Business Information for Entrepreneurs by an Entrepreneur

We've all heard that the Internet is a great new medium for business.  I've found that there are limitless opportunities and virtually no rules for you to market your business on the Internet effectively.   However, given that the Internet is an ocean, you need to be the coral in the ocean and know how to catch a prospective customer's attention.

Content is the most crucial factor in internet marketing. 

I've put together some time-tested tips for effectively marketing your business online:

Content:  Good content will automatically build up your brand image and act as a passive marketing tool.  Good content and good websites get recommended to others, thus exposing you to a customer base you didn't even know existed.

Search Engines: Start with the search engines.  A prospective customer should be able to get to you easily and if they ‘happen' upon your site while blindly surfing the ‘Net, so much the better.  The Organic, or free, search engines have been proven to result in more website hits.  To crack the puzzle, chose the right keywords that will get your customers to you.  Suggestions are available on:

http://www.goodkeywords.com

Articles: Including articles on your site will brand you as an expert.  It stands to reason that the more articles you have on your site, the more number of times your keywords will appear, therefore you will receive that many more hits. Your articles should be informative.

Press Releases: Including press releases make your site more impressive.  They should focus on news about your business, and not appear ‘sales oriented'.

Blogs:  Blogging is in. Using a blog, you can create content even if you don't know HTML.  People can refer to your blog for industry news, and you can include links to your business' products and services.

Internet marketing does work, if done correctly. 

Procrastination is the thief of time.  Time once lost is lost forever.  There are numerous quotes on the most precious commodity called time — yet, we often find ourselves saying, “where did the day go”, or “this year has flown by so fast”.  Time is a finite commodity, yet the number of things we want to achieve in our lives is infinite.

Efficient use of time, through time management skills, helps us bridge the gap between our finite time and our infinite goals.   Given below are some time management tips.  At first, some of them may appear to be common sense, but you will soon see that these skills will help you make more productive use of your time and decrease your stress levels. 

Set a Goal: Every morning, spend a little time deciding what you want to accomplish in the short term (i.e. that day), and set a time frame for each task.

Keep track of wasted time: Just as you schedule your tasks, schedule breaks between tasks to catch your breath and keep track of how much ‘break time' you spend during the day.  You will probably be shocked at the result.  Breaks are essential for our continued functioning; however, too many breaks are a waste of time.

Interruptions: No matter how strict a time schedule we make, we are living in the midst of others who also have their own plans — therefore, interruptions from others, even for important matters, tends to throw us off our schedules.  There are some interruptions that can be controlled, like automatically directing telephone calls to an answering machine so that you can attend to them once you have accomplished your goals for the day.  Consciously try to limit the time spent with people who casually drop by, especially when these unexpected calls are during the ‘work time' you have allotted yourself.

Effective time management will help you find many moments during the day that you thought you had lost.  It will help you take control over your life and you will reduce your stress while increasing your productivity.
 
Respect your time and others will respect it too.

As Albert Schweitzer once said, “Example is not the main thing in influencing others. It is the only thing.”  Anybody who has every brought up children or even raised animals will support this statement.  Most people learn by the best way the can —mimicking.

Here are some commonsense tips to get others to do what you want them to do!

You set the standard: Or as it is often said ‘Do not expect others to do what you do not do yourself'. Work as hard, or harder, than you expect your employees to work.  This could mean knowing more, putting in more effort when you are on the job, being punctual — everything that you demand of those who report to you.
 
Be an effective communicator: Communicate in a straightforward manner so that people learn to trust you.  Communicate the good as well as the bad.  Good communication and interpersonal skills are critical in managing people.

Be authentic, be real: What you see is what you get.  People can easily see through any façade you may try to put on.  Being genuine yourself will inspire others to honesty and integrity.  Accept your faults and shortcomings.

Help others climb: Let others know that you are not trying to hog the limelight.  Show them that you are ready to give them a hand up and shine as well.

Management by walking around (or MBWA): Show people that you are accessible and approachable, but draw that subtle line so that they don't perceive themselves as equals.  After all, you are the business owner and therefore the leader.
 
Fight for them: Show them that they are not alone in their professional struggle.  Show them that you are willing to help them pull that oar.
 
Listen, then pass judgment: This will help you to be fair, and you will not need to take back what you have said.

Work constantly at honing your communication and conflict resolution skills.  These commonsense tips will help you set up and keep a cohesive, productive team.