BJM Free Press

You need to find your niche so you can concentrate. Once you figure out your specialty you can begin to promote it the right people. Are you in an affiliate program to make money? Do you own your own web site to direct traffic to your affiliate site? Are you selling something from a brick and mortar store or mall? There is so much to promote and your seeking results from your target market.

Planning Your Time

One way to keep an advertising schedule is with a daily calendar like a Day-Timer, Franklin-Covey Planners, or one of the others on them market. Simply outline the ads you want to post to internet classified site, forums, and blogs.

A little time managementcan go a long way. Just being organized will put you ahead of the competition.

Block out time in your daily calendar to each task scheduling the most important at a time when you have the most energy, for me that’s early in the day.

Take regular breaks to rest and evaluate how your doing, then adjust as needed. Regular breaks are also important to allow you mind to recharge so you can stay on task. Consider the pomodoro method of staying very focused for 25 minutesat a time.

Simplify Your Email Usage

If you have more than one email address using a program like Thunderbird is a great time save because the Thunderbird client allows you to collect your email from all sources at once.

You must advertise to your niche once you have found it. Find forums in your niche and be part of the conversation. Since you can’t blatantly post ads in a forum be sure to include your site’s URL and an tag line in your signature. When others read your post they can follow the link to your site.

Find a Mentor

Mentors can help by stimulating the learning process. The right mentor will help you go further by learning from them, making the learning curve shorter than if you were to learn on your own. Listen while working with other to learn what they are doing in their own promotions that you can translate into your promotions.

Advertising

Use every possible channel to promote yourself or your business. You can use traffic exchanges like Traffic Zap to earn banner view credits. There are also blog exchanges where you gain traffic to your site by viewing other blogs. Or a banner rotator where you post one banner to be cycled into view with other banners.

Don’t leave anything to chance. You can learn what promotions work the best by using an ad tracker. Then drop the least effective ads and replace them with new creative content.

More Advertising

You have to get the word out. So advertise some more. The largest companies and organizations place their logos and advertisements for millions of dollars. You can start with free advertising until you’re making money then move on to paid advertising. Keep records to learn which advertisements are working.

Resources

• Day Planners

• Franklin-Covey Planners
• Day Runner
• Day-Timer

Time Management

Pomodoro Technique

Mentoring

Internet Advertising

A couple of years ago we had the real estate bubble burst which lead to a recession. Most recently or government couldn’t decide on raising the debt ceiling to keep the United States solvent threatening to lead us into an economic depression.

Today is hard to tell where the economy is heading. By being optimistic, I am certain the current economic conditions are a short-term situation and in the long-term the country will see growth and prosperity. That doesn’t mean we won’t have bad times along the way.

The thing to ask is are you able to take advantage of the good times and get through the bad times?

You have to expect both good and bad times. Fortunately there are steps you can take to improve your position in both. Here are five to get you started.

1 – Rid Yourself of Debt

The sooner the better!

When you’re mired in debt you aren’t able to take advantage of financial opportunities when they present themselves. During the bad time it magnifies the how bad you have it, as servicing your debt becomes a greater percentage of your expenses.

2 – Global Thinking

We can no longer afford to act and think locally, a broader vision is required to improve or financial well being. We have to learn to think about how our career, industry, and business fit into the global economy.

3 – Become an Entrepreneur

Now is the time of free agency. You must thin like an entrepreneur even when work in a large company. Experience and seniority are not as valuable as they once were. Getting results and producing profits is what matters theses days.

Both, “You, Inc.: The Art of Selling Yourself ” by Harry and Christine Beckwith and “Self Marketing Power: Branding Yourself As a Business of One” by Jeff Beals are great resources for developing an entrepreneurial mindset. At the time of this writing you can pick up either book for less than $3.00 “used” from Amazon.

4 – Be Capitalistic

Wealthy people own assets and the rest of the people have liabilities (stuff that cost to maintain and own). Capitalists own assets that produce income such as stock, businesses, or equipment. Eighty percent of the millionaires in America are self-made.

5 – Being Flexible

Today, business moves at an ever increasing pace, demand that you are adaptable. Thing do not stay the same, they don’t go back to the way they were either. You have to be able to asses your situation and quickly change direction.

The book “Who Moved My Cheese?: An Amazing Way to Deal with Change in Your Work and in Your Life“, written by Spencer Johnson, the coauthor of “The One Minute Manager”, shows that ‘Change can be a blessing or a curse, depending on your perspective’ (quote from Amazon review page).

Resources

• Becoming a Millinaire
• Dealing with good and bad times
• Debt management

There is some surprising business wisdom for work at home business owners hidden in the songs of the musical legend known as Johnny Cash
, or the “Man in Black”.

1 – Target Marketing via “Understand Your Man”

Yep! Think of your target market as a lady in Johnny’s song “Understand Your Man”. Do you know what she needs, wants, and her driving ambitions? Is your website talking to your target audience? No? Maybe it’s time to revise your website and marketing materials before your audience is “as gone as a wild goose in winter” as well!

2 – “A Boy Named Sue”

Sue’s father said to him, “This world is rough, and if you’re gonna make it, you’ve gotta be tough”.

Just as life isn’t easy for a boy named Sue, life isn’t easy for a work at home business owner either. You will run into those dream stealing, confidence killing, fun suckers… however you choose to label them. There will be people trying to convince you that your goals are unachievable and that what you’re doing won’t work. Don’t listen and don’t let them bring you down.

What are some ways you can get tough in your business?

3 – Branding 101 as the Man In Black

Johnny Cash’s all black suit was his trademark, he wore it for a reason.

What about your brand, are you working on it? How will you stand out in a world that’s full of Elvis Presleys or Jerry Lee Lewises? Also, you and your target market don’t have to be the like each other. “Folsom Prison Blues” was created before Johnny Cash was ever put in prison and that song connected with inmates.

4 – “The Legend of Jonh Henry’s Hammer”

There is actually two pieces of business wisdom in the song:

a – You will succeed when you learn your business

John Henry’s father said, “Learn to a turn a jack, learn to lay a track, learn to pick and shovel too”.

Have you learned all you can about marketing on and off the internet to succeed in your business? Do you reinvest in education, mentoring, or coaching, and software like John Henry?

b – Technology is great, but people are still irreplaceable

Johnny showed that people are more valuable than technology when steam engines were threatening to replace people. Learn to use the technology that’s available to help your business, but remember your customers and prospects are people, so put some of yourself into your marketing.

5 – “One Piece at a Time”

“One Piece at a Time” is a ballad about a man’s decision to build a Cadillac from the parts he steals from the manufacturer’s assembly line where he worked. However, it didn’t exactly come together like he thought it might “and it didn’t cost him a dime”.

Does your marketing material and web site look as though they were pieced together? Are you happy with your web site being hosted for free with the clutter of advertisements, not willing to spend the money for a domain name and hosting?

6 – “In the Jailhouse Now”

By doing the following you are throwing you hard work out the window. It’s not worth it and you might find yourself in the jailhouse. It’s far better to “Walk the Line” and stay out of trouble.

• Copying content from other sites
• Clicking your own AdSense ads AdSense ads
• Failing to keep records and not paying your taxes
• Taking pictures and graphics from other sites
• Spamming

7 – “Ring of Fire”

June Carter Cash expresses her attraction to Johnny in this song. Both June and Johnny were in a relationship with other people. Clearly they were meant for each other and grew old together making music for 40 years!

Realize when you have made a poor choice and started a business that isn’t right for you. After you have worked hard at it and decided that it isn’t profitable, don’t be afraid to scrap it all and start over.

I hope you and your business make wonderful music together!!

A few business resourced you might like:

1. Target marketing
2. Branding
3. Working with Google AdSense