Successful Blog

Growing Your Business: Four Tips for Female Entrepreneurs

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Ken Myers

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What’s the key to small business success? There are many aspects to creating a successful small business — having a skill that others will pay for is only the first step. With more women than ever before getting involved in entrepreneurship, it’s important to be fully prepared with as much information on small business success as you can get.

Growing Your Business: Four Tips for Female Entrepreneurs

What’s the key to cultivating a lasting small business? Below, you’ll find four tips that other women in small business have used to reach their goals.

1. Connect in the Community

No matter what business you create, there are two major avenues for you to think about: Your “business-to-consumer” strategy and your “business-to-business” strategy. Even if you focus mainly on making sales directly to consumers, you can find great ways to achieve institutional contracts by addressing a need that others may not realize is there. Meet with other local business owners to find ways that you can cooperate for mutual benefit. Consider the needs of nonprofit organizations such as schools and libraries, too.

2. Build Your Expert Credentials

To create an enduring business, it’s essential that you become known as an expert in your field. Showcasing your expertise allows you to find customers more easily and put them at their ease. There are many different ways to do this — you can become active in industry associations and volunteer organizations, for example. Publishing books and articles on your subject is also a road to becoming a recognized expert. Help people get comfortable with your reputation! They will reward your efforts with repeat business.

3. Don’t Neglect the Internet

When you have a steady source of local business, you are at a huge advantage compared to competitors who mainly use the Internet to find their clients. That said, you should never neglect the Internet. Local clients and those who will be visiting your area for a short time will both use Internet search engines to find you. Make sure that your business is listed in “local search” features across the various major search sites; also ensure that your site allows potential customers to contact you, make purchases or set reservations. The longer your site is active, the easier it will be to discover you online.

4. Leverage Local Resources

Women in business can benefit from a large number of local, state and national resources. In addition to major volunteer organizations such as Rotary International, you’ll also find excellent resources at your local chamber of commerce and similar concerns. Don’t forget that, as a female entrepreneur, you can often qualify for grants and other assistance from the federal government and a wide variety of pro-business establishments. It is a good idea to gain some knowledge of grant proposal writing and fundraising!

Remember that a business does not typically turn a substantial profit in its first year. Many small businesses close within five years — and it may take up to three years for a business on a successful trajectory to begin showing a healthy balance sheet. During this time, it is important that you gain as much insight as possible into the aspects of business that support your main operation. Always be on the lookout for ways to expand your marketing efforts using word of mouth and direct contact within your local area.

Author’s Bio:
Ken Myers as an Expert Advisor on multiple household help issues to many Organizations and groups, and is a mentor for other “Mom-preneurs” seeking guidance. He is a regular contributor of “www.gonannies.com/”. You can get in touch with him at k.meyerst20@gmail.com.

5 Common Affiliate Marketing Struggles and How to Overcome Them

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Stefan V.

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Affiliate Marketing Has Its Struggles

While product owners often have successful sales strategies in place like using armies of affiliate to sell for them, affiliate marketers themselves often reap little, if any, rewards. Why? There are many main issues that affiliate marketers struggle with while trying to promote their affiliate products and land sales. Several main issues are listed below, in no particular order of preference. Then after the list of issues, discover how to overcome them quickly and easily.

5 Common Affiliate Marketing Struggles

Here are five common affiliate marketing struggles.

  1. Lack of tech skills for Internet marketing can cause many an affiliate marketer to stumble. Many affiliate marketers lack much needed tech skills in today’s web-based world. They struggle with setting up leads capture pages, aka squeeze pages, setting up autoresponders, blogs, social media channels and other Internet marketing methods.
  2. Affiliate commissions can be very small and can take months to reach the marketer, long after promotional expenses are used for all the hard work of generating leads, clicks and sales.
  3. Communication can break down. Language barriers can be a problem. Consider the Tower of Babel and it doesn’t take much to imagine how difficult it is to really get a point across in another language that you wish to market in.
    And too many affiliates try to market something that they have either never purchased and even used before. They are trying to sell something that are not experienced with. A fine example is an affiliate who is new to working from home, yet wants to promote a get-rich-fast, work-from home scheme. If the affiliate has made it work, yes, by all means he should promote it. However, if the affiliate has never even earned any money from it, it’s not wise for him to promote the program until financial results are solid.
  4. Know what you are trying to market, who your target audience is and what you are trying to get them to do (i.e. you need sales experience, too). Go back to #2 above where the affiliate marketer needs to thoroughly understand the product in order to discuss its features and benefits. Focusing on a dynamic two-step offer of a main feature and benefit plus a call to action at the end of each marketing piece is key with affiliate marketing promotions. The more specific the content and call to action, the better. In other words if you want someone to click and subscribe to your online form, tell them to do just that – and tell them why they should (i.e. tell them what’s in it for them.)
  5. Support from the product owner / main seller is important. Too many affiliate marketers are left in the dark with regards to product support and affiliate marketing tools. All too often an affiliate marketer may get a coded link and a banner or other 1-time marketing piece, and that’s it. Then they are left on their own to figure out the best ways to market the product, how to make their own banners, squeeze pages and so on, to attract leads, clicks, and sales.

How to Overcome Them

If you want to overcome these struggles, keep these 7 points in mind.

  1. focus on what you know
  2. only market products you’ve used and understand well
  3. start with something that will be highly attractive to your audience
  4. choose a product that easy to communicate to readers in any language
  5. have a clear call to action
  6. put your offer where people can find it easily
  7. let that first affiliate product start earning before you try a second one

Keep your eyes on offering value to your audience and making it easy to buy from you and you’ll find your affiliate experience goes more smoothly.

Author’s Bio:

Stefan V. is in Germany a financial expert and he combines the power of his knowledge into the online marketing business. He has done some trial and error until he found the best products, informations, strategies and monetizations. Be in touch and find more here Seven Figure Society

4 Keys to Video Marketing and a Free Guide to Mastering It

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Adria Saracino

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4 Keys to Online Video Marketing

Blogging is one of the fastest and easiest ways to get your content and ideas out to readers, but content sharing is changing quickly as video is becoming more and more popular. YouTube is the largest search engine after Google, with over 800 million unique visitors per month. With the popularity of video skyrocketing, the future of blogging will gradually move towards video content.

If you want your blog to remain relevant with your readers, it’s important you know how to use video on your blog effectively. Distilled has designed a video marketing guide that can help you understand and utilize video more successfully in your blog or business.

Let’s go through 4 keys for succeeding in video marketing.

Establishing Personality

Using video will establish your personality, style, and voice as a blogger much fast than traditional, static content will. If your blog depends on your personality or style, you should consider using video, so your readers and potential readers can establish a “relationship” with you quicker. With text content, it might take readers several articles to get to know your personality, but by using video small mannerisms, tone of voice, and body language can be picked up on instantly.

By establishing a relationship with your readers on a more personal level, you establish trust and loyalty. If your readers think they know you better, they are more likely to remain regulars to your blog.

Stand Out

Not many bloggers are dabbling in video yet, and choosing to do so will differentiate you from other blogs. Readers are always looking for new, fresh ideas and video is one way to give it to them. If you are blogging in a specific niche, using video can give you a unique and successful position. Even if there are other blogs in your niche that are using video, few people know how to use video effectively, and integrate it into their blog site well.

In our video marketing guide we cover how to ensure your video content is placed well on your site, and how to build a great internal linking structure, so that any links built into your video will provide value to your domain as a whole.

Mobile Devices

Using video on your website or blog is also going to help you attract mobile device users, because video is much easier to view on a phone or tablet than text. With so many people using mobile devices, and gathering information on the go, you need to make sure that you’re meeting your readers where they are.

Understanding When to Use Video

One snippet from Distilled’s guide explains well why video is not always the answer, “While video can be an extremely valuable asset for businesses with an online presence, it’s not always going to be the best form for every kind of content and every type of business. The skill to creating great video is in working out when and where to use it, focusing on identifying and filling content gaps rather than form gaps.”

While video is immensely helpful to blogs, it’s important not to use video just for the sake of video. Your video content should have a clear, identifiable purpose, which works well with video format. This guide covers types of content that works well with video, and how to put that content through a creative process to build the most successful video for your message.

Your Free Guide to Mastering Online Video Marketing

You can easily enhance your blog and stay relevant to your readers by using video, but video is only effective if it is done well. For more information on how to utilize video successfully, click on the downloadable PDF below, and check out Distilled’s website for more resources and information.

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Author’s Bio:
Adria Saracino is the Head of Outreach at Distilled. When not consulting on promotion and content strategy, you can find her writing about style on her fashion blog, The Emerald Closet.

How SWOT Analysis Creates a Culture and Strategy of Fear or Opportunity

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Creating Opportunity

What SWOT is NOT

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I started writing about strategic deep thinking — the importance of finding more than one solution to any problem and realistically advancing by leveraging opportunity for years here at Successful-Blog.

As part of my research and discussion on the topic of strategy, it’s not unusual for me to ask someone their definition of strategy. Recently a conversation like that reminded me of a bad experience with the misuse of SWOT Analysis.

“SWOT Analysis is a powerful technique for understanding your Strengths and Weaknesses, and for looking at the Opportunities and Threats you face.” says James Manktelow

STRENGTHS
WEAKNESSES
OPPORTUNITIES
THREATS

SWOT IS a powerful tool for analysis.
Unfortunately, some folks who use SWOT dropped the word Analysis. They think of SWOT as strategy.

SWOT is not strategy. It’s analysis.

The Difference Between Strategy and Analysis

SWOT is first reconnaissance then analysis. Analysis is not strategy.

A SWOT analysis is the examination and interpretation of the elements that make up a tactical position in business. Analysis reviews and reports a single moment’s position.

Analysis underpins strategy.

Strategy is a realistic plan to leverage opportunity and strength (avoiding weakness and threats) to advance forward over time. Strategy changes as that position changes.

Some folks treat SWOT as what it’s not. They do the analysis and believe they’ve got a strategy. They identify strengths and weaknesses. They list threats and opportunities. Then they go off to execute on tactics to reach their goals, totally leaving out the strategy step. The thinking never went to the strategy level — because they thought they were there already.

Instead their corporate thought was stuck in the abyss of analysis with only passing thought to what came after that.

How SWOT Analysis Creates a Strategy of Fear or Opportunity

Most folks do move onto something more strategic. They write the notes from the white board and circulate them. They give their analysis have room to breathe. They apply the deep thinking required to make informed choices after the analysis.

Where we focus that thinking is critical to our culture and the strategy that comes from it. The same SWOT chart with the wrong thinking can create a culture that is defending against failure rather than achieving success.

If we focus on the threats and weaknesses, the strategy we build will be a defense — focused on protecting ground, not gaining it. It will center around the strengths and moves of the competition. The “Plan B” we build will be one that is a lesser achievement than our “Plan A,” because it will be what happens if a weakness or a threat overcomes us. In that way, our company will be building a culture and strategy based on fear.

If we focus on the opportunities and strengths, the strategy we build will be and offense — focused on gaining ground, not protecting it. It will center around our own strengths and unique openings in the competitive field we can leverage to our own advantage. The “Plan B” we build will be a detour — another route to the same strong achievement as the “Plan A,” because it will be what happens when we engage our strength and find new openings. In that way, our company will be building a culture and strategy of opportunity.

Next time you do a SWOT analysis, rather than building shields around your weaknesses and threats, consider how to turn them into strengths and opportunities. The way we build our defense or offense can affect our entire culture.

How to you build strategy achieving toward opportunity rather than defending against threats?

Building opportunity is irresistible.
Be irresistible.
–ME “Liz” Strauss

Buy the ebook. Learn the art of online conversation.

Drop Ship Business on eBay: Pitfalls and Mistakes to Avoid

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Niamh Allan

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How Do You Ace the RatRace on eBay?

The surging popularity of eBay has grasped the interest of entrepreneurs who are looking to make money with an online business. Many of these businesses are boot strapping. Drop-shipping is a logical solutions for those entrepreneurs who wish to set up a shop, but can’t spend big amounts on inventory.

Good product sourcing is vital for any business, and drop-shippers help businesses make profits without investing much effort. Reputable drop-shippers offer good wholesale pricing and ship orders the same day. Yet, risks are inevitable. Research and experiment with drop-shippers before you choose one.

Common Drop-Ship Relationship Pitfalls

Though drop-shipping has some of the best benefits, it does not come without pitfalls. Some of the most common pitfalls in drop-shipping are:

  1. Lack of communication:
    A lack of communication between supplier and retailer can leave the retailer clueless about whether the supplier received the order, whether the items ordered are in stock and when the order shall be shipped. This lack of coordination leads to more problems. The drop-shipper / supplier must be transparent about shipping schedules, which is sometimes not the case. Communication between supplier and retailer needs to be the best.
  2. Transparency about Costs
    You need to carefully understand and analyze the prices of the wholesaler you’ve chosen. In order to set prices in your store, it is essential that you know the price of every single drop-shipped item. Understand all costs involved or a drop-shipper can trick you into paying more. Some companies lure retailers by quoting very low wholesale prices, but later make their money by including unreasonable shipping charges.
  3. Supply out of Stock
    The retailer is held responsible for ensuring that customers receive their products on time. Ask for references and speak to other retailers about how often the drop-shippers items are out of stock. If the supplier is not too communicative, speak up and stay in touch with the retailer.

Common Drop-Ship Buying Mistakes

While drop-shipping has some inevitable risks and pitfalls, there are also some common mistakes committed by drop-shippers. Some of these are:

  1. Buying from Bad Suppliers / Drop-shippers

    Choosing inexperienced and unethical drop-shippers can create unnecessary problems. Retailers bear the brunt of supplier inexperience and dishonesty. The inexperienced suppliers can also commit careless mistakes which would reflect badly on your business. Have a sample order shipped to you first. Inexperienced suppliers leave their own logo on the packaging instead of using yours. Inefficient suppliers have often miscalculate stock requirements and fail to ship products on time. While choosing suppliers, go for ones who are honest, efficient, and experienced.

  2. Buying products at inappropriate prices

    The attractive discount may lure you to buy products at retail prices while drop-shipping, but have you already included the VAT or taxes, business overheads, shipping and packaging costs? You need products with high profit margins to succeed on eBay. If you are not quite sure calculate your exact cost and profit margins, and understand how to compete with other retailers on eBay.

  3. Buying poor quality products

    Businesses often fail when they ship poor quality products. Most retailers are competing for customers on eBay. Good quality, inexpensive, and popular products are what will dent the competition. Carry out a proper product research and a thorough market research to emerge victorious.

Instead of succumbing to the tough competition on eBay, overcome it to ace the rat-race!

Author’s Bio:
Niamh Allan writes about business, especially about logistics services and fulfillment services.

Why Conventions and Conferences Are Worth It: Top Events Left in 2012

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Amanda DiSilvestro

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Why Conventions and Conferences Are Worth Your Time

One of the most important things you can do for your business is continue to be informed -— learn the strategies of the top industry leaders, keep up on the latest news, and do what you can to understand how Google works and how you can improve your company website. Knowing what is buzzing in your industry, the Internet landscape, and the overall economy will help ensure that you’re prepared for anything. One key way to make sure that you are present and informed about your industry is to attend quality seminars, conferences, and conventions.

Unfortunately, many companies are still not taking advantage of all that these meetings have to offer. Attending conferences takes time, energy, and money. Business owners are typically so busy that they barely have time to go home and be with their families let alone attend a conference, so it simply doesn’t get done. However, most business owners who do attend one to two conferences per year find them to be extremely valuable for a few reasons:

  • You make great connections.
  • Speakers usually give advice from experience, so you can learn from others’ mistakes.
  • Conferences often discuss strategies and tactics that are new to most.
  • Typical question and answer sessions allow you to make the experience personal.
  • Customers and clients love to hear that you’ve been to a conference with some of the top industry leaders. It proves to them that you are just as authoritative as those popular names, and it proves that you have the same information at your disposal as they do.

The important thing about attending conventions is making sure you attend the right conventions. Try to go to a convention or seminar that has a good reputation and has been going on for a few years. There are conventions that occur in all different parts of the U.S., so chances are you will not feel as though you need to travel to attend.

Top 5 SEO and Social Media Conventions Left in 2012

Some of the most popular conventions occurring in 2012 revolve around SEO and social media. These lessons can transfer over into every industry and work for any company with a company website. Fortunately, there are still a few left in 2012:

1. Event: SES Chicago; Date: Nov 12-16; Location: Chicago, IL

This is by far one of the most popular and talked-about SEO events of the year, and it’s coming up quickly! A great variety of industry leaders will be speaking at the event, and there are so many different seminars that occur that you can really pick and choose what you need to learn about the most. People come from all over the world to go to one of the many SES conventions, and Chicago is the last one in the U.S. this year. Prices differ based how many different presentations and/or workshops you want to attend (you can also get a discounted price if you sign up early!).

2. Event: Search Marketing Expo (SMX); Date: Oct 1-4; Location: New York City

This convention has workshops including International Search Summit, aimClear Facebook Marketing Intensive, Advanced Adwords Training, and Bruce Clay SEO training. Danny Sullivan of Search Engine Land is the co-chair of the event, so you know you’re getting top information and a personalized experience. If you sign up before August 31 you can earn Early Bird specials, which will save you an average of $150. The price will depend upon whether you’re looking to attend the entire weekend or just one day, so you can click here for more details.

3. Event: Pubcon; Date: Oct 15-18; Location: Las Vegas, NV<.h4>

This is another one of the most famous seminars for small businesses because it offers very specific information about technology and how you can use technology to your advantage. Many attend this event only to attend what is called an “interactive site review,” which is where you can talk with several industry leaders about your website specifically. This isn’t something many conventions of this size offer, so it’s a huge benefit. If this doesn’t interest you, Matt Cutts of Google will be speaking, so have your questions ready! There is a huge range of prices, so visit the Pubcon website to decide which itinerary is right for you.

4. Event: Under the Radar; Date: Nov 15-16; Location: San Francisco, CA

Despite the name, this convention has been around since 2003 because it is always so successful. According to the Under the Radar website, 67% of their presenters have gone on to raise funding or be acquired by top names like Google, Yahoo, Cisco, BT, Microsoft, Twitter, Fox Interactive, and more. Naturally, hundreds attend this convention to follow in their footsteps.

5. Event: Content Marketing World; Date: Sept 4-6; Location: Columbus, OH

Many of the conventions discussed above are very broad and allow you to choose different seminars you’d like to attend. Content Marketing World, on the other hand, is very specific. This convention is all about SEO and content marketing, which is something that is becoming increasingly important for companies looking to improve their SERP ranking. Visit the website to learn more about prices and options.

**Bonus Event** SOBCon; Date: Sept 28-30; Location: Portland, OR

I know I said this was a top 5 list, but I couldn’t leave out the convention coming to you from our own Successful Blog. This seminar is full of interactive sessions and features some of the top industry leaders, including Liz Strauss. The conference is mainly focused on starting a business or re-starting your business. With so many looking to go in a new direction for the New Year, this is one of the best conventions to attend. You can sign up now by visiting the website.

I tried to find conventions that were spread out across the U.S., but there are certainly more to be found. Do you know of any great SEO or social media conventions in your area? Would you go back again? Let us know in the comments below!

Author’s Bio:
Amanda DiSilvestro gives small business and entrepreneurs SEO advice ranging from keyword density to recovering from Panda and Penguin updates. She writes for Higher Visibility, a nationally recognized SEO consulting firm that offers online marketing services to a wide range of companies across the country. Connect with Higher Visibility on Google+ and Twitter to learn more!