Posted by Tim on Apr 30, 2010 in Home Based Business | 1 comment
It is all well and good to sign up at some of the larger social network sites and start up a blog, but how do you find Readers for a blog? Please remember though the following suggestions are by no means comprehensive or applicable to every single blog however it is a starting point to get you going in quest to tackle the challenge of finding readers for your blog.
Some of these social sites also provide a list of friends of friends and some even go as far as asking these mutual friends if they would like to join up to another person’s network automatically. Every one of the social networking and blog sites I have encountered promote the growth of networks it almost seems like they are doing this to get into the Guinness Book of Records or something for largest social network.
Another area that you can use to increase awareness of your presence is by leaving comments on other people’s blogs and networks that have similar interests as you do. I have to make a point though that whatever you do please do not just leave canned comments like nice blog etc… leave a comment that shows you did read the thing and are not just trying to promote yourself. If done right this will create some valuable connections and to help entice others to be a part of your online world.
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Posted by Tim on Apr 28, 2010 in Home Based Business | 3 comments
One method I highly recommend is article marketing as content is king when it comes to its value concerning the search engines. This can be a very useful tool in directing traffic toward your site or blog. Article ezines or submission sites are always looking for new material. After all, providing good content to their readers is really what they are all about. A quick Google search will bring up quite a number of sites that accept articles.
When writing articles be sure that the content is informative and at least 200 words in length. Punctuation and grammar need to be accurate in order to keep up a professional image however there is a growing acceptance in the SEO world that common spelling errors can be beneficial in returning results, but use these wisely and I have written a few articles on how to accomplish this and still keep your credibility intact. The more valuable content and professional looking your article is, the better the submission service will like it. This keeps both parties happy, which is a win-win situation.
Article marketing is definitely a strategy to be considered thoroughly by the small business promoter. Success will not be overnight, however as your articles accumulate and you become more recognizable as an author, success will come. Start by identifying some of the more popular article submission sites, and then do a little research on a topic. The next step is to get going and submit your article.
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Posted by Tim on Apr 26, 2010 in Home Based Business | 0 comments
Blogs have the ability to work very well alongside your other attraction based marketing methods. WordPress to this end has strived quite hard to make this very easy to use for everyone out there looking to blog their opinions. For example, you can easily Tweet your latest blog posts by using the link on your blog. You can also do the same for some of the social bookmarking websites out there like Digg.com and StumbleUpon.com to name a few.
The content you place on your WordPress blog needs to have a basis on useful information for your customers or instruction rather than focusing on sales based content. This allows you to build a strong following of people who are interested in what you have to say without actually coming across like all you want to do is sell them something.
Also you will want to utilize the keyword tools and tags offered this will help to get your blog found when someone is searching for a blog to read. It helps you to create blog posts that will rank well in search engines. Use specific and relevant keywords that fit with your business in your blog posts as well, so that this also attracts a better ranking with the search engines out there. Also you will want to work on building up your followers using an RSS feed which is an acronym for Real Simple Syndication and be consistent with your blog posts.
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Posted by Tim on Apr 25, 2010 in Leadership | 1 comment
Learning from your mistakes is one of the greatest personal achievements you can make. When hearing “learn from your mistakes” what comes to mind? For some of us just looking back at past mistakes can have us shying our heads and repeating “yeah yeah yeah, I know” but, in reality we do nothing of the sort and continue to repeat the same old same old. By putting aside our uncomfortable emotions when we look at past mistakes and taking a step back outside of yourself is a better way to look at those mistakes. You can glean a new perspective of them. Analyze why it was a mistake? What could you have done differently? How will you approach the same situation in the future? This may seem like common sense but we humans still beat our heads up against the same proverbial wall time and time again without ever changing for the better and that one act alone can have disastrous effects in all aspect of our lives. If we continue on the same bad paths we will always reap the same bad results. I read a poem once that had a profound effect on changing that attitude. I don’t know who wrote it so sadly I can’t give the person their due here it is.
IF…
If you always think the way you’ve always thought
You will always feel the way you’ve always felt
And if you always feel the way you’ve always felt
You will always do what you’ve always done
And if you always do what you’ve always done
Then you will always get what you’ve always gotten
If there is no change there is no change
I may have missed a few lines here or there however its message is still clear. Without the ability to change the negative behaviors you engage in you will continue to reap the same rewards time after time after time.
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Posted by Tim on Apr 24, 2010 in Home Based Business | 2 comments
There is one true constant in this universe and that is that everything is impermanent. Everything is always in a state of flux everything is ever changing. By putting our sense of well being and happiness in external phenomena we are setting ourselves up for sadness and disappointment. That brand new flashy car you have in the drive way will eventually need repair, the kids don’t do what you tell them, the wife spends too much on shoes etcetera, etcetera and the list goes on. If your happiness depends on how well the car runs how well the kids behave and how much the wife spends you will always eventually end up disappointed and sad. By looking inward instead of outward for your happiness you can be truly happy no matter how crappy the people in your life are treating you or state of disrepair your toys are in.
By accepting that everything has a cycle of life that can’t be truly controlled by you and that no matter what you do you can’t stop time from taking its due. You can let go of those external objects hold on to your emotions and not have them dictate how you feel. If you can do this you will feel a great weight has been lifted and that baggage will no longer be a destructive force in your life. That is not to say those negative events won’t have an impact on you they still will, however they won’t have the same emotional weight they once had and therefore you will be better able to deal with them in a more positive manner.
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Posted by Tim on Apr 23, 2010 in Leadership | 1 comment
Another vital step is to make a list of options and alternative solutions and then to pick the best one to use. Even include the wacky ones too this way they will not keep invading your thoughts and therefore hindering your efforts. You know the ones I am talking about like taking a hammer to the computer as silly as this sounds it actually is not. How many times in the past do these types of wacky solutions cross your mind? Once you write it down as a possible your mind will let it go.
You can write the steps down, or keep a list in your head you need to do what works for you. Consider the outcomes of the available choices, as well as alternative ideas. Consider your feelings and the feelings of others in your decision making process. Sometimes it is good to just follow your gut instinct even if you do not have much to back it up.
Think of your gut instinct this way, it is an amalgamation of all the experiences and similar situations you have been in and your subconscious is telling you the answer, on the flip side though be aware that your gut may be getting things mixed up so do not just take its word for it have a reason to back up following it. Explore your initial feelings about the decision and also, take the time to consider the feelings of the other people involved.
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Posted by Tim on Apr 22, 2010 in Leadership | 2 comments
You need to avoid running in circles when time is of the essence, you might find that your mind begins to run in circles and blabbering on, staying in this frame of mind will only cause more stress. You have to break your decision down into its vital parts and focus on the benefits of each alternative one at a time this way your problem looses some of its sting when you do this.
You have to take the time you need to do this properly and therefore you will be more confident in the fact that you have or are making the right decision at the time. Most of the time you will not need to make decisions in a matter of seconds unless you have a bear gnawing at your heels and if that is happening err well I do not know what to do, hey this is a personal development blog not a woodland survival guide.
Anyway to get back on track, you may need to make a decision quickly, however you must allow yourself time to go over your options. This formula of action will only hold you in good stead if it is used properly, you can not go half cocked and skip one of the steps and still have it work for you time and again.
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