Kristie T’s Home Business Blog Fun, mom-geared work-at-home tips and advice on making money on the net.

I was struck today while reading in one of the forums I frequent how some of us are so get so wrapped up in writing sales copy when we are marketing that we miss the point. We may be straying from what is really important - and that is real, genuine, from the heart sincerity. That’s not something you’ll find in a “sales message”.

That’s what you get when you truly connect to someone in your heart and express how you feel about them, what you admire about them, and positively reflect on that.

I had a great interview with TJ Rohleder, a famous direct response copywriter. The big reminder I got from TJ, is that the best marketing isn’t marketing at all, it’s not about “spiel” or knowing “words that sell”. It’s about knowing your customer, connecting to their heart, speaking to them in a real way, and saying how you can help.

This is my approach to business. Because of this, I find people are being attracted to me (pull marketing) versus me selling TO them (push marketing).

What do you do to truly connect from the heart with your customers?

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Have you read John Reese released new white paper on the Rebirth of Internet Marketing? He talks about the way the Internet marketing industry is changing.

Here are some of the key points John Reese makes about trends in Internet Marketing:

1) Markets are fragmenting. Niches are breaking up into 1000’s of mini-niches. Internet businesses can adapt, big business will suffer.
2) Pay per click costs will skyrocket. Businesses that depend on this will suffer. Depending on pay per click to be your main source of traffic is asking for trouble.
3) Businesses that don’t know how to survive these changes will go broke and shut down
4) Having a higher visitor value gives you the biggest chance of winning in the Internet game (bigger product funnel)
5) Selling junk won’t cut it, you need to have quality information that truly serves your market
6) Content rules. Give away your best stuff. Having lots of content helps you get ahead with SEO and with building customer trust.
7) Reverse squeeze page - give great content and say “if you want more great content like this sign up here”
Hype is out, Education and Entertainment Rules (I have seen this true in the speaking industry as well!)
People are bombarded with ads. Marketing is less effective. If you can entertain them and make them smile you cut thru the clutter.
9) Long sales letters are out - Hybrid salesletters that are short and combined with video convert better
10) Video is absolutely critical in your online marketing - it converts way better than text or audio
11) Internet marketers who know how to leverage the power of relationships will win

http://www.income.com/images/reports/rebirth.pdf

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Call it identify theft, stolen credit cards, or credit card fraud - we got punked!

I got a call today from a bank. It seems there is an older gentleman who is deaf and didn’t remember ordering any online advertising on Webmomz and didn’t even know who Webmomz is. No problem, I look up the order, read it back to the bank lady. A lot of people order things online and forget when the credit card bill comes what it was they ordered.

Turns out this guy didn’t order any advertising at all. Someone stole his credit card and ordered a solo email ad, a button ad, and a text link on Webmomz. Now we are out almost $600 in home business advertising revenues.

Not fair to us. Not fair to the guy whose credit card number was stolen. And someone out in “net land” is a real jerk that thinks he pulled something on someone.

Just wanted to make you aware this kind of thing happens. In 4 years of business, it’s the first time it happened to us. I am hoping that they can catch this guy and prosecute.

So if you get a big advertising order, don’t be afraid to question it. You never know if it’s a real order, or a scam.

Has your credit card number ever been stolen? Have you had someone purchase someone on your website with a stolen credit card number? Have you experienced credit card fraud first hand? Share your experience here.

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How do you go from near bankruptcy to creating a 3 million dollar a year empire?

Today’s guest Matt Bacak shares how anyone can create their own internet empire. Known as the “The Powerful Promoter”, Matt is a sought-after internet marketer who has marketed for some of the world’s top experts. He is the host of the Entrepreneur Magazine e-Biz radio show and his book became a “#1 Best Selling Author” in just a few short hours. In the interview, Matt Bacak offers these tips on how to skyrocket your profits online.

Matt reveals:

- how he overcame bankruptcy to create a 3 million dollar empire
- ways anyone start from scratch to build their own internet empire
- how articles marketing creates massive incoming links for your website
- secrets to building your mailing list fast
- top 5 traffic generation techniques
- and more!

Listen to the MP3 of Matt Backak’s interview here.

http://www.speakersuccessonline.com/speaker-show/speaker-success-Matt-Bacak-Episode6.mp3

3 Easy Ways to Listen:

1) Itunes Users: subscribe to the radio podcast feed in ITunes here
http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=213003230

2) Blog Readers: subscribe to the radio show RSS feed here
http://feeds.feedburner.com/SpeakerSuccessTalkRadio

3) Everyone else: Listen to the audio recording here
http://www.speakersuccessonline.com/experts/matt-bacak.htm

Like to know about upcoming guests and get free speaker marketing tips?

Sign up for our Speaker Success Talk Radio mailing list here:
http://www.speakersuccessonline.com/radio-show.htm

Kristie T

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There’s a new reality TV show about helping people to earn a fortune online.

On the show, two teams of everyday people — will compete to build the biggest, baddest, and most profitable cash-generating business on the Internet in just 90 days… Starting from scratch!

The line up of mentors for the show is incredible: Lorrie Morgan Ferrero, Alex Mandossian, T Harv Eker, Loral Langemeir, Stephen Pierce and more.

They are casting now. They say this will be aired on a few major networks and if selected, all expenses are paid.

Before you enter, you should know that if you are selected as a player, you must be willing to travel to and reside at one or more undisclosed locations in Toronto, Canada for approximately three months in the Summer of 2007. So this might not be good for moms. That would be hard to be away from the kids for 3 months.

Check it out at Netslingers.tv

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Okay, I thought I was a cool marketer, but clearly romance novel writer, Jina Bacarr , has me beat. You’ve seriously got to check out what Jina did to celebrate Doing Business in Your Bathrobe day. She produced a very cool video that you’ve got to see. Talk about having presence. Jina owns the camera in this fun short clip where she talks about working in her bathrobe and writing her romance novels. Jina is the author of erotic novels, The Blonde Geisha and Naughty Paris.

Take a peak at the fun way she made the Bathrobe day promotion her own:

Here’s the press release that Jina Bacarr did for Doing Business in Your Bathrobe Day.

And here’s the Doing Business in Your Bathrobe video that Jina did.

Congrats Jina. You are one HECK of a marketer! I like your style.

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I am working with a new client on developing a website and creating a targeted niche. In the process of interviewing him, he said that his niche was sales and marketing for small business. Hmmm. I can think of about 1 million other people with the same niche. I told him, the smaller your niche, the easier it’s going to be for you win in the marketplace. And so in further probing, I found out that his specialty was in teaching direct response and direct mail style marketing to small business owners.

Aha! A discovery!

At last, we zeroed in on a smaller, more targeted niche for him. Then all we needed was a good name - something catchy. He wanted to do a website with his name. But I suggested that we get a domain name with the benefits built right into it. The answer? InstantDirectMailProfits.com.
Now, does that peak your interest?

I think my favorite example of a domain name with the benefits built right in is Matt Bacak’s “IPutButtsInSeats.com” That’s his website where he promotes his seminar promotion services. It’s funny, it’s memorable, and it stirs curiosity.

What are some of the coolest domain names you have come across?

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Technology expert, Jeanette Cates, in a recent interview on for Speaker Success Talk Radio shares tips for using teleseminars and teleclasses to boost your business profits.

Jeanette Cates offers these teleseminar marketing tips during her interview:

- How she got known as the Tech Tamer
- Why teleseminars are an important marketing tool for speakers
- Simple tips for holding successful teleseminars
- The biggest mistakes made when hosting teleseminars
- and more!

3 Easy Ways to Listen:

1) Itunes Users: To listen you can subscribe to the radio podcast feed in ITunes

2) Blog Readers: Or subscribe to the radio show RSS feed

3) Everyone else: Listen to the Jeanette Cates teleseminar interview here

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This weekend I am traveling to San Francisco to tape a TV show. And what’s really great is that even though I’ll be away from my business, my business will still be earning money. One of the best things I did for my business last year was automate my email marketing by setting up an autoresponder series to help readers with the biggest challenges they face in their business.

The shopping cart system I use makes it so easy to setup an email marketing campaign like that. In fact, you can load up an entire year of marketing messages setup to go out automatically to your subscribers. Now that’s a business on autopilot! Powerful stuff! (You can even try my favorite shopping cart free for 30 days here)

That makes a smart marketing system that works, so I don’t have to.

This is one of the great tips I got as a member of an exclusive mom mastermind group. If you’d like to check it out, you can get a free 7 day pass here. I guarantee you’ll get tips, support, and information that will grow your business. Grab your free >7 day mom mastermind pass here.

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After reading John Jantsch’s book, Duct Tape Marketing, I have decided to get my act together and create a real marketing plan. Being a highly creative “get things done” person, I am a bit embarrased to admit that for 10 years I have not had a marketing plan. I have had a sense of what I wanted to accomplish. And with high energy bursts, I’d pulled off some pretty cool marketing feats. But this year to stay more focused, I am going with an internet marketing plan.

Here are 10 steps to creating an online marketing plan

1) Define your target market
2) Create your marketing message - Who you are, what you do, how you provide value.
3) Review your marketing materials and tweak for consistency with marketing message
4) Review your product offerings to see which revenue streams are generating the most income
4) Choose your top 3 marketing methods you want to focus on for each area of your business
product marketing, lead generation, customer relationship marketing, publicity, seo
5) For each of those marketing methods, set goals with deadlines and action steps
6) Make a list of the people, resources, materials you will need to gather to complete those goals
graphic design, print costs, postage, web design, marketing consultants, assistants
7) Review your clients to identify the top 20% that bring you 80% of your business
Plan a “keep in touch” strategy to enhance those relationships
9) Plan and implement an email marketing campaign to deliver keep in touch messages and sales messages that deliver value to your customer base online
9) Write down your marketing goals and plans and post them in a place where you can review them regularly
10) Commit to take action - and track your results!

If you don’t have a copy of John’s book, Duct Tape Marketing: The World’s Most Practical Small Business Marketing Guide , you seriously have to grab it — good stuff. It’s solid and practical - no fluff or hype here. I have always looked up to John’s special brand of “sticky” advice and his book is stellar!

Do you have a marketing plan? What top marketing methods will you use this year? Share your marketing ideas here.

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