Niche Info Online Business

There comes a time in many small businesses when a decision has to be made whether or not to hire employees.

Maybe you've reached the point where you need to grow, but you're not sure you're ready to bring on more people. Or maybe you want to stay small and lean, and don't want the bother of having employees. Or maybe it's just been a bad year (totally understandable in this economy!) and cash flow is crunched.

Whatever the reason, there's still work to be done. And today there are more ways than ever to get the work you need taken care of without hiring. Where you turn depends on what type of business you have, and your particular needs.

Here are a few suggestions on where you can get the workers you need for the work you need done:

1. Subcontractors and Freelancers
You aren't the only person who does what you do (even if you're the best!). Find a few good people you can call on when you have too much work and not enough time. Be sure to negotiate a price that will allow you to still make money on the job, though. Also, make sure you know how your client(s) feel about someone else doing the actual work. FYI...there are a lot of freelance websites on the internet where you can go to find quality people. Elance.com, guru.com, and iFreelance.com are a few you might try out.

2. Virtual Assistants
More and more small businesses are turning to virtual assistants to help them grow and organize their businesses. VAs are independent contractors who work from home and provide a variety of professional, personal and office support. They can perform a variety of tasks, including general administrative work, writing reports, editing, creating marketing materials, making customer contacts, database development and maintenance, thank you notes...the list goes on and on. Some VAs also provide personal services to clients such as scheduling doctors' appointments, party planning, coordinating a move, and so much more. You can locate a VA through two professional organizations: Virtual Assistance U, and the International Virtual Assistants Association.

3. "Temps"
You can get temporary workers for just about any job you have - from answering the phone and general secretarial work, to manual labor...and everything in between. When you use temps, you get skilled workers, without having to pay benefits. Most temp agencies have stringent screening procedures make sure the workers they hire and send out have the necessary skills to do the job.

4. Interns
As part of their college training, many bright young students are available for temporary positions. Interns are mostly available in the summer, but many schools offer year-round internship programs. Depending on the school and the program, interns work for either very cheap or free. You, in turn, are to provide valuable on-the-job training. Different colleges have different requirements, so check with the one(s) where you think you'd have the best luck for your particular type of business.

5. Friends and Family
Who better to count on in crunch times than those closest to you? Asking for their temporary help - either on a volunteer basis, or at a reduced wage - can be a good way for them to be part of your business while providing the help you need. Get the kids involved as well! It'll teach them responsibility

6. Delivery services
Don't even think about hopping in the car and driving that brochure clear across town to the printer yourself. Remember, time is money! Instead, pick up the phone and call the delivery service. Delivery services will pick up and deliver just about anything to just about anywhere. They will charge you, but it's worth the price, believe me. And it is a legitimate client-billable expense. To find a reputable delivery service, look in the phone book, and/or ask around to see if anyone you know has any recommendations.

7. Contracted Services
When you need a specialized service on a regular basis, consider contracting it. Instead of hiring a bookkeeper, use an accountant. Instead of hiring a janitor, contract a janitorial service. Grounds upkeep, security, decorating, fish tank cleaning (yes, really!), plant maintenance, equipment maintenance, printing...all are services you can contract.

As you can see, there are many good ways to get the job done without actually adding people to the payroll. Whether to hire personnel, use an alternative, or use a combination of both depends on your business model and what makes the most sense for you and your small business.

By: Donna Williams

Even the designers on TV are doing it; finding great furnishing at flea-markets, charity shops, and yard sales. Often, a wonderful piece of furniture can be had for mere dollars, especially if its finish is in desperate need of some TLC. Unfortunately, the design shows on TV don’t show you all the proper steps for refreshing your finds. Take the time to do it right, and your “new” furniture will have friends wondering where you shop!

1. Safety first: Before you disturb any painted surface, you should think about the possibility of lead. Lead paint additives were phased out in the 1970’s and 80’s. If you suspect lead is present in any paint, you can find information about safety precautions and testing at www.epa.gov/lead, or by calling the National Lead Information Center at 1-800-424-LEAD. Even with newer surfaces, I find that a dust mask is always in order when sanding. Your lungs will thank you.
2. Sanding: Not all pieces will require sanding before repainting. My mantra is to leave well enough alone when dealing with old paint surfaces. If, however, the paint is chipped, peeling, crackling, or has other problems, you might not be able to avoid the sandpaper. A small electric hand sander is my best friend for these situations. A very light sanding (really just scuffing) can help your new paint adhere to old oil paint or a glossy surface.
3. Prep, prep, prep: The number one reason for paint failures is incorrect preparation. Time spent on prep will ensure you get a good result in the end. Make sure the surface is completely clean and dust free before you ever get the paint out of the can. If you have sanded the surface, remove dust with a tack cloth. This is a small piece of cheesecloth soaked in wax, available at your local home improvement store in the paint section. They cost around one dollar…get several to keep on hand for the next project! If you can’t find one, several thorough passes with a damp cloth followed by another pass with a dusting cloth can do the job. Most importantly, don’t rush your prep work.
4. Taping: Carefully tape off any areas you don’t want painted, and burnish the tape edges down once, firmly, with a fingernail. If you think you might have to leave the tape on for more than a day or so, use a lower adhesion tape made for delicate surfaces.
5. Priming: If the piece is unpainted, consider a coat of primer before you paint. There are excellent primers specifically made for stone and metal. Tell your paint store rep what you’re painting and follow her advice. Use a good latex or oil-based primer for wood surfaces. Some wood grains (pine or cheaper grades of oak, for example) may “rise” after a first coat of latex, and priming improves the chances that you can avoid this. The raised grain will feel rough. If this happens, you’ll need to sand the grain down lightly and prime again. Don’t worry; it’s not as bad as it sounds when you know what happened!
6. Painting: Finally, time to paint! Use a good quality paint brush. Be careful not to overload your brush with paint and put it on too thickly. This is a common mistake. Painting in thick layers can lead to ugly drips, cracks, or drying delays. Instead, paint in thin coats, allowing time for each coat to dry completely before recoating. This will give you a beautiful and strong surface.
7. Curing: Follow the instructions on your paint can to make sure your new furniture is safely cured before you begin to use it or place objects on top of it. Paints, latex in particular, can feel dry well before they really are. When in doubt, I like to wait 24-48 hours before I place my newly painted flea-market beauties into service.
   

Now, enjoy your new furnishings. Use them well and never fear; if they get chipped or you tire of the color, you know how to fix it!

A blog is a Web log, an online journal. Blogs started out as online diaries, in which diarists shared their everyday lives with the world. From their beginnings as a weird Web fad in 1998, blogs have moved on, and are well on the way to becoming a standard business tool.

Why? Because in February 2003 Google.com bought Pyra Labs, the company which owns the Blogger weblogging tool. Blogger.com, one of the main sites providing blog software and hosting, boasted a million hosted web logs in early 2003. Google.com's interest in blogs indicates that blogs are mainstream. A blog help your business in many ways, depending on whether you create a private or a public blog. Blogs are so useful that you will want to create both.

Your business's private, internal blog

These days, no one works alone. Even if you are a solo business operator, you have colleagues --- partners, contractors, and suppliers with whom you communicate daily. A private blog makes working with a group easier, because you can streamline your interactions, saving time and energy.

A private blog can contain notes to yourself, or to colleagues. It's a place to store information and tips that might not warrant a special email message. You can post information like meeting notes, project tasks and summaries, and updated price lists. You can also post links to large files --- no need to email, fax, or mail them to and fro.

Your blog is more useful than email, because blog postings are dated, and easily searchable. You can post a message you want everyone to read, and the message stays on the blog. With email, you read and delete, or read and forget.

If you've worked on a project with someone in another state or on the other side of the world, you've blessed email, because it makes sharing information so easy. Using a blog to share information is even easier than using email.

=> Your business's public blog

A business blog is a marketing tool. A blog can add value to your Web site, or it can take the place of a Web site. Look on it as a combination "What's New" Web site page, and an online journal.
Because of a blog's freewheeling nature, it's friendly and relaxed.

If you do not have a site, your blog's a place to put your online CV, portfolio and client list. You can, and should, use your blog to express your personality and expertise.

If you have a Web site, your blog page builds loyalty, because if you provide interesting content, your visitors will return to your site. And because it is a Web page, your blog will appear on search engines, attracting new clients.

Google has been treating blogs differently from other Web pages for a couple of years. Whereas it takes a standard Web page/ site a month to be indexed by Google, blogs are indexed daily. This means that your blog is mega-cheap advertising. You can post something on your blog and have it indexed by Google within a day.

Baku, Fineko/abc.az. Kapital Bank OJSC has introduced automobile loans under quite low annual interest rates.

The Bank has informed that a new form of crediting, a KB car loan, differs from similar loans of other domestic banks.

“Features of this loan is low interest rate: for three-year period in manats - 12% per annum, in US dollars or euro - 13% per annum, for two-year period in manats - 13% per annum, in US dollars or euro - 14%. In this type of crediting there is not a necessity of initial instalment. The loan is given only to individuals for purchase of an automobile,” the Bank said.

The loan recipient is required to pay all annual interests at the primary level.

For the rest period of the loan, the loan recipient needs to pay precisely cost of the automobile (without interests).

The automobile is insured on its full value and before the loan period expiration.

Currently domestic banks extend car loans under 18%-25% per annum, but a range of suppliers give automobiles in leasing under 9-10% per annum.

Borrowers are facing increasingly high repayment terms on personal loans, according to new analysis.

The trend has become even more marked in the last fortnight, with a host of lenders pushing up selected rates. These include Barclaycard's rise of 0.5 per cent, Lombard Direct increasing by one per cent and NatWest by 2.5 per cent. Barclaycard has also withdrawn its best buy loan through its Masterloan brand. It is the latest sign that lenders are looking to shore up profits in the face of the credit crunch.

Michelle Slade, an analyst at Moneyfacts, which conducted the research, said: "It's not only mortgage rates that continue to increase, so too have the rates and monthly repayments on personal loans… Since the beginning of the year more than half of lenders offering personal loans have made changes to their rates."

Black Horse has increased rates for those looking for smaller loans by as much as 11.0% points, adding £52.68 in additional interest on a £1,000 loan paid over one year.

Larger loans have also been hit. NatWest has increased rates on a £25,000 loan over five years by 1.5% points, adding £1,015.20 to the total cost.

Despite the hikes, there are still some good deals available to those who shop around.

Moneyback Bank, Britannia BS, Yorkshire Bank and Clydesdale Bank have all reduced selected rates since the beginning of the year.

Anyone looking to take out a £5,000 loan with Yorkshire Bank or Clydesdale Bank will have seen rates reduced by as much as 7.0%.

It is worth bearing in mind that smaller loans cost more in interest. Black Horse for example now charges 27.9% on a £1,000 loan over one year, but only 16.9% on a £7,500 loan over five years.

Another tip is to avoid Payment Protection Insurance (PPI) from the loan provider. PPI has been subject to an investigation by the Financial Services Authority, the City regulator, following complaints that the policies were mis-sold and people were unable to claim because of caveats in the policies.

The cover also has one of the poorest payout records in the industry: only 20% compared with 80% for car insurance, for example.

If you do want to take out the cover you can expect to pay up to £20 to protect each £100 of monthly mortgage repayment if you go with your loan provider. Someone taking out a £10,000 loan with Yourpersonalloan.co.uk, at a rate of 6.9%, would pay £196.56 a month without PPI but £236.32 with the cover.

Independent firms offering PPI such as Britishinsurance.com and Paymentcare.co.uk are up to 50% or more cheaper, charging around £8 a month for the above loan.

Nationwide's measure of house prices has suffered its first annual fall in 12 years and the pace of monthly decline is increasing, Britain's largest building society reported today. The last time house prices fell year-on-year was March 1996.

Prices are now 1 per cent lower than this time last year, taking £1,759 off the average price of a home in Britain, which is now £178,555.

On a monthly basis, the average price of a home fell by 1.1 per cent in April, twice as severe as economists had expected. That ratcheted up the pace of decline and represented the sixth consecutive monthly drop in prices. The average price in March was down 0.7 per cent, the figures showed.

A polling of 30 economists by Reuters had forecast house prices to fall in April on average by 0.5 per cent.

The monthly drop has only been matched over the past year by the declines in October and November. The pace of decline slowed marginally during December and January but since February has picked up.

Fionnuala Earley, chief economist at Nationwide, poured cold water on hopes voiced by the Chancellor last week that the Bank of England's £50 billion injection of capital into the banking sector would loosen the mortgage market.

Ms Earley said: "The scheme is unlikely to mean that house prices and mortgage lending will return to levels seen at this time last year. Weakening housing sentiment and demand, unrelated to the financial turmoil, will mean that we should expect slower market conditions."

Homeowners and househunters have been hit by a triple whammy of tightened lending criteria, withdrawal of mortgage products and a jump in monthly repayments as thousands come off cheap deals.

The Council of Mortgage Lenders estimates that 1.4 million borrowers will be coming off cheap fixed rate deals this year.

Ms Earley said: "We estimate that a further 400,000 borrowers will come to the end of tracker or discount deals over the whole of 2008, and these borrowers may also face a fairly significant payment shock."

Howard Archer, chief economist at Global Insight, said that he could not rule out mortgage lending remaining depressed until the middle of next year.

He said: "Banks need sufficient funds for responsible lending but the days of 100 per cent loan-to-value lending are definitely gone. I would be surprised if lending picks up suddenly — my view is it will remain depressed for an extended period."

The number of mortgages taken out fell by nearly 50 per cent in March, according to figures from the British Bankers' Association, as the mortgage drought left buyers scrambling to secure home loans in the wake of the credit crunch.

Global Insight forecasts a 7 per cent fall in house prices this year, followed by a 9 per cent decline next year. "I could easily see prices dip by over 20 per cent over the next couple of years," Mr Archer added.

Savills, the property agency, asseses the chances of a 25 per cent slump in house prices over the coming two years at 25 per cent, and a 6 per cent slide at 60 per cent.

The gloomier scenario is based on job losses spreading beyond the financial sector to other industries such as housebuilding.The construction industry is braced for tens of thousands of job cuts after Persimmon, the country's largest housebuilder, said that it would stop building on new sites until market conditions improve. Some contractors feared that the downturn could be worse than the slump between 1989 and 1994, when 500,000 construction workers were laid off.

Ms Earley was keen to differentiate the current housing market from the crash in the early 1990s, saying that the vast majority of homeowners were today benefiting from relatively low interest rates.

The Bank of England cut interest rates this month by a quarter percent to 5 per cent, the the third such cut in five months. During the late 1980s and early 1990s interest rates spiralled up into double digits.

Ms Earley said: "Overall, some groups of borrowers will certainly feel the effects of higher mortgage rates but around 85 per cent of borrowers will be seeing no impact or will benefit directly from reductions in the Bank rate this year.

"This is good news for the overall stability of the housing market and is a significant factor that differentiates the housing market of today from that of the late 1980s and the early 1990s. Back then a much higher proportion of loans were on variable rates and as a consequence were hit quickly by the sharp increase in the Bank rate in the late 1980s. This was a major factor behind the collapse of the market in the 1990s."

Banks and mortgage lenders have, however, faced criticism for their reluctance to pass on cuts in Bank of England base rates to new and existing mortgage customers.

Royal Bank of Scotland and NatWest are cutting their new mortgage rates by between 0.1 and 0.3 per cent.

However from today Abbey will have only one deal left for homeowners with 5 per cent equity — a five-year, fixed-rate deal charging 6.99 per cent interest.

From tomorrow Nationwide will offer loans for 95 per cent only to existing borrowers or people taking out a three-year, fixed-rate mortgage.

Earlier this month Halifax said that it would increase one of its two-year fixed mortgage rate deals from 6.09 per cent to 6.59 per cent, adding £46 a month to repayments on a £150,000 loan.

On a two-year tracker, the rate has increased from 1.49 per cent above base rate to 1.99 per cent, to give a current rate of 6.99 per cent.

Global Insight predicts that the Bank of England may by June cut interest rates by another quarter-point to 4.75 per cent, with rates falling as low as 3.75 per cent by early 2009.

Today I want to tell you a true story about my friend John (name changed to protect the innocent ;-).

For several years now John has been struggling to hold down a job, and has been on and off unemployment.

John has expressed an interest in getting his own business started on many occassions. And I've always encouraged him as well as offered my help.

John is always making comments like, "Man, Bryan, must be rough - you've got a beautiful wife, a nice house that's paid in full, a new Corvette, a great income...Why do you have all the luck?"

My answer is always the same: "It has nothing to do with luck, John. It's all about coming up with a PLAN and taking ACTION."

John is a lot like me - he LOVES his video games. He LOVES his home entertainment system. He LOVES watching movies and listening to music. He LOVES going out and having fun.

Yet there is one BIG difference between John and I. I made a CHOICE to get out of my dead-end job and paycheck to paycheck lifestyle. This choice involved doing a couple critical things that contributed to achieving my goals (and achieving them much faster than I had ever imagined). Here they are...

1. I put together a written PLAN, and took ACTION on that plan:

Don't get me wrong, I'm not talking about any fancy, full fledged business plan. What you should do is write out your goals (whether financial or otherwise), and then write down how you intend to go about achieving those goals.

Keep in mind your plan does NOT have to be even remotely close to perfect. At first, there's a good chance you won't even know exactly how you're going to achieve the goals you've set forth. But do your best to start with...Then as you go along, you can modify and change your plan as needed. In other words, your initial plan should NOT be set in stone, but rather it should be a "living plan" that you can mold and adjust to suit the direction of your business.

My initial plan was nothing more than: "I'm going to make six-figures a year as an information marketer - mainly selling information products on the web." Pretty basic, 'ey? (But of course, it became more specific as I went along.)

Now, obviously you can come up with the most "fool proof" success plan imagineable, but it's completely worthless unless you take ACTION. I'm not going to beat this point to death, because I'm sure you've heard it before. But I will say this:

My friend John came up with many ideas and plans for success, but to date has not taken serious ACTION on a single one of them! And as a result he's still living paycheck to paycheck in a modest apartment, driving an old beat up car... There is no doubt in my mind that John could be enjoying the same lifestyle as me right NOW, had he simply decided to take ACTION on one of his ideas 6-12 months ago. He's literally CHOSEN his current path.

Until John decides to CHANGE his habits, he'll continue getting the same results he's had all along.

2. I sacrificed SOME of the non-productive (fun) things I enjoyed doing, in favor of "working my plan" and building my own business a little each day:

Did you know that the average adult spends 30 hours every single week watching TV? Imagine taking even HALF that amount of time and investing it in building your own business.

Here's the thing to remember, short-term sacrifices lead to LONG-TERM rewards!

...These days, I could easily go back to watching all the TV I want, but ironically since I got out of the endless-TV-watching habit, I've found much more productive AND enjoyable things to do instead.

I wish I could HAND John my motivation and my desire to succeed. I've offered him my help time and time again, but I won't DO IT FOR HIM. I can only help those who are willing to help themselves. Ultimately the desire to succeed HAS to come from John.

And here's the thing that quite honestly perplexes me: Unlike you, John actually SEES (in person) the rewards I've gained through starting my own information marketing business (rather than just hearing about them through this newsletter).

The guy has actually DRIVEN my new Corvette - what more proof or motivating factor can you ask for?!

I mean, I know how it is. You're reading this training course - you may have visited my web-site. But you haven't seen my LIFE TRANSFORM right before your very eyes like John has. I'm quite honestly stumped as to why he isn't breaking down my door BEGGING for my help, and spending his every waking moment toward getting his OWN information marketing business up and running.

I guess maybe some people are happy with mediocrity (or less)?...Maybe John is one of them? But according to the many "down-and-out" phone calls I get from him, he's ANYTHING but happy. I truly believe that anyone who settles for "average" (when it comes to just about anything) is only *cheating* themselves, and will NOT be as happy as they could otherwise be!

Back when I was working my day job, do you realize how EASY it would have been for me just to settle for mediocrity - to come home from work, grab some Cherry Coke and Doritos, and plop down in front of the TV?! And believe me, I was often tempted to do EXACTLY that. (But instead, I'd take that Cherry Coke and those Doritos and "plop down" in front of my computer - so that I could get down to business! =)

If I'd *continued* on that all-fun-and-no-sacrifice path, I wouldn't have a shiny black Corvette C5 sitting in my garage right now, would I?!

And the thing is, I chose a business (information marketing) that I'm really passionate about - so even the "sacrifice" I'm referring to wasn't as bad as it might sound. (...And even if it HAD been "that bad", looking back I'd still have done it - because the *end result* is definitely worth it!)

I should note that I'm NOT saying this stuff to brag. I'm about as humble as humble gets. I'm sharing what I've accomplished because I sincerely believe that YOU or virtually anyone - even my friend John <grin> - can achieve the same (or better!) by simply applying the basic principles I'm revealing throughout this course.

If you're ready to TAKE ACTION by starting your own information marketing business, I urge you to read my fr=ee report (including my exclusive 5 part FORMULA to information marketing success) available here:

By Erik Rosenow

As we begin the new year, and earnestly think about 2008, one of the activities we typically do as small business owners is evaluate our challenges and successes over the prior year. If you find yourself reflecting, "My business really could have benefited from having more customers last year" or "I wish my business had been more profitable", then we encourage you to read on to find out how you can be more successful and get 2008 kicked off to a grand start!

An area that most small businesses neglect is marketing their businesses on the Internet. After building a website, many business owners believe that having an "online presence" from a website is all they need. But few companies have experienced Internet success by just "building it." Consumers are online in ever growing numbers to look for local vendors and businesses to fill their needs. In fact, the latest research from Nielsen indicates that 73% of consumers use search engines as their primary means to find businesses like yours. But if you already have a website, then why isn't your business skyrocketing? Why aren't those consumers finding you online? As our new year's gift to you, we have developed the following 8 tips for planning your online marketing strategies. We will make sure those active online consumers find you!

A quick story: Three women decide to meet at a park to let their 3 year-olds play together. On the way, one woman notices one of her car tires is low and sees a nail in it. A second one hears a radio advertisement on her way to the park, describing a new spa that just opened in the city. She decides it is time to treat herself to a little relaxation. The third one is reminded at the park that she volunteered to make a dinner reservation for the 3 women and their husbands to go to dinner together the following weekend.

All 3 of these women are likely to use search engines to help. The first will probably search for a local tire dealer or the kind of tire she has on her car. The second one may not remember the spa's name, so will search online to try to find the spa (or a competitor) to treat herself. The third one will use a search engine to find a hip restaurant and impress her friends with a reservation there. All three of these examples are daily consumer situations, and opportunities for you to add new customers to your business, when the situations are related to your kind of business.

1. Do some sleuthing. When doing your own shopping, use Internet search engines to find local businesses. See what comes up and use your own shopping behavior as an indicator of what a consumer is likely to do when they are looking for a business like yours. Put on the hat of a consumer who might be inclined to contact you or do business with you. What were the compelling websites that induced you to visit or call their business, and to make a purchase? Do you know the keywords your customers use to find you online?

2. Look beyond online directory listings. If you provide services in your local community as an accountant, chiropractor, dentist, travel agent, insurance agent, doctor, florist, limo service, cleaning service, plumber, auto repair shop, or a moving company, and you think that all you need is a listing online and that's how customers will find you, you can do much better. In online listings, customers will also find your competitors, because online listings are categorized by business. You have very little control over the content and how you are shown to prospective customers. Since most traffic to online directories comes from search engines, you are also at least one additional step removed from your potential customers. Invest in online search engine advertising to get as close to your potential customers as possible. Make sure they find you and not your competitor.

3. Pay attention to your competition. If you think you're the only one selling what you sell or providing the services you provide, think again. We all have competition. Otherwise, you wouldn't be wondering where all your customers are. Your competition may not be readily known to you, and the Internet has broken down many geographic competitive barriers, but there are other businesses out there marketing to the same potential customers as you. Why aren't they finding and going to you? What is your competition doing differently from you? Some of your competitors are investing in search engine marketing to drive customers to their websites, and you should be, too.

4. Make your website compelling and effective. First impressions are critical, and even more so in the online world. Ask five people to give you feedback on your website, specifically in the areas of their first impression when reaching your site, your credibility, content about what you do and what needs you address, and whether you are easy to contact. Ask your customers to evaluate your website's usefulness and whether it provides what they seek. Is it compelling? Use your website not only to display your qualifications, but also as a way to capture the attention of the visitor. Put yourself in your customers' shoes. What need are they trying to solve, and what would they like to see when they reach your website? Websites that are more about visitors' needs will be more effective. Think solutions, advice, discounts, offers...capture their attention. Make contacting you easy - display your phone number, hours of operation, etc. prominently.

5. Believe it - marketing is an investment. Internet marketing should be an investment, not an expense. When making a decision how you will market your business in 2008, look to the Internet first. Search engines are probably the best way to get the highest return on investment (ROI) for your marketing dollar. Demand to know how a return on your investment will be determined when speaking with potential providers of online marketing services. Get the biggest bang for your hard-earned buck!

6. Do the math. What's a good example? What should the math look like? With search engine marketing, the math should be easy to calculate. For example, let's say your time is worth $50/hour, a customer is worth $200 to you, and each time someone clicks on your ad it costs you $3.00. If you invested in search engine ads and got 1000 targeted visitors to your website, and 2% of them became customers (20 new customers), that would mean $4,000 in new revenue for your business. Your cost would be $3,000 (based on $3.00 per visitor), and if you had a partner execute this strategy for you, your time savings would be worth at least $5,000 (it would take you at least 100 hours to get set up and manage this yourself). You would make at least a return of $1,000 on a $3,000 investment ($4,000 revenue - $3,000 cost). That equates to a 33% return on investment (which, incidentally is much higher than the stock or bond market). Don't forget, you also would save yourself $5,000 of your own time, that you could devote to these new customers, or your family and personal well-being!.

7. Let experts help you. As a small business owner, how much free time do you have? Most of us admit to wearing dozens of different hats. And if you do have extra time, are you going to spend it learning the complexities of Internet marketing or keeping up with the ever-changing formulas that the search engines use to determine who gets displayed and when? From the thousands of business owners we have met, the common theme is "I'll learn it tomorrow." How many different things are always "one day away?" When it comes to acquiring new customers and growing your business, don't let your procrastination get in the way. Let the experts handle the complex stuff. Do you know how to create the most effective search engine ads to attract the right customers for your business? When planning your Internet marketing strategies for 2008, don't go it alone. After all, you hire an architect to design a building or home, so why not hire a search engine marketing expert to design your online marketing and customer acquisition strategy?

8. Talk to your merchant association or local chamber of commerce. Ask your fellow merchants what they are doing to attract new customers to their businesses. Ask your merchant association, convention/visitors bureau or your local chamber what they are doing to help you "get found" on the Internet. How are they looking out for you, and providing programs and solutions to help you grow your business? Your peers are a great forum for interacting and sharing ideas, and becoming better educated about business growth opportunities. Put together an interest group within your association and ask for educational resources. AdvancedLocal is one group who will offer free web-based or local educational sessions about the opportunities available to you to market your business online.

It is our sincere hope that these tips will help you start 2008 with a bang, and ensure you stay current on trends in Internet marketing, the opportunities with search engine marketing, and the consumer demands of finding you (or your competitors) online. Make search engine marketing an essential part of your business planning and investment strategy, and you will find greater success in 2008, as tens of thousands of other local businesses have already discovered by employing these simple strategies.

Finally, make your website visible. Make sure your business is found when and where consumers are looking online...for you. Welcome to 2008!

Brought to you by AdvancedLocalTM

By Wayne A Tully

Publishing online has really entered into something of it's own in the last decade or so, blogging has hit an all time high and people expressing to write their passion has exceeded into a niche marketing online business for many.

But perhaps the best thing to ever consider is the free alternatives first and then think about what you can pay for next, such as a little bit of webhosting or actual publishing online in the form of an ebook or video tutorial.

Online publishing has really taken off in terms of free options to publish anything online or in an online format and the means to do so is increasing every day.

Social networks make it really easy to get your content published with ease, blogs are really popular online as there are more blogs being uploaded on different subjects each day, but alot of these networking platforms all rely on their profile page to sell the content, the personal page that everyone goes and has a look at to see who has written the work they are reading.

Sometimes the means to publish online can get a little bit technical, especially with the wordpress blogging platform, were you have to upload to a web host and handle most of the management of your blog file pages, but there is always help around the corner for every problem you face, support comes in the form of customer service and systems that are in place to get the support you need in your publishing ventures.

Another good thing about online publishing is that it can be updated if new ideas or details become outdated or dead, published content can be changed to suit whatever changes arise in the industry where you are, trends and fashions change, seasonal changes through out the year also impact the way you deal with online publishing.

Other publishing venues that are very popular are two of the rising giants in original content, that I certainly write for anyway.

Squidoo
By it's very nature is an ever evolving medium, with new features being added to make it the one stop content driven powerhouse, you can create lenses about any topic that you are interested in, and it's these quality content lenses that really need to start to build, because not only are they a stand alone web page, they also act as sign posts to your other sites.

Hub Pages
This blog/content platform came shortly after squidoo, but it's quickly risen in the ranks of the search engines for delivering original content and it's learnt alot from squidoo as they came first, each hub page that you add can be the same to act as a sign post to your main sites, but it's best to add your links in your profile and leave it at that, as they are strict on link spam.

These two are the main ones I concentrate on to write quality targeted content about specific subjects that are close to my own hobbies and interests.