Relationship Marketing | Build Your Online Business

Most of us have heard the expression, “You must grow or you will die!”  Sounds extreme, but the reality of this statement is all around us.  If a plant does not grow, there’s something stifling its growth and it is going to eventually die. The same principle applies to your business.  For your business to thrive, it must expand and grow.

Following are 5 ways to grow and expand your business:

1) As an entrepreneur you are a business owner and it is important to invest in expanding your own knowledge and ability.  Very few of us who started an online business had any idea of what was involved and perhaps, like me, you’re still learning.  So it’s important to continue to educate yourself on the critical areas in your business.  This will often involve connecting with Mentors who have achieved success in their fields. There are Mentors like Denise Wakeman, founder of the Blog Squad, who can help you to gain visibility online.

2) Be willing to stay in touch with market trends and changes in technology.  Have you been online for a while?  What methods are you using to grow your list of subscribers? How much do you know about Teleseminars and their effectiveness?  You may be ready for Kathleen Gage, the Street Smart Marketer, VIP Club, which provides ‘a step by step training program to market online, gain more clients and make more sales.‘ (more…)

You have heard and accepted that starting a blog or becoming a blogger is one of the easiest ways to begin building your brand  and create a success circle online, but your next question may be, “Where do I begin?” You have prepared your mindset and have decided on what you would like to start blogging about.  Keep in mind that everyone starts somewhere, and you may decide six months from now that you want to change direction, but for now, let's get the process started for your first blog.

1.  Choose a Domain Name:  In building your brand and creating your success, you want to select a domain name that is simple, easy to remember, but represents you and what your focus will be – your niche.  You will also want to choose a domain name that matches the title of your site so that it's easy for readers to connect both together in their minds and visually.  If you'll be adding a logo in the future, make sure that the logo matches your domain name.  Next, you'll need to register your domain name.

2.  Register Your Domain Name:  Your domain name is your URL; the address people will type in or click on to access your blog content.  There are many registrars, and a search on google.com will confirm this; however, the one I've consistently used is GoDaddy.com.  Note that on GoDaddy.com domain registrations are approximately $10 per year.  You may be tempted to go with a registrar where the cost appears to be less, but please make sure to read the fine print as while the initial cost may be low, you may find that if you need to forward and mask your domain, you may be asked to pay for those services separately, or they're not offered at all. (more…)

Last evening I started thinking about what my post for today, Day 10,  in the 30-day blog challenge would be about.  It occurred to me that it should be about accountability – how being accountable leads to success in your small business.  Having an accountability partner who has similar goals is even better, but if that's not the case just being accountable to a group is a great boost.  Above all it's important to be accountable to yourself.

Over the eleven years I've been in Direct Sales with my areas of specialization being image and  skin care as well as  in the greeting card industry, I've been a power partner to other women and I've also had great power partners.  We have been there for each other meeting in person or on the phone with updates and progress reports.  We've encouraged, supported and even nagged each other, but the goal was always to leap forward in our business and reach the goals we had set for ourselves.

Since starting my online business, I've missed having a power partner.  Like many of you experience my family just smile and nod their heads when I'm excited about a breakthrough or an affiliate sale, or a really great teleseminar, etc.  When I say I have to update my blog, they, as well as other friends just ask, “Do you get paid to do that?”  On the other hand, I have found wonderful mentors and supportive online marketers who have helped to keep me on track as long as I make the time to implement the training and strategies.  Herein lies the challenge.  Do I hold myself accountable and make the time or do I put it off? (more…)