Lorac Virtual Solutions

Posts Tagged ‘Online Business’

SEO can be confusing and social media can be overwhelming when a business owner is trying to use both to grow their business online.  However, according to my friend Andrea Kalli, SEO and social media marketing will be even more important in 2012. Her guest blog below shows us why.

Embrace the Social

The social aspect of the web will become even more important as SEO and social media marketing become tightly intertwined. The more that your content gets shared through social networks, the better. It’s a way for increased sharing and discovery of your content for web users.

Creating value-heavy, interesting, and useful content should be top priority in your online marketing strategy. Creating great content that naturally gets shared across social media can include lists, guides, how-to’s, personal experiences, etc. Also, don’t forget to lay a little humor in with your content. Adding such personality to what you produce can go a long way in your favor in this social world, after all.

While I have never been a fan of long and detailed content, these days there’s something to be said for content that is so awesome in the value it provides, that it becomes something that many people share with others. Quality over quantity should be your mantra.

Taking Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter out of the equation, here are some other sites that you should become more involved in:

• Google+
• Pinterest
• Slideshare
• YouTube

The social nature of these superstars and up-and-comers can greatly impact your online visibility right now.

Use Solid SEO Strategies Across the Board

Keywords Are Important

Before you strike out on a content marketing campaign, before you write your website’s home page copy, before you put out your first press release, or before you upload a video to YouTube, you simply MUST research your keywords. How else are you going to know what your target audience is searching for when trying to find a business such as yours?

Once you determine an ideal list of keywords related to your business that you know people are searching on, that don’t have too much competition, and that have some commercial value, then you can use them in the following ways:

• In blog posts and articles, write about a single topic based on one of your keyword phrases. Use that phrase in your Title, your paragraph headers, your tags, your description, in the alt text of an image, and sprinkled throughout the content where it makes sense.
• Now take this same formula and apply it to a YouTube video, a SlideShare presentation, a press release. All these have a place for a title, a description, and tags/keywords. Rinse and Repeat.
• Use your keyword phrases in your social profiles.

In a nutshell, make your content count. Put in the extra effort to not only provide valuable information to readers, but to also help them to find you in the first place.

Don’t Be Tempted to Find the Shortcuts

Whatever you do, run away from the temptation of sites that offer you “5000 Pagerank 6 Backlinks for $25”, “Guaranteed #1 Positioning in Google”, or “100 Keyword-Rich SEO Articles for $20”. Such promises come with a steep price, one of which is a slap on the wrist from Google for using unscrupulous tactics, your website falling out of site for months on end, or your content never being seen in the top search results pages.

These shortcuts can hurt you more than help you. Put in the effort, put in the time, develop relationships, nurture conversation, and become an invaluable resource of information. These are the ways your business will make it to the forefront of people’s minds and stay on their radar.

Article by Andrea Kalli

Internet Marketing Services

All the best,

PS: Don’t forget to sign up for your FREE copy of “7 Steps to Online Marketing” and receive tips and information that will help you grow your business online.

Working remotely is a dream for many people.

If we could make a living by working remotely doesn’t it open up a whole world of possibilities?

Does anyone make millions of dollars online?

We hear all kinds of stories every day about people making millions of dollars working online and yes, there probably are people who are doing that well. The truth is that the actual number of success stories is really not that great. But, there are thousands of people all over the world who are making a decent living by working remotely over the internet. How do they do it?

The challenge of working remotely.

There are definitely challenges but they aren’t insurmountable. It will depend if you have decided to work from home at one location or whether you are moving around. I like to have the flexibility of working from wherever I am no matter if I am sitting in an airport, on a ferry, or in my home office. I like having everything necessary at my finger tips.
If working just from home then it is just a matter of setting up an office and ensuring you have all the tools necessary to work and communicate either with your employer or your clients. If you are more transient then it will come down to what tools you need to get the job done. A lap top computer, internet provider, and good communication tools should get you started. The tools you require to work remotely will depend on the type of work you will be doing.

Current employment

Could you do your current job from home? It may seem impossible but sometimes with a little bit of thought and planning it can be done. Before you run into your employer’s office and make the suggestion, it might be a good idea to sit down and come up with a plan, make sure it will work and then start with baby steps. Once your overall plan has been developed, suggest to your employer that you do it one day a week and when that proves successful you will be in a better position to ask to have it expanded to 2 or 3 days and eventually to full time.

Now, consider something. If you were sitting on the Gulf of Mexico or in your home office in Idaho, would it really make any difference to the work you are doing? Would you be just as productive? If you answered yes, then continue with your plan and make adjustments as needed and continue working for your current employer. There are benefits to being able to do this and that doesn’t only include a steady pay check.

Consulting

If you have been working or involved in any type of activity for awhile you are probably good at what you do. Offer your services as a consultant and by doing so are offering your knowledge, skills and experience to businesses or people who can use them. A consultant may make recommendations, or solve problems or provide specialized work. It will depend upon what your experience and employment background is. Don’t just concentrate on your work history though, because your hobbies or other skills could be in high demand. As a consultant you are an independent contractor and not an employee so can determine what work you will or will not do.

Coaching

Do you enjoy teaching others how to do something? Use your skills and experience and show others how to do the type of work you did or something else you are good at. I love helping small businesses get started and since my background includes operations management, entrepreneurial ventures, self employment and a variety of other things I have the skills and knowledge to coach others with their business plans.
Make a list of things you are good at, what skills you have, your experience, knowledge and give yourself the credit you deserve. Everyone is good at something and there is always someone who needs help doing the same thing. If you enjoy teaching, then this may be the way to go.

Project Networks or Outsource Providers

There are networks online whereby you exchange your skills for money. Projects of all types of work are posted and you as a contractor bid of them and if successful are awarded the contract and must provide the work. There are literally thousands of work opportunities posted at any one time but there is also a lot of competition and a person must be careful as to how they do this.

There are always learning tools available to show you how to create your profile, bid on jobs and what is recommended. Take the time to watch the videos and read their instructions. I is possible to make a living at this type of work but you must do it right. There are too many foreign contractors who will take the work from you for almost nothing. But as you develop a reputation as being efficient and reliable the work or contracts will increase. It takes time but is not impossible. An example of this type of network is Elance as well as cDesk. There are many more and by doing a good search you will find more.
Yes, there is competition by countries like India but if you are good at what you do, are reliable and reasonably priced (without giving it away for free) you should be able to build up a clientele list.

Online Business

Once again, use your skills and expertise and provide either a service or a product online. If you are selling something it may be your own product or someone else’s merchandise. Affiliate marketing is a business whereby you promote other’s products and earn a commission for doing so. It is possible to earn a living by being an affiliate marketer but it does require a lot of hard work.
Whatever services you can provide or product you have for sale, there is always someone who wishes to have them. It is just a matter of connecting and that means marketing yourself or your product. Writing, photography, business assistance, web site design, copywriting, researching, virtual assistance, travel agent and teaching are just some of the services you can provide online. I personally love affiliate marketing and know there is money to be made but it isn’t going to happen overnight.
The above samples are just a small number of ways of earning a living remotely from wherever you may be. The advantages are huge and the possibilities are endless. It does require hard work and dedication but isn’t anything that’s worthwhile?

All the best,

PS:  Affiliate Marketing is something you can do from anywhere and even add it as an extension of what you are already doing.  You will need the Affiliate Marketers Handbook by Rosalind Gardner and it’s on sale!  Buy it today!

For anyone who is curious or interested in an online business or
affiliate marketing this is a “must have”.

Rosalind Gardner’s  ”Super Affiliate Handbook” is the best resource available as almost everyone in the industry will tell you.

I purchased Rosalind Gardner’s fabulous Super Affiliate Handbook Click Here! a couple for $47.00 and thought that was a steal and now she is offering it for only $27!

I am one of those people who need to hold a book in my hand and I thought the material was so good I printed the whole book out and have referred to it continuously. Every time I do, I learn something new. Rosalind is one of the few who actually did what she teaches and by learning affiliate marketing herself by trial and error she has put together this absolutely wonderful training book.

It really doesn’t matter whether you are new to the business or have been doing it for years there is something in this book for everyone. Honestly, I wouldn’t be promoting it if I didn’t believe in it. I have learned so much from Rosalind’s Super Affiliate HandbookClick Here! as well as her membership group.

For anyone who is looking for an online business to do while travelling then they should definitely look at Affiliate Marketing and start by purchasing the Super Affiliate Handbook todayClick Here! while you can still get it for $27.

All the best,

PS:  Rosalind Gardner is the real deal.  She is one of the few marketers who actually teaches what she has already accomplished.  She knows her stuff!

Well, for one thing if you don’t have a website how will your customers find you or know what products you provide?

• It really doesn’t matter what business you operate. It could be a shoe store, a B & B, a photography studio, grocery store, bakery or you offer lawn mowing.  You must have a website – if only to list your services or products and contact information.  That is the minimum you must have on your website if you are a business looking for new customers or maintaining your current one.
• Let’s look at the reason why many businesses don’t have a website. In doing some research and speaking with many small business owners many are still intimidated by the process, do not understand the importance of having one or think they can get along without one.  And yes, they can probably still operate without having a website but think how much better their business could be if they did have one.




• Let’s use a shoe store for example.  You own a local shoe store and since you live in a small town, everyone knows you and come to you when they need shoes.  Wrong.  Yes, your regular customers probably will still come to you because they know and like you.  What about those potential customers who are searching for a specific brand of shoe that you carry but don’t know anything about you?  Today’s customers do not get in their car and drive from store to store looking for something.  They do a search online for exactly what they are looking for and when they find it (online) they will either contact the business directly via email or telephone and arrange a purchase or get specifics.  By not having a website you have just lost that potential customer who prefers to shop online.  They will probably be shopping at your competitor’s business or purchasing from another business hundreds of miles away.
• A local bakery usually has weekly specials or promotions they like to offer their customers. What better way of getting the message out than posting promotions or sales on your website maybe offering coupons, contests, etc?   This is a form of advertising you cannot neglect.  Combine this with a bit of social media and you will get results you could not have seen without advertising online with your website.
• Don’t let the website terminology scare you. It’s not a foreign language, even though it may seem so.  Here are some descriptions to help you understand what is involved.

Think of having a website as the same as having a physical location.

1. You need an address – IP address/website
2. A physical location – domain name – usually it is the name of you or your business and must be purchased.
3. A landlord – web-hosting company - I usually recommend that the domain name and hosting company be different
4. Different areas of the store – web pages
5. Doors that people enter and leave from – bandwidth
6. Janitor – website designer / maintainer

That’s enough for now. Next, we will break these down further and I will show you how easy it is to have a website for your business with an effective domain name and have it hosted with a reliable hosting service.  We will discuss what are the bare bone basics of what you need on your website and how easy it is to make it happen. How will you get your mail? What shopping cart or shopping basket will you use and what do you want to use for a cash register.  Really important is your security system.

Don’t be intimidated by the idea of having a website for your small business – it’s possible to have one up and running in a matter of hours and it doesn’t have to cost a small fortune.  Just think of it in terms of having a physical address for your store and what it intails – its the same when you operate online.

We will be talking about the same things that are important to your physical business – how will you receive your mail? What furniture do you need? Do you want shopping baskets or shopping carts? What type of cash register do you need?  Do you need a security system?  It makes more sense when you break it down into small bite size pieces.

All the best,

PS: If you want to do some name searches for your domain name visit GoDaddy – it’s low cost, good service and very reliable.  I use it when registering my domain names or those of my clients.

Prices vary!  Service varies!

Every business needs to register their own domain name and get a website set up.  It doesn’t matter what type of business ~ YOU NEED A WEBSITE!

However, before you can set up your website you need to register a domain name.  This could be the name of your business, a service you provide or a product you sell but it needs to relate to you and your business.  Even if you are not ready to get your business online you still should get your domain name registered before someone else comes along and grabs it.

The cost varies and you should shop around and also ask your friends or business contacts who they used and if they would recommend them.  I have used a couple of registries and have been happy with any of them I used.  At the bottom of this page is a link for Register.com with a coupon to help you save some money!  I always like a deal so thought I would pass that one on.

Host – I recommend that you do not use the same company as the host for your website.  What if one company folds?  You still have the other one and it will be much easier to be up and running quickly.  Not that any of them will close their virtual doors but why take a chance.

So get your domain name registered!  Today.  Oh, by the way I try and use .com for any of my sites – which is the most popular.

Have a great day!