Have you ever recommended a good movie to a friend on Twitter?  Have you ever stayed away from a restaurant because someone posted on Yelp that  they had a bad experience there?  This is word-of-mouth advertising in social media  and it can have a huge impact on your business.

In most cases of advertising, the business owner has control of how the ad looks, feels, and the message it conveys to the potential customer.  The exception to this is in social media.  With social media marketing (or good ol’ word of mouth advertising) , your prior customers have all the control over potential customers.  If they rave about you, you’ll attract new customers.  If they gripe about you, they will deter people from becoming your customer.

No matter how hard you try — you just can’t fake good customer service or sweep customer’s complaints under the rug. You need to be transparent , authentic and honest.

Good word-of-mouth advertising can work wonders for your business, and the best part is that it is free.  Your prior customer may run into someone who needs your services, and if you have provided quality products or services, chances are they will recommend you.  If you sought out ten customers through your own marketing efforts and they each told one person about you, who then became your customer, you would have doubled your customer base. Potential customers are much more likely to buy from you if you come recommended by someone that they trust.

Bad word-of-mouth advertising can have the same effect, only in a negative way.  When you mistreat a customer or sell them a poor product, they will definitely let people know about it. They will blog about , tweet it , and share their story with just about anyone who will listen.  When someone is spreading good word of mouth advertising, they will usually wait to tell the good stuff until someone specifically asks about it.

For instance, if they recently worked with a great graphic designer, they will be more than happy to recommend them when someone asks if they know of a good graphic designer.  However, with bad word-of-mouth advertising, the hurt party isn’t going to wait for someone to ask if they know of a bad graphic designer.  They are going to tell everyone and anyone , whether they want the information or not.

The fact that the angry customer is telling this to people who may not even be interested in hiring a graphic designer doesn’t sound so bad, but unfortunately, these people will probably remember the story.  When they are asked if they know of a good graphic designer, they will retell the angry customer’s story.  The person in need of a graphic designer will stay away from the designer who made the angry customer so angry in the first place.

You can protect yourself from the negative aspects of social media marketing  by consistently providing quality products and great customer service.  Of course, you cannot please everyone, but if the majority of your customers have only good things to say about you, you will start to see social media work for you instead of against you. You will start to develop lasting relationships with your customers and they in turn will trust you with their businesses.

Have you ever heard the expression, “do what you love?”  This is one of the keys to running a successful business.  If you thoroughly enjoy your job, it will reflect on your company.

Finding your niche is easier than you think.  Make a list of your favorite hobbies or activities.  No matter what the hobby, put it on the list—sewing, computer games, reading, cooking, baking, etc.  State those hobbies that you feel you are exceptionally good at.  Use this list to come up with business ideas. Quite simply, here are some ideas and the route you could take:

Baking:  Cake or Cupcake  making is a highly successful business.  Few people have time to make their own cakes for birthday parties, weddings or other celebrations.  You may need to take a course or two to hone your cake decorating skills.  An average wedding cake sells for $60 to $300 depending on the design.  A second option is to create homemade baked goods for parents who are too busy to cook for school functions but do not want to show up with store-bought goods.  In areas across the United States, home bakers are responsible for the goodies that are showing up at school bake sales or holiday parties because it is much easier for the working parent.  Online bakeries do exist, but it is critical to pay attention to shipping.  Limiting the area to which you sell is important for things like cakes, muffins or cupcakes, cookies or candies are easier to ship.

Computer Games:  Unless you have skill as a game designer, you will have problems finding a job building computer games.  In fact, even those holding game design degrees are under pressure to find jobs in this struggling market.  What you can do is to create a game review website, online video game retailer or computer game rental store online.  Computer game rentals are starting to catch on, but Game Fly is really the only company running this business at the moment.

Cooking:  So many people trying to eat nutritious meals, the fact is there are still many people who cannot cook.  If you have skills, an online website with kitchen supply sales, online cooking lessons, and even ebooks are a great option.  Another idea is to sell your own spice blends or jar mixes.

Painting:  One of the best ways to market your talents as an artist is online where you can reach a much larger target audience.  You can set up an online studio showcasing your best work and selling paintings, sculptures or photography to interested clients. Or you can even use your artistic skills to create websites or do graphic design.

Reading:  Regardless of television trends, people still love to curl up with a book.  Bookstores do exceptionally well, though it is harder to compete with Amazon.com or BN.com online.  If you opt for an online bookstore, come up with something that makes it unique.  Another possibility is to take your love of books and create a membership fee based online lending program or swap meet type, online bookstore where customers can trade in books to gain points towards free books.

Sewing:  The options here are endless.  You can create custom clothing, handle zipper replacements, alterations or other repairs or make quilts to order.  With the poor economy, many men and women are turning to having a seamstress repair worn clothing to save money.  Because many towns lack seamstresses, people are willing to ship their clothing to someone in another area to have it done for them.

There are thousand of possible ideas.  As long as you have a hobby and a bit of creativity, you can turn your favorite pastime into a thriving business.  Remember to be open to trying different spins on your hobby.  If you narrow your idea down and find that there are tons of competing businesses, you will need to come up with a suitable option that sticks with your interests while matching a customer’s requirements.

Passive Income -- Earn More & Work Less!

Everybody knows the phrase, there are multiple ways to skin a cat, but not many entrepreneurs believe that there are multiple ways to earn an income.  In fact , you can do it and make it work for you. It takes a little planning and some work on your part!

Creating passive income has become a reality for entrepreneurs all over the world because of the opportunities that the Internet has created and here are just some of the many ways to help you get started building .

1. Google AdSense
Googleís AdSense program is probably one of the easiest ways for anyone, even a complete newbies, to start building a passive stream of income.  AdSense is a pay-per-click advertising network that pays you every time a visitor to your website clicks on an advertisement.  Apart from placing a simple piece of code on your website that AdSense provides, the only other “real” work you have to do is create relevant content and drive traffic to your site. Be careful with this one if you are offering product/services on your site as you don’t want your customers leaving your site for the competition.

2. Create A Membership Site
If you have information that you think people would be keen to pay for, consider starting a membership site.  Impose a low monthly subscription fee and offer information that is exclusive to this community.  If you think your information is worth a higher subscription fee, then raise the price.  Customers/Clients will pay if they know the information is made exclusively for them.

3. Affiliate Marketing
Probably, the most popular business model for earning an income online, affiliate marketing is a really simple way of creating a new stream of income online on a very low budget.  Affiliate marketing is about selling someone elseís product or service for a commission, without having to deal with customer payments and product deliveries on your end.  Amazon.com is a perfect example of how affiliate marketing works and is definitely a great business model to get into.

4. Webinars/Teleseminars
If you already have a subscriber base, then consider selling them your expertise via a series of paid webinars (or teleseminars).  Offering paid webinars is a wonderful way of helping your customers and prospects learn more about your products or services.  You can monetize your paid webinars even further by recording them and selling them in different audio formats, or even have them transcribed to be sold as eBooks.

5. Special Reports And eBooks
If you could record a seminar and sell it as an eBook, imagine what you could do with the rest of the intellectual property you own.  People love consuming information, and packaging solutions to a problem in the form of special reports and eBooks is a revenue stream that can truly last you a lifetime.

Creating passive streams of income isn’t rocket science and is very achievable to earn more and work less.  All it takes is a little ingenuity, planning and lots of determination to make it work for you .

Top 10 tips for Networking

These days there are so many conferences being held it is hard to keep track. This is in addition to the many networking opportunities in your own area. Here are some tips to keep the networking working for you and your business.

1. Plan your networking
   identify the people and organizations you want to contact and make efforts to build relationships with them. What is your SMART objective? (specific, measurable, action-oriented, realistic, time-bound) Basically , what do you plan to get out of the conference, meeting, etc. Remember — fail to plan, plan to fail.
2. Research
   Do you homework? Look at the event information – who will be there that you would just love to connect with!  Collect information on who is coming to the conference and how they might help your career or vice versa. Are there any of events surronding the main event that you want to be a part of ? Pre-party, small group workshop, etc. What are some of the other attendees  talking about ?
3. Be professional
   Make a good impression by making eye contact, smiling, introducing yourself, shaking hands, and asking a question. Thank people who have helped you, in public if possible. Don’t be a stalker! Don’t go for the hard sell in the hallway of the meeting room. Give others an opportunity to get to know you.  Treat everyone with respect.
4. If you can’t say anything nice don’t say anything at all
   Don’t get involved in controversies or criticize someone’s work for any reason, to any one, even in jest. It will just come back to haunt you.  NEVER drink heavily at a conference.
5. It’s not all about you
   The main goal of networking should be to understand others’ needs and problems so you can quickly assess whether/how you can help them. You can’t do that if you are talking the entire time.
6. Need help ? Ask!
   Talk about yourself and your needs so your contacts can identify how they can help you. Don’t be afraid to ask a  question in a workshop. Make sure that the question is on the topic at hand.   If you find someone that you know can help with your needs, then make sure to ask.
7. Connect!
   Find that common place where your interests, lives and writing intersect. Be open to new ideas, opportunities and people. There can be answers and magic in everything and everyone. Think creatively about how to partner on a project or idea.
8. Embrace the “soft sell “
   Provide valuable information . People like to work with people that they trust, feel is an expert and can get the job done.  Refer others to those  you know who can solve their problems. You’ll be seen as a problem solver, and those people who benefit from your referrals will be likely to provide you with referrals in return.
9. Get Organized
   Put all your contact information (e.g. business cards) in a single spot and write on the back of cards why you are keeping them. Make note of what you can help them with or how they can help you. Make sure to put them into a database of some sort for follow-up.

10. Follow- up –
    Follow-up regularly with potential clients  or they’ll forget you exist.  Send a quick not  about the topic from your conversation.  Commit yourself to following through on help you receive.

Have an additional networking ideas or rules? If so , share them below!

Establishing your own business logo or slogan can help people remember your business in the same way.

When it comes to marketing your business, something as simple as a memorable graphic or catchphrase can help you immensely.  A business logo or slogan can create brand recognition and help you establish your business reputation.

When you think of Nike, what do you think of?  For most people, the image of the Nike swoosh or the words “just do it” automatically jump into their mind when they think of the company.

When you see an image of an apple with a bite taken out of it, what do you think of? Many people will answer that question with either Apple Computers or iPod.  Several years ago, Dell Computers created a successful string of commercials that featured a teenager saying, “Dude, I’m getting a Dell“.

Even though the commercials have been off the air for some time, there are probably many people who tell their friends and family the same statement when they purchase a new computer.

Establishing your own business logo or slogan can help people remember your business in the same way.  Perhaps you have a website and someone visits for the first time and considers making a purchase, but then they decide to comparison shop.  They may end up looking at several sites before making a decision.

It is common for people to get so caught up in looking at different websites that they cannot remember which ones they have even been to.  If your website featured a catchy logo or slogan, your visitors would have an easier time differentiating between you and your competition.

If your logo or slogan involves a common word or object, they may think of your business every time they hear that word or see that object.  For instance, if you have a business related to children and an elephant is featured in your logo, each time your customer sees an elephant, they can end up thinking of you.  The more they think of you, the likelier it is that they will buy from you.

When deciding which type of logo to use, think about your business and how you want to be perceived.  Who is your target market and what type of things are they interested in? If your target market consists of grandmothers who are active, adding a rocking chair to your logo may insult them.  However, featuring an older lady in tennis shoes or a in a jogging suit doing pilates may make them laugh.  This could be the type of logo that will stick with them and make them remember you.

The same goes for your slogan.  Think of how you want to be represented and what appeals to your target market.  Stay away from anything offensive, such as curse words or slang.

You will also want to stay away from trends.  Your business logo and slogan can be with you for years.  What is “cool” today can be “cold” tomorrow. Plan for a long-term investment and stick with what you will be proud of five or ten years from now.

Viral marketing can be a very effective strategy for your business

Viral marketing refers to the marketing method of using your existing website visitors or other website owners to send you new referrals, visitors, and subscribers.  This Viral marketing refers to the marketing method of using your existing website visitors or other website owners to send you new referrals, visitors, and subscribers.  This very effective strategy can be used in many different ways.

An easy way to get started with viral marketing is through article marketing.  You simply submit articles that you have written to article reprint directories.  These are sites that other website owners and bloggers visit in order to find free content for their web pages.

When you submit an article to a directory, you are allowing other people the option of publishing your article on their web page.  In exchange, they will include a link back to a site you have specified.  To get the best results, write articles that have something to do with the content found on your site, and make sure the link you include is a link that has the same type of information as the article, rather than simply sending the traffic to your home page.

Creating an ebook is another way to use viral marketing. You can sell the ebook and include resell rights or you may give the ebook and allow others to give the ebook away as well.  You will want to stipulate that while persons may resell the ebook or give it away for free, they do not have the right to change the information.

This is important.  If you create a title page that includes your URL (or if you add your URL to other places within the ebook), you will want to make sure that the persons who resell the ebook know that they cannot take your info out of the ebook and replace it with theirs.

A similar idea is to create a special report (sometimes referred to as a viral report).  A special report is anything longer than an article but shorter than an ebook.  They are very popular as they do not take much time to create.  And many people enjoy reading them as they can get a crash course on a subject in a short amount of time.  Again, you can choose to sell them with resell rights or simply give them away.

If you choose, you can create brandable eBooks and reports.  All you have to do is make some of the links inside the content can be changed to reflect a person’s individual affiliate link.

For instance, we’ll say that you created an information product on gardening. To gain publicity, you created a special report that contains some basic information and explains that if the readers want to learn more, they can purchase your information product.  Your affiliate can include their specific affiliate link and when one of the people they distribute the report to becomes a customer, you and the affiliate will both be paid.

Viral marketing is a great way to increase your traffic and your sales.

Positive thinking may sound like “mumbo-jumbo” to some people, but other people firmly believe in it.  Positive thinking is the act of staying optimistic, even when faced with difficulties or challenges.

Staying positive, even in the face of adversity, can help you conquer challenges.  When you think positively, you are envisioning your success.  Failure will not be an option; you will move past the obstacles in your way.  When a person thinks positively, they will attract positive people and positive outcomes in their life.

When you find yourself facing a roadblock, try to find a way around it.  It can be easy to give up.  Giving up will not bring you any closer to accomplishing your goals.  In fact, giving up can make you feel even worse and cause more stress.

Finding a way to forge ahead and reach your goal or accomplish your task will help you grow as a person.  You will feel more confident and able to take on new, more difficult challenges.

It can be difficult to take on a new positive personality.  It is not realistic to expect anyone to change completely overnight.  Taking small steps toward positive thinking will create big changes.

When you wake up in the morning, envision a few positive thoughts.  Imagine yourself having a great day.  Think about all of the wonderful things that will be happening to you.  Imagine yourself attracting new clients or being contacted by a reporter who wants to feature you in a magazine story.

You may want to consider creating a “dream board” or a “dream book”.  Write out all the things you would like to accomplish.  Look through magazines and find pictures that correspond with those goals.  When you find a picture you like, cut it out and pin it to a bulletin board or paste it into a scrapbook.

Don’t be afraid to reach for the stars with this project.  If you see a picture of a house you would love to live in, put it on your dream board.  Find a picture of a car you’ve always wanted or a picture of a place you would love to travel to.

Take a moment each day to look at your dream board or flip through your dream book.  Think positive thoughts such as one day, I will own a Humvee  or one day, I will take a vacation to the Cayman Islands.  This can inspire you and motivate you to work hard and achieve success.  Your dream book is giving you a glimpse of your rewards.  Now, it is up to you to take action.

Working with an assistant can provide many benefits for you and your business.  You will have more time to work on projects, yet the day-to-day activities of your business will still get done.  A good assistant can also provide great feedback and help you brainstorm new ways of managing your business activities.

When you find an assistant that you enjoy working with, it is important to keep them happy, productive and motivated. If they feel bored or taken for granted, they may look elsewhere for employment.  The following are some tips to help you keep your dream assistant.

Keeping your lines of communication open will definitely help your assistant do her job.  When you want her to complete a job, explain exactly what you want.  Keep track of the progress of long projects to make sure things are moving along smoothly.  This will prevent any bad feelings if your assistant hands you a project that wasnít completed exactly as you had envisioned.

Coaching your assistant will help both you and your assistant.  Teaching your assistant to set goals will empower your assistant in their personal and professional life.  When your assistant feels empowered professionally, they will feel more confident and will be motivated to take on new challenges.

Keeping your assistant stimulated and helping them learn new skills will keep your assistant motivated and productive.  You can offer to teach them a new skill, such as blog customization or help them learn a new software program.  As your assistant learns new skills they can help you with more of your business tasks.  This can help you grow your business to new heights.

Give your assistant feedback on the work they have completed and praise your assistant when they have done a great job.  When assistants are not told if they are doing good work, they may assume that they have done badly or even failed.  This may cause them to suffer a lack of confidence and eventually, they may not try as hard as they could to do a good job. When they are praised and given encouragement, your assistant will work harder to do a good job.

Most importantly, telling an assistant thank you will make them feel appreciated and worthwhile. Being an assistant is hard work, and a little praise can go a long way.  These tips can help you keep your assistant motivated and productive.  If you ever feel that your assistant isn’t working as hard as they could be, don’t hesitate to ask them if there is anything you could do to help.  You and your assistant can work together to form a great working relationship.

If you offer a physical product for sell, having a website can help you bring many sales you wouldn’t have otherwise received.  People from all over the world can view your products, both day and night.  To make the most of your website (and your profits), you will want to display your highest quality product photos.

Many times, when it comes to your products, your website may be the only thing your customers have to go by.

They may never have had the chance to see your products in person.  It only makes sense to include photos that show several views of your product. You may want to include a shot of both the front and back views.  If you are offering something such as a purse, you may want to include a shot of the inside lining.

Depending on the type of product you are selling, you may want to include a model in your photos.  This is especially true if you are offering something such as clothing, jewelry, or handbags. If your visitor can “see” the image on someone else, they can more easily imagine it on themselves.

If you are offering some other type of item, you may not need a model, but you may want to include something that can help the visitor distinguish the object’s actual size.  This is true, even if you include measurements in your product description.

Make sure that your photos are in focus and that images can be clearly seen.  Another helpful tip would be to include a function that increases the size of the picture as the customer rolls their mouse over the image.

Having high-quality photos on your website will also add to your credibility and help to establish your reputation as a professional.  When a visitor comes to a website that features poorly lit photos that contain blurry images, they will most likely assume the owner of the website is a real amateur.

On the other hand, when they visit a website that contains lots of high-quality photos, they will assume that the owner of this website is very professional and takes pride in their work.

To achieve the best photo results, you may want to consider hiring a professional photographer. They will have high-resolution cameras that can really capture the detail of your products.  Not to mention, they also have access to great lighting, and they know how to make an image look great.

You can call the local portrait studios in your area to get an idea of what the average fee will be.  While it may involve some up-front cost it is well worth it.

The photos on your site will be “selling” your product. A picture may be worth a thousand words; over the course of time, it could also be worth several thousands of dollars.

80% of your business will come from 20% of your clients.

The Pareto principle (also known as the 80-20 rule), states that, for many things, 80% of the consequences come from 20% of the causes.  For instance, you wear 20% of the clothes in your closet 80% of the time.  This equation also affects your business, as in 80% of your business will come from 20% of your clients.

Unfortunately, most people will spend 80% of their time dealing with the 80% of clients who are not bringing in business. You can use this theory to argue that only 20% of the tasks you work on will bring in the majority of your business. The following are some tips to help you streamline your schedule and spend time where it really counts.

Have you ever noticed that the people who ask the most questions or are the most difficult are the people who place the smallest orders?  While it is certainly important to provide great customer service, you can place a limit on your time.

For example, let’s say you sell cosmetics and a potential customer wanted to know if the product was tested on animals. Once you researched the answer and got back to them, they wanted to know if only organic materials were used, so then you research that answer and when you get back to them they have another question and then another question and so forth.  Sound familiar?

This exchange could go on for several days, and at the end of it, the potential customer may not become your customer at all.

If a potential customer is on the fence about a sale, go ahead and  ask them for the sale, and if they hesitate, to let them know you are available to help them place their order, once they are ready.

It definitely feels good to get a sale and gain a new customer, but the time you spend chasing down small sales could be spent on the “big clients” who are willing to place large orders.

Another smart thing to do is create a thorough FAQ and standard answers that could be cut and pasted into a support email.  Always direct your customers to your FAQ first, then support.

Email can be another big time waster. Setting aside a half hour in the morning and a half hour in the evening to respond to your email can save you time during the day.  Another option is to hire a virtual assistant to answer general business email.  There may be some things you need to respond to yourself, but the vast majority can probably be handled by someone else.

You may want to experiment  by tracking the time you spend on various tasks to determine which ones are actually making you money.  It only stands to reason that devoting more time to those activities will greatly increase your profits.