitter users should follow, then anyone else can visit that list and follow the people on it (or follow the list). Think of it as a “Follow Friday” times a hundred. One of the intentions of the Twitter Lists is to allow people to recommend other users to follow, which will cause more activity to the site.

Follow People You Don’t Want to Follow.

When you follow a Twitter list, you’re not actually following every user on the list. I think it is the best Twitter invention since… the invention of Twitter! When you do follow an entire list, those users’ tweets aren’t added to your main stream (which clears up a bunch of cluttering posts). You can then visit that list and view its tweet stream. That’s why you can also use lists to follow people without really following them. For example, if there are users whose tweets you’d like to follow, but they tweet too often and fill your stream, you can add them to a list and then check up on their latest tweets every so often by viewing your list.
Now one of the reasons why I love Twitter lists: following celebrities, without following them. I understand if you are a huge fan of so and so celebrity, but lets be realistic: they will almost never answer your tweets. Why waste a follow and space in your feed, on someone you won’t be tweeting with? Twitter is meant is meant to connect and engage people in conversation. Creating a “Celebrity List” is perfect for following your favorite celebrity tweeps and reading their posts, without their posts filling your stream.

Now when you create the Twitter lists, there are two options, public or private.

Public Lists.

These lists can be seen by anyone and everyone. Anyone can also follow them.

Private Lists.

Only the creator of private lists will be able to see or subscribe to them (not even those on the list can see private lists). If you wanted to, you could create a list of your competitors and keep an eye on them without them even knowing (kind of like a sneak attack…on Twitter).
With all the networking events that I have been to, I have met so many people, shared many ideas, and in the end, followed tons of people I have made connections with. But following 300+ people is hard to keep track of. Using the list capabilities that Twitter offers is a great way to manage who you follow, and how you can stay connected to everyone you follow, no matter the number.

The following can be examples of lists you can create:

Clients, Competitors, Friends, Family, Industry Related, (Specific) Topics, Humor, News Related Tweeps, Celebrities, Authors, and the list goes on!

So, finally, how do you manage these lists? Easy. Use them. The more you use these lists, the little managing you will have to do. You can always take people off the list, or add them on to it.

Meet someone and don’t want to follow them? Add them to a list. Someone taking up your whole Twitter stream? Add them to a list. Enjoy reading someone’s tweets, but they never respond? Add them to a list. Lists are a great way to follow people without following them! Every Twitter user should take full advantage of the lists.

Share your experience with Twitter lists in the comments below!

Author Bio: Alfonso A. Santaniello - I am the founder of the Creative Strategy Agency, full service marketing, social media, and business consulting agency. I’m also the founder and host of Strictly Businews, a weekly news web show premiering in May. I’m from western Massachusetts (USA) but currently resides in Boston. I love visiting my family in friends in Italy. In my spare time, I like to go to the gym, run, eat, and spend time with family and friends. For more of Alfonso, visit his personal blog at http://thealfonso.wordpress.com/

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Apart from the existing Info, Wall and Photos sections, there are many other ways you can customize your Facebook page according to your branding. One of them is by uploading PDF documents in a separate tab.

A PDF document is a great addition to any Facebook page. You might choose to upload your regular newsletter or a flyer promoting your business or event. You can even share any media coverage such as a magazine page where you and your business may have been featured.

Adding a PDF tab is fast and easy. All you need is to find the right application to use on your page and to install it. Many of these applications, built by third parties, are free of charge and using them is an effective way of attracting visitors to your Facebook Fan page and showcasing what you have to offer.

How to Add a PDF Tab to Your Facebook Business Page

There a number of third party websites that offer applications to add PDF to your Facebook page. We have found the application for adding a PDF provided by Involver to work very well.

First, visit the applications page of Involver at http://www.involver.com/applications/. Look for the Scribd application and click the install button.

You will then be directed to a Facebook page which will ask you if you’re sure to Add Scribd to your page. From the drop down menu that appears below, click on the specific page where you would like to install the application and confirm.

Once the Scribd tab has been installed in your Facebook page, you can immediately start uploading PDF documents. To do this, click on the orange Edit Tab Settings button on top of the page.

The next step is to click the Add a New Document button and then Save Changes. And that’s it! Your PDFs will now show on your Facebook page as an added feature.

If you need to edit, just click on the Edit Tab Settings again and click Edit Document. Once you’re done, don’t forget to click the Save Changes button to apply the changes you’ve made on the PDF.

What’s great about a PDF document is you can create more than simple text by incorporating graphics and images in any design you want.

In addition, you can make it secure by encrypting it or use a digital signature for authentication. Keep in mind, however, that in order to display your PDF on a Facebook page for your visitors to see the content, you have to remove the encryption.

The best part? You can start using this great application for free on your Facebook business page. So get out there and start promoting your PDFs to your fans.

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Why Retention Marketing?

Retention marketing is more targeted, tailored and cost-effective than attracting new customers. By using existing customer information, businesses can retarget customers that already have a degree of brand awareness and are more likely to engage with and reinvest in the brand. As such, it can be a powerful tool for breeding loyal, life-long customers who support the brand and spread invaluable word of mouth.
Consider these 10 retention marketing tips to ensure that your activities are strategic and cohesive:

1) Strategy at every touch point
Successful retention marketing requires strategic planning at every brand touch point. The customers’ future purchase decisions will be influenced by factors including initial contact/enquiry, after sales care and relevant sales and marketing material. Each time they come into contact with the brand, the message content and tone of delivery will directly affect how and if the sales cycle continues.

2) Rank your list
Identify the characteristics that make your customers the most valuable and rank them accordingly. Common factors to consider include: recency, frequency and spend. Once you have worked out your own ranking system, allocate customers an overall ranking. Customers with the highest ranking are the ones likely to invest more or further in your brand and as such, should be the focus of key marketing activities. Customers with the second highest ranking can also be marketed to with the aim of repositioning them to the first ranking position. Ideally, the marketing spend allocated to those ranked in the lowest position should be minimal as it is unlikely to produce good ROI. Setting up a ranking system can take time but it is a strategic exercise that may help you focus your message and dollar where they will have the most impact.

3) Purchase bias
Keep a record of your customers’ purchases including all relevant offer take-ups . You need to ascertain ‘why’ people buy as opposed to just when and what people buy. The ‘why’ is called the ‘purchase bias’. Once you understand your customers’ purchase bias, you can tailor future sales, promotions and even product development to suit their tendencies.

4) Working with latency
Latency is the average time between two of the same customer interaction events. Different latency patterns apply to different people, products and services. Understanding latency patterns allows you to communicate the right message with the right people at the right time to encourage repeat interaction. For example, a group of customers could be in their second latency period after their purchase; they may or may not have been considering buying from the brand again. A special offer could be sent out to them to encourage brand engagement and repeat purchase, persuading some customers to stay with the brand rather than defect to another one or make a purchase sooner rather than wait for an extended period of time. Create a latency table that charts ideal purchase behaviour for each customer segment and develop strategies to decrease latency periods, increase purchases and minimise marketing spend.

5) Data, data, data
Take the time to set up good record keeping systems and enter data meticulously. The more information you have, the more you will be able to ascertain about what your customers want and which marketing activities are successful. Measure the success of every marketing activity in terms of both customer response and return on investment. The data will tell you if you are on the right track.

6) Target non-purchasers
Non-purchasers are an untapped goldmine and should be targeted with tailored marketing activities. Non-purchasers are people who have interacted with your brand but have not made a purchase. They have once been in the frame of mind to engage with your brand and with increased exposure over time, may be converted to customers. Slow and steady wins the race with this segment.

7) Incentives
Giving customers a reason to repeat purchase is key to successful retention marketing. There must be some incentive for them to act and opt for your brand. Including a special offer or promotion makes them more likely to act on receipt of collateral. Ensure that your call to action is strong and relevant to the customer.

8) The care factor
Customers want to feel special, cared about and important to the brands they choose. Little things can make all the difference to a customer’s decision to engage in a long term relationship with a brand: personalised direct mail; thank you letters and reminder notices; a personal phone call to touch base; a Christmas card. These small courtesies make customers feel connected to a brand and more likely to opt in again and again, like visiting an old friend.

9) Mix it up
Make sure that your brand is top of mind, fresh and relevant by mixing up your communications. While it is important to have a solid strategy in play with a familiar brand identity, delivering the same thing again and again will become stale and boring. Consider the communication strategy, the channel and the creative execution to develop pieces that stand out and connect with the customer.

10) Listen & learn
Customer feedback is vital to the development and growth of any brand. Gather as much information as you can from your customers by opening up the lines of communication. In addition to the traditional website feedback form and customer service number, use social media as an interactive feedback tool. Facebook and Twitter are the perfect forums to engage the customer, ask questions and learn important information that can help shape your brand’s future.

A customer gained is not a customer kept. Retention marketing is a complex exercise, but when done strategically can result in the long term connection of customers and brands. Look to your customers, analyse the data, be caring, be creative, listen and learn.

Author Bio: Natalia Padgen is the Managing Director of Across The Verge, a marketing company, specialising in marketing solutions for small to medium businesses. With a background in marketing, advertising and sales, Natalia started her own business in 2008 to focus on the creative and strategic side of marketing. Natalia’s goal is to share her passion and expertise with other businesses and assist them with their marketing goals to result in growth. For more information on Natalia Padgen view her profile.

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Now that you’ve gone ahead and built your Facebook fan page, what’s the next step?

If you build it they will come… or will they?

If you now do nothing with your Facebook page, it will do nothing for you.  Congratulations, you have a cyber-slug!

If you don’t have the time to spend keeping your page updated, or you don’t have the cash in your business to pay someone else to keep your page updated, you are wasting your time.  It’s that simple.

We’re a fickle crowd.  If you are not keeping your page current and populated with new and interesting bits and pieces to read, you won’t be top of mind with those that have liked your page.

Without posting on your wall, your fans are not seeing your page in their newsfeed.  Your fans will have to remember to find and revisit your page.  They won’t.

When was the last time you actively visited a page on Facebook purely because you thought of it?

Or did you see a post or comment in your newsfeed from a friend that caught your eye and you clicked through to find out more.

My guess is option 2.  Most of us operate that way.  We see what others are doing or talking about and then go and have a look see.

With that in mind, how can you apply the browsing habits of most online users to your Facebook page strategy to ensure people continue to visit your page?

1. Post 2 to 3 times per week

Yes, per week.  Be on your wall posting articles, comments, questions, videos, photos, etc at least 2 to 3 times per week to keep your page fans engaged.
If you are not talking to your page visitors, someone else will be.

2. Post at different times of the day / different days of the week

Unless you know exactly when your page fans are online, make an effort to post at different times of the day and also, post on different days of the week.
By posting at different times of the day, you can make sure you are appearing in the newsfeed of your fans at differing times.  People are online at different times of the day.  Some like to early morning browse.  Some jump online after lunch.  Others do a quick catch up on what’s happening at dinner time or when they’ve finally put the kids to bed and have a few moments to themselves.

Likewise, some people are more active on weekdays.  Others browse on the weekend when things have slowed down at work.

Know when your target market is online and post specifically to tap into their peak browsing times.

3. Repost your content

It’s perfectly fine to write one single article and post the same article to your wall 2 or 3 times.  Just make sure you spread out the time between the posting.

For example, you may post an article at the start of the month and repost it at the end of the month.  Why?  No one can possibly be on Facebook 24 hours a day.  There will be fans that would love to read your content but were not online when you first posted it.
Reposting gives people the chance to catch it on the second time around.

4. Post Content from other Sources

Be seen as in information disseminator.  As well as sharing your own information, source material that you know will appeal to your target market.

If you read an article that was helpful to you in business, chances are, it will also benefit others. So share it.

Your Facebook page visitors will appreciate the gesture and may even “on-share” it, citing you as the reference point where they found it.

This is where the ability to tag in Facebook can be really useful.  An article you found and posted can easily be shared as a link by someone else, with a tag to your page as a thank you for sharing.  Win-win!

5. Respond to Comments or Questions

If someone posts a question or a comment on your page, reply.  Sounds simple, but I’m amazed how many people don’t even bother to visit their own page to see what is happening on the wall.

Engaging with your visitors is an ideal way to establish rapport and build up a following of loyal fans who will love to hear from you.

If you do this, chances are next time they have a question in your field of expertise, they’ll ask you.  Their friends will also see that they’ve posted on your Facebook business page wall and some will click through to see why.

Why Did you Build a Facebook Business Page?

Your aim when building a Facebook business page should be to generate traffic to your page, as a source of potential leads, clients and customers.
Your challenge is to keep them interested when they get there.  Keep them engaged.  Keep them coming back.

That way they’ll see you as the expert and seek your advice and opinion when they have an issue to solve or question to ask.

Author Bio: Wendy Moore is the founder of www.savvywebwomen.com and creator of the Savvy List Building Blog – the information packed resource that shows business owners and entrepreneurs how to better understand the internet to build a highly responsive, targeted list of clients specific to their business niche. To receive your free Special Report and weekly how-to articles to expand your online List Building toolkit, visit www.wendymoore.net.

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Group buying sites have exploded in popularity in recent months – hundreds and thousands of customers are now ready to walk through your doors in large numbers, providing you can slash your prices for them. Are the massive discounts worth the exposure? Are the horror stories true? Here we’ll cover the essential things you need cover before you consider promoting your business on a group deals website.

Capacity

What volume can you deliver and afford? Should you cap your deal to XX sales? Don’t damage your business and brand by overselling your services and not being able to meet the customer demand.

Redemption

Most businesses report that customers who redeem or use their voucher are at least 20-30% lower than the actual volume of vouchers sold. This could be a good thing to provide you with the revenue and yet not have to resource the offer, but could be a negative if you are relying on these leads driving more leads and repeat business! Either way, think about the appropriate redemption period for your business – is 3, 6 or 12 months best?

Brand compatibility

Whilst it’s generally ok for businesses to offer special deals, discounts or value-adds, be careful that you are not attracting the very customer type who won’t value the service you are delivering or have the budget to afford your services generally (even if only for special treats!)

Make an impression

Do whatever you can to increase your chances of gaining repeat business. Speaking first hand, I have felt almost embarrassed to claim a deal from a business as they can almost make you feel like you are ripping them off when you want to take your deal. Treat ‘deals’ customers just as you would any customer – thank them for taking up the offer, for trying your business, and welcome any feedback they have. Make them feel valued, not cheap.

Take the opportunity to see if they’d like other services/ products – pitch your business to them (‘did you know we also offer XYZ?’), ask if there’s any other product/service they’d like today, etc. I recently went for a facial/massage combo that I had bought as a daily deal and I went with the intention of also asking for an eyebrow wax and tint… but I was shuffled into my allotted two hour treatment slot with barely a word uttered to recognise me as a customer so I didn’t feel I could even ask if I could get other treatments – and they didn’t even hint at asking me!

Encourage and if possible reward repeat bookings

If this is your goal, as it is for most businesses. Aim to go beyond a once off additional ‘treat’ that might satisfy the ‘deal’ seeker. Financially encourage your customer to experience your service more than once and perhaps there’s more chance they will become engaged in the experience and not just the ‘special discounted value’ of it.

Pro-actively seek virtual referrals such as through social networking channels

Leverage the impression you make (hopefully a great one) by asking for feedback publicly such as through social media, ideally your social media. For example, after servicing a new customer, send them a follow-up email and invite them to join your facebook page (become a fan or ‘like’ you), ask them to rate your service (if you have a poll on your facebook page) or to simply add a comment about what they thought of your business/service etc – and let the social networking do what it does best, go viral!

Set business and marketing goals and model the financial affordability of promotions

Be clear about what you want to achieve and what you are prepared to pay (or forego in the case of lost revenue, time to deliver services etc) to achieve the goals. Sure, the upside is you are not spending money upfront on these marketing promotions like you would with other methods like flyers, adverts in newspapers, etc, but you are still ‘paying’ for the marketing, so make sure it fits your budget, and is affordable for the potential value of your customer/s.

Author Bio: Linda Delphin is a small business marketing consultant, offering services to inspire businesses through marketing. Marketing Space help businesses understand the range of marketing options available and how to choose the marketing that is most valuable! To learn more about Linda, view her profile.

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A tagline is a phrase or slogan (usually no more than seven words) that communicates a single powerful message about your brand. A good tagline should set your brand apart from your competitors and encapsulate your brand promise to the consumer. A great tagline should be memorable and assist brand recall.

The objectives of a tagline can vary. You may wish to highlight your core brand offering, launch a new marketing initiative or reach out to a new target audience. Whatever your goals, creating and implementing a tagline is a cost-effective way to give depth to your brand position and communicate it across the board.
There are a number of different ways that taglines can be used to connect your brand with your target audience. Key tagline categories include:

The Functional Descriptor: describes the functional or tangible brand offering and seeks to fulfill the consumer’s needs.
Example:
Reflex. For better performance, always rely on Reflex.

The Core Values Descriptor: describes the core values or brand identity and aims to connect with the consumer on a psychological level.
Example:
Target. 100% happy.

Category Alignment: aligns the brand with a specific category and aims to become inextricably linked to it in the mind of the consumer.
Example:
BMW. The Ultimate Driving Machine.

Aspirational Alignment: aligns the brand with the consumer’s hopes, wishes and dreams, placing it in a position of value and desire.
Example:
Sony. Make. Believe.

Take time to create your tagline as it will be seen, spoken and recalled by consumers. It is the mouthful that can make or break you. Clarify your brand goals, vision and promise. Collaborate with others to ensure that your vision is shared; this concept will be the foundation for tagline development. Brainstorm possible taglines considering the following:

-  Product/service offering
-  Primary selling points/attributes
-  Key point of difference
-  Company vision
-  Brand values & promise
-  Target audience

An alternative to developing your tagline in-house is to contract a copywriter or specialist agency to go through the creative process and present you with a tagline shortlist. Your top few choices should be run through trademark searches to ensure that they meet legal requirements. At this stage, you’re ready to select the tagline that works for you on every level.

Tagline in tow, it’s time to put it to work. Make use of its magic by funnelling it through every brand touch point: branding collateral, sales & marketing material and consumer portals such as websites and social media. Each connection will see your message spread and recall strengthened.
Communicate the crux of what your brand is about. Create a tagline to increase the breadth of your brand message and connect with your target audience at every level. It’s free. It’s strategic. It’s a smart marketing move that every business owner should consider.

Author Bio: Natalia Padgen is the Managing Director of Across The Verge, a marketing company, specialising in marketing solutions for small to medium businesses. With a background in marketing, advertising and sales, Natalia started her own business in 2008 to focus on the creative and strategic side of marketing. Natalia’s goal is to share her passion and expertise with other businesses and assist them with their marketing goals to result in growth. For more information on Natalia Padgen view her profile.

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LinkedIn requires members to provide as much information as possible about themselves to attract more connections, be they potential business partners or clients. This social networking site values relationships. That’s the main reason why it encourages members to promote their educational background, job experience and other valuable assets in the best way they can.

Here then are some cool ways you can maximise your LinkedIn account.

Join or create groups
To connect to more professionals, you can choose groups within or outside your industry that you’d like to be a part of. You can also create your own group and invite others to join you, thereby setting up your own online community.

Post an update
Similar to other social networking sites, you can post an update on LinkedIn. You can do this on your home page in the Network Activity box. You can even attach a link and share the update using your Twitter account.

Request recommendations
Utilise the power of social proof! On LinkedIn, you can ask clients and colleagues for recommendations. From various positions you’ve held to work you’ve done for clients, obtaining testimonials from others add credibility to your profile. You can take advantage of this from one of the drop down menu items in your profile.

Give recommendations
Return the favour! You can recommend other people such as business partners and colleagues as well as companies in return. Recommending them will help build relationships, get you in front of potential new clients and help people get noticed for the skills and services that they offer.

Include a personal message
If you want to truly connect with people you know or you may know via LinkedIn, make sure to include a message in your invite. This will help them recognise you and shows you’ve taken the time to view their profile. People will be more interested in connecting with you when they know you’re not merely clicking on the invite button and building a list. You are connecting.

Post events
Whether you speak on a regular basis or organise your own events, the best way to promote them on LinkedIn and get in front of your target market is by posting an event. Go to the More section on the topmost bar and a drop down menu will appear. Choose Events. Click it then Add an Event and provide all the details. Make sure you include a photo.

Q&A section
Not sure how to navigate LinkedIn or like to know how to use it more effectively? You can always ask a question on the Answers page which serves as the site’s discussion board. You can find this in the More section’s drop down menu.
Also, if you find some interesting topics on this particular page, you can provide answers as well. Just click on the question to share your answer. This is a great way to promote your expertise as each week, a list is provided with the top experts and the corresponding number of answers they have provided. You can view this below the questions portion.

So if you are looking to get more business connections and touch base with your target market, being active on LinkedIn and maximising its features is a great start. If you can, try to be online on a regular basis so as to not miss out on any updates and be seen as a regular contributor.

Author Bio: Wendy Moore is the founder of www.savvywebwomen.com and creator of the Savvy List Building Blog – the information packed resource that shows business owners and entrepreneurs how to better understand the internet to build a highly responsive, targeted list of clients specific to their business niche. To receive your free Special Report and weekly how-to articles to expand your online List Building toolkit, visit www.wendymoore.net.

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When you look at internet marketing currently you can see how many potential business are doing well. In fact during the recent changes on Google Panda Update, web marketing took a different change and this led to a rise of businesses marketing their products and services online.

The reason why Google took that drastic measure it was because; Google wants to rank only the best quality content that will help their search users. In this content we will discuss how you can benefit from internet marketing and how you can profit from your marketing effort.

As we all know if you don’t do any online marketing you will not make any profitable sales. Due to high competition online, you need solid traffic that will make a great impact towards your business.

Lets discuss the benefits of emarketing as a way of driving traffic to your business

1. Your business will be exposed to the masses.

2. You will gain more business from potential partners.

3. Your sales can improve if you know how to target your market.

4. As you market online you will learn more ways of improving your marketing.

5. If your business is viable, you will receive request from potential marketers who will be interested in marketing your site sometimes they are known as ‘’Affiliates’’

The above are some of the reasons and benefits of emarketing that will help you to gain more visitors from the major search engines. Let’s discuss the various methods of conducting web marketing in an effective way.

1. Content Marketing

Article marketing is a way of writing a killer content that will expose your site to highly interested visitors who wants to know more about their niche. The best way to use this strategy is by writing a powerful content that will pull visitors to your e-business. From my own experience the best article word count minimum is 1000.

2. Social Marketing

Social media is a powerful strategy that can send high quality visitors to you website. After you have written your killer content, I would encourage that you bookmark your content to the top social sites.

3. PPC Marketing

Pay per click is another emarketing method that is widely used by big online business. The reason why it’s used by big business, it’s because it’s expensive to maintain the process. PPC involves bidding for a particular keyword. The best way is to search and bid for long tail keywords that have a high traffic volume and less competition.

4. Press Release

This form of advertising is a powerful method that can literally explode your sales, this is because you release will be distributed to Editors, Journalist and powerful bloggers who are hungry for content. Make sure to write an interesting story that will be accepted by the editors.

The above are some of the best benefits of emarketing methods that will be useful to your business. I would recommend that you practice any one of them and see how much benefits you will get from your emarketing.

Author Bio: Stuart Bazga – Born and breed in the western suburbs of Melbourne. Stuart has worked in SEO and website building since 2001 and has built several profitable sites. To get in contact or for more information on Stuart, read his profile.

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