Having a website up is great, but what happens if nobody is visiting? I mean if a tree falls in the forest and nobody is around to hear it, does it really make a sound? The point is, it’s website TRAFFIC that really makes all your hard work worthwhile. When people are showing up to your site, they’re far more likely to click your ads, buy your products or take whatever action applies to your specific site that generates revenue for you.

Exposure is EVERYTHING, so think of as many creative ways as possible to get your website’s URL out there. There’s no such thing as TOO MANY visitors to your site. The worst that could happen is you might have to buy better hosting to accommodate the traffic. And trust us, it’ll be worth your while when that day comes. So, spread the word!

How can you create SEO offline? Do something creative and create more offline traffic.

Some extra offline places to promote your website include:

- On your business card

- Do a postcard mailing announcing your new Facebook page

- In article bylines that are in-print or guest magazine articles

- Use banner at networking events

-  Make a car decal with your Twitter handle

Also, be on the lookout for ways other people share or promote their web links and don’t be afraid to follow suit. After all, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. If the idea is great, it bears repeating!

What are some offline ways you use to increase online traffic?

I've been looking so long at these pictures of you
That I almost believe that they're real
I've been living so long with my pictures of you
That I almost believe that the pictures are
All I can feel

In a world where people’s attention spans have reached an all-time low, sometimes it’s best to say less and just SHOW them what you’re up to. They say a picture is worth 1,000 words and social media outlets like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram are doing their part to prove it.

Carrying a camera in order to seize the moment has become more of a necessity than ever. Wherever you find yourself, consider shooting interesting or important subject matter to publish on your blog or social media page. The sooner you can post it, the better. We do live in an instant gratification society, after all.

And don't think that just stock images will do the trick. A study conducted by Jakob Nielsen revealed that people IGNORE stock images, but they prefer good ol' fashioned personal photos. You can read his interview with the New York Times. 

This goes hand-in-hand with keeping your website updated. Blog posts are great for keeping people interested, but pictures and videos can really spice things up. Most current cell phones have a camera and many even have a video camera function. Most iPhone, Android and BlackBerry models also give you the ability to immediately share your photos or videos via social media. If your cell phone doesn’t have these capabilities, the purchase of a new smartphone (generally quite affordable, if you’re willing to sign a contract) or an inexpensive digital camera may be in order.

Everyone loves a celebration. And a good laugh.

Not to beat a dead horse here, but with the economic state or PERCEIVED state (whatever you choose to believe), we need more reasons to laugh, have fun and boogy down.  During the Great Depression, most people were scaling back advertising and marketing budgets, but Proctor and Gamble revved up. (Tip – Rev up when everyone else is cutting back.)

They believed people needed an escape from their present circumstances, so they invented "soap operas," with the first rendition on radio which later led to television. It allowed us to live in a fantasy world momentarily and not have to think about the harsh reality surrounding us.  As a result, Proctor and Gamble's brand become iron strong.

The entertainment industry also increased and comedy became another means to escape, but left you with feel-good-endorphin-high.  Laugther IS the best medicine, after all (and that's been proven!).

So how can you help your customers or clients celebrate life, laugh and increase brand loyalty?

Give them a REASON to! An occasion, a justification, just something that makes what you have to offer FEEL that much more special. Successfully piggybacking on the equity of an existing holiday (even an unusual or totally silly one) is a great way to get a promotional boost.

There are a slew of unusual holidays, so you don't need to wait on the more traditional ones to roll around. For example, Earth Day was a perfect opportunity to spread the world at the beautiful gift we have and promote your products and services.

Find a way to tie into it. Give your audience a reason to feel good about your products AND the environment. Once you make that connection, it will stick in their minds.

Here is merely a sampling of just a few unusual holidays you may want to use in promoting your products and services in the coming year. You can find many more ideas at www.brownielocks.com.

National Goof Off Day – March 22nd

Send you clients or prospects a goofy card, a reason to have fun, a tips list – Top 10 Ways to Have More Fun and Get More Done. 

Clean Up Your Room Day – May 10th

Celebrating this day would be particularly tempting if you were a the owner of a furniture store, or a professional organizer.  Perhaps you own a retail store and are hoping to draw in new customers.  Consider running a contest that the 37 customer would receive a free day with a professional organizer.  You AND the organizer get to split the cost of your marketing efforts and co-promote!

National Chocolate Cupcake Day – October 18th 

Cupcakes are hot right now.  On October 18th, why not bake mini chocolate cupcakes and deliver them to your clients?  Or advertise that everyone who comes in to your store on October 18th will receive a free chocolate cupcake? Are you the owner of a restaurant? Offer a free cupcake dessert.  A nice treat to hit their sweet spot!

How have you used weird and unusual holidays to build excitement and brand loyalty?

Share your comments below!

  I like to affectionately call it "Cute Marketing." You know – Babies, Bunnies and Little Bo Peeps!  Spring time is the PERFECT time to bring extra furriness (a.k.a. cuteness) to your marketing efforts.

 Did you know "cuteness" is more likely to be viewed, watched, read and forwarded?  Furballs (not that kind) and fuzz are just plain fun! And, it's been proven numerous times that our brains respond to pleasing imagery by releasing dompamine, which is a feel good chemical that causes us to feel, well, all warm and fuzzy on the inside! In fact, a new study out of the University of Oxford in conjunction with Biological Psychiatry used brain imaging to reveal a glimpse of the biological basis of our collective cooing over babies: "Morten Kringelbach and Alan Stein showed that a brain region associated with our emotional responses to rewarding stimuli lights up within a mere seventh of a second in response to pictures of babies, but not in response to shots of adults." Does that mean you should should change your profile pics to fuzzy critters?  No, not at all.  

But, keep in mind that social media is the PERFECT platform for all of this cuteness.  People LOVE talking about their furry friends, kid and grandchildren. And, there are appropriate times to "cuten" your marketing.  For instance, one of our most recent direct mail campaigns revolved around this year being the Year of the Rabbit.  Perfect timing for some cuteness. How have you used "cute marketing" and been effective? Post your cuteness below!

Do the wealthy and successful love a bargain? 

Of course they do! Don't be conned in to thinking they don't. 



No matter how wealthy or successful someone is, they still love a good deal.  It's about making GOOD DECISIONS – the best decisions for your business that you can.



Celebrities get free stuff all the time. Free cars. Free clothes. Free food. 


CEO's get plenty of perks also. Free car. Free food. Free travel. 


Financial planners (good ones) teach their clients this lesson. 
Accountants are also looking to save you money.


Big Businesses model their companies off of these principles.

There are two very important business lessons regarding giveaways, freebies and cheap deals.



Important Lesson #1:



Free is good.  Free gives your customers and clients a TASTE of what you have to offer.  It helps them walk through the door.  It takes the pressure off.  It helps sell them on you and your products or services.



Important Lesson #2: 



Let's not forget how the vast majority of the most successful businesses started out in the beginning – on a really tiny budget. Sometimes with only $300 bucks or less! 



Ready to learn the budget secrets of the Rich and Famous Business Owners? 



On April 27th from 2-3pm EST, we are hosting a FR*EE webinar where Nancy is going to be teaching you:

10 Ways to Market Your Business Under $10
Budget Secrets of the Rich and Famous Business Owner

You will:

• Learn how to S-T-R-E-T-C-H your marketing dollars!
• Discover how to WOW your customers and never be forgotten.
• Learn the small-budget marketing secrets of the Rich and Famous Business Owner – how many of the guru’s got started and STILL grow their businesses!
• Learn 10 cheap and low-cost ways that big companies use to grow big.!

It's 100% free and you are going to be learning how you can get further faster on a budget – just like so many success gurus did.

We are so excited to be teaching you these strategies so you can grow and not bust your bank!

Click here to Register

According to Merriam-Webster Dictionary, a turn off is:

“one that causes loss of interest or enthusiasm.”

There is a not so sexy side to customer service.  All of us have experienced it.  It’s when we get burned, bruised or maltreated by either a not very well trained customer service rep, or someone who should have never been hired. 

Problem is, the people at the front line of your business oftentimes make the largest impact – negatively or positively.

One sure way to lose customers and tons of sales is to engage in these three “Turnoffs”:

Turnoff Number 1:

Not having a telephone number listed on your contact us page.

What?  You’re not interested in me? 

I don’t necessarily expect you to answer it, nor do I expect NOT to be on hold.  I might not even call, but the fact you have one listed helps me build a relationship with you.


I just expect you to have one.  It’s a trust issue.  It’s feeling like I can actually make contact.  It’s knowing there is a human being on the other side who might actually help me.  It makes me feel like you’re not avoiding me or running away from your own customers!

Having a telephone number listed lowers my frustration and increases my ability to feel in control of solving a problem. 

I believe EVERY business should list as many ways to make contact as possible:

1. Telephone

2. Email

3. Contact Form

4. Address

What’s so hard about that?  Isn’t it better to put your customers at ease rather than tick them off?

Turnoff Number 2:

Taking forever to return an email or message. 

Slow and steady in customer service DOES NOT win the race!



I'll never forget the day I got an email auto-responder from a colleague that said something to this effect,



"I am now only checking my emails twice weekly due to the large volume I receive."



Turn off.  Big time. 

Oh, so now you’ve told me how important you are. 

Perfect.  I still don’t care.  I’m going to sleep now.

Whatever happened to good old-fashioned hard work and customer service?  If you can’t answer all of your emails then hire a stellar assistant who can.  I don’t expect the CEO of a company to email or call back every time we make contact, but they always pass it along to someone who WILL follow through and take the time.



Turnoff Number 3:

Not following through on what you promised me.

How many times have I taken a course from someone that promised me a long list of things and didn’t deliver?

Now I’m mad.  I’m more than turned off.  You’re sleeping on the couch.

YOU said in YOUR video or YOUR email or YOUR blog post that you were going to teach some specific deliverables and then you didn’t.

You gave me your word and then you didn’t follow through.  That’s no way to run a business.

A good, timeless principle we have all heard (but most of us don’t give enough thought to) is  – Under Promise and Over Deliver.

So many online business owners are not keeping their word that to just DELIVER WHAT YOU PROMISED would feel like you over-delivered.

What is your biggest Turnoff in Business?  Share your comments below!

When it comes to getting great copy to use in your online marketing efforts, your best bet is to think local. And we mean REALLY local. Like, let’s say, in the closest mirror you can find. Yeah, that’s right. The best copywriter for your online marketing is more than likely none other than YOU!

Now, the first thought that comes to your mind might be, “but I’m not qualified!” Nonsense! You need not be a world-renowned grammarian, a widely admired wordsmith or a Pulitzer prize-winning journalist. All you need to be is TEACHABLE and EXCITED TO LEARN (thinking of the dollars you can save and earn are a good place to start with this). The problem is, most people don’t get any further than that first roadblock of a thought. That’s where we come in.

Now, if you’re really keen on needlessly spending a fortune paying someone to do something you could do yourself, please ignore the rest of this post. Still here? Yeah, we thought so. Also, please keep in mind, we’ll go into much greater detail about how you can literally SAVE THOUSANDS by teaching yourself to write successful online sales copy, but here’s a sneak peek:

Search out the copywriters you know are the best, as well as the ones whose words speak to you personally. Visit Dan Kennedy’s website or Andy Wibbels’ blog. Print out their best copy and write it out on paper over and over again until their patterns of effective writing take hold in your brain.

Now, we’d never encourage you to COPY anyone else’s work. That’s NOT why it’s called “copywriting.” In fact, the clever little word for that practice would be “plagiarism.” So again, copying the work of others is not the ticket. MODELING yourself after other successful writers is.

Check out our seven-day FREE video course for more in depth tips on hiring yourself as a copywriter.

What’s the trick to getting people to read every word, hold on to it and stick it on the fridge or office bulletin board? Send your customers a postcard with tips or a top ten list.  Check out these examples: Example #1: You are a yoga instructor who targets busy working moms.

How could your business change if you could connect with more qualified prospects? Did you know that executives from Fortune 500's are on LinkedIn? Would you like to cut your networking time by as much 50% and see a higher ROI?

Ouch.  Okay, that’s done. I don’t want to make any excuses.  Let’s just say I was perfectly happy with my Blackberry…until I got my iPhone. For a busy, breadwinning, serial entrepreneur, wife, mother and activist, discovering all of the cool iPhone tricks and tools was like being rocketed in to a fourth dimension.