I have heard many new business owners say "I have my website up and running, now what?" A few people think that once the website is uploaded the traffic will automatically build and the phones will start ringing. I am here to tell you, not so. Now that you have established your online presence you now need to create a buzz and get people talking and recommending your site. Here are a few tactics to get you going: Email Signature The quickest and simplest way to infect the world with your message. Create an informative and intriguing message and include a link to your website in your signature. Create something valuable for free. A free ebook for signing up for your mailing list. Please ensure that whatever you give away is packed with valuable information and find a way to embed links back to your website in the material. Write Articles Spend a few hours writing some informative articles and submit them to article directories. I can't express how valuable this method is for building your brand. Be sure to include the all important keywords in your articles. Affiliate Programs Pay others to promote your product or service. Set up affiliate program and encourage others to promote your brand. The great news about this is you only pay when you get the referral. Setting up a website is one thing, going out and marketing it is another. You will only get visitors if they know that you are there. So go out and use these methods and see the click coming in. CRG

Part of my business (and I am sure yours too) involves responding to RFP’s. I average at least ten a week and get about twenty percent of the jobs. Whether these are small projects or on-going retainers I have learned that there are some absolute musts when it comes to you job proposal. Outline Everything: Do not leave your potential client guessing. List your services, your rates and limit the grey areas. In fact, clear them up as much as possible. Paper Trail: I have developed a habit to saving all my correspondence with clients and potential clients. Its m way of covering my you know what in case there is ever a problem, for instance, non payment of invoices, etc. Include a clause for project changes: Often there may be changes in the requirements or responsibilities. To be prepared for this include a clause stating that any project changes will incur additional charges. Don’t forget the contract: Especially if you do not know or have no connection with the potential client. For most jobs it is customary to request a 50% advance before work commence. FSE

When we decide to set up  a business we give priority to a number of things and do not give a second thought to others. We have heard stories of plagiarism, of businesses that start off using names and images that belong to others. The other end f the spectrum arises when we use common names and logos that cannot be trademarked. This sometimes happen after we are well established and finally spare a thought for getting the business trademarked. Only to find out that your business name or logo was too commonplace to be trademarked. Spare yourself the agony and choose distinctive names to begin with. At least seek advice in the early phase of your business this way making the necessary adjustments won't affect your image and your bottom line.

Unfortunately many people start up online businesses because they've nurtured the thought that it is fast and easy money. Unfortunately many people will fail due to disappointment and loss of motivation. My tip today is this"Don't seek instant gratification when starting your online business." There is no other way to say it. I have spent countless hours working on my online business, doing research, learning new things, networking before I made my first sale. Even when I started Five Star Executives it took me two months before I got my first online client. I say online because my offline contacts provided the business I needed to "stay in business." Its easy to loose the motivation that got you started in the first place especially when you expect instant results. So my friend be realistic, stay focused and wait it out. It will pay off in the end and you'll more than enjoy the results.

No one can argue the importance of networking to increase business. Then why do so many fail to network, both online and off line? I say this because I have been talking with a client recently who lamented about the stagnancy of his business. Of course he was appreciative of the many clients that he had but it seemed that there was no further growth. He needed me to help him expand his reach. I reviewed his strategy and of course networking came up. He mentioned that he was a member of his local Chamber of Commerce and that he belonged to several groups online. I asked about his most recent contribution to these groups and he mentioned that he never contributed...... Long story short and the point of this lesson. Networking does not mean signing on to groups and remaining passive. You have to make an effort, get out there and talk about what you do. Try to help others. Spread the knowledge. Only then will you see the results of networking. More on this at a later date.....

Yesterday we spoke of the importance of using attention grabbing headlines. Today I'll share some basic guidelines for creating an effective headline. Create a sense of urgency. Why should a reader stop to read your ad, NOW? Share something valuable. Readers need to justify spending their time reading through your entire copy. Share something unique. Don't give the same old story that everyone other person is sharing. Be Specific. What are you trying to convey? Use these points to create your headline and get your readers attention, share something beneficial and give them a reason to read on. Finally always be honest!!!

Yesterday as I was driving past a popular department store I noticed a sign that immediately caught my full attention. I had no intention of going anywhere near a mall but for some reason I parked and spent over two hours at this particular outlet. This got me thinking? In fact it just reinforced something that I always knew. People read an ad if the headline is appealing. In fact five times as many people read the headline than the body of the ad. So why are businesses throwing big dollars behind the copy but fail to use effective headlines? Some even neglect to include a headline. Generally you have three seconds to grab your readers attention and you should do so with an appealing headline. It is only then readers will decide if your ad is worth reading. Stop wasting your advertising dollars, get your ad read by using attention grabbing headlines. Tommorow I'l share some guidelines for creating your headline.