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Time management is one of the biggest challenges modern workers face.  New technologies have given us more freedom to have flexible schedules and many more opportunities to slack off.  Here are a few tips you can use to get yourself on track to be more productive.

 

Write a to-do list and keep it in a prominent place.  It is also a good idea to prioritize your list and do it in (or close to) that order so you know the most important things are getting done.  Or, if you know when you’re most productive during the day, do the #1 item during that time.

 

Once you’re done making your list and putting it in order, cross off everything below #5.  If something is #8 on your list, it’s probably not going to get done that day. And if it’s not important enough to be high on the list, you probably don’t need to do it that day.  It will probably just sit there, looming on your to-do list, making you feel unaccomplished. Besides, if you get everything done on your list, you can always make a new one later in the day.

 

Take care of your most difficult task first.  Often we spend a lot of our day coming up with ways to avoid tasks we don’t want to do.  We may do this by getting other tasks done, or we may just play solitaire on the computer instead.  If you get your worst task done first, you’ll not only get to your other tasks rather than avoiding them, but you’ll also have a sense of accomplishment to help motivate you through the rest of your day.

 

It’s always been accepted that you should keep your mind on your work and not let other things distract you or you won’t get any work done.  However, recent research has shown that this isn’t true. In fact, it’s the opposite of the truth.

 

Taking short breaks by doing something you really like doing actually increases your productivity when you get back to work.  The problem with this is that many people have problems getting back to work at the end of their break. If you do take short breaks, you should set a specific time limit and stick to it.  You should also pick your activities carefully and stay away from those you know you won’t be able to stop doing once break time is done.

 

While it’s good to take breaks, you need to work to make working time only working time.  This means clearing your desk (and computer desktop) of distracting things. If multitasking helps you get stuff done, then go ahead and work on several projects at a time, but don’t multitask between a project and an internet conversation or reading a funny website.  Keep your fun time away from your work time. Otherwise you’ll find you have very little actual work time.

 

If you are multitasking different projects, watch what things you do together.  While working on a supply list and a budget at the same time might be useful, constantly interrupting your work to answer the phone or respond to emails is only going to slow you down.  Save things like phone calls, emails, and checking on projects with co-workers for a few times a day. This way you can get your work don’t without interrupting your flow.

By just making a few small adjustments, you can drastically increase your productivity!

As a businesswoman, it’s very important to have a good support network.  You need fellow businesswomen to share experiences and tips with. You need women who are in fields related to yours to ask questions.  The sense of community provided by a group of businesswomen can help see you through the tough times.

But finding a group in your area isn’t always practical.  Maybe there are networking groups that you could join, but they might meet at times that are not convenient for you.  Or if you’re not in a metropolitan area, there may not be any groups that are especially for women in your area. That doesn’t mean that you’re left out in the cold, though.

There are plenty of online communities designed for businesswomen and female entrepreneurs.  These communities offer such features as profile pages, forums, chat rooms and classified ads.  They give women a place to connect with like-minded women from their own homes and offices.

With all of the online communities for businesswomen out there, it can be tempting to join and participate in them all.  But by doing so, you limit your opportunity for meaningful connections. Keeping up with so many different communities takes a lot of time, and there’s little possibility for reward.  By finding one or two good communities and sticking with them, you can better reap the benefits they have to offer.

 

Here are some tips for finding the right online community for you.

Keep your objectives in mind.  If you are looking for referrals, a group that consists completely of women in your field is probably not the best choice for you.  That doesn’t mean you can’t join for the opportunity to learn from others in your business, but if referrals are what you want, you may not want to limit yourself.

 

Ask colleagues for recommendations.  Those who are experienced in online networking often know the best places to do so.

 

Take the groups that interest you for a test drive.  Many communities offer a free trial, and some are completely free.  So if you find one you like, join up and network with the members for a week or so.  This will give you a feel for how everything works and how supportive the other members are.  If you decide it’s not for you, move on and find something else.

 

Read the rules of such communities carefully.  Most have restrictions on blatant advertising. While it is rarely banned outright, there is often a designated time or place for it.  Disobeying these rules could get you booted, and at the very least it will turn off the other members.

 

Online networking is a great way to find business partners and generate referrals.  Communities designed specifically for women are also valuable sources of business advice and can result in lasting friendships.  Even if you have the opportunity to network locally, networking with fellow businesswomen online offers lots of rewards.

When most people search the Internet, they are in search of information.  There is a lot of it out there. As a content writer, you want them to read your content.  Here are five ways that you can enhance your web content writing skills.

What makes you good at what you do?  Part of it is natural talent. For a creative medium like writing, it is just plain work if you don’t have some inclination towards doing it well.  The other part of the equation is continuing education. To be a good writer, the learning process doesn’t ever stop.

 

1.  Read other people’s content.  You won’t learn what the competition knows if you don’t read their stuff.  We aren’t just talking about the really successful content writers but new people as well.  Read all sorts of content to see what they do that is different from what you are doing. You could pick up some handy pointers.

 

2.  Stay current.  With online writing, what is accepted practice changes all the time.  Get a copy of the AP Stylebook for starters. Whomever you write web content for will want to know that you have kept up with the latest developments.  Along the same lines, learn about sentence and paragraph structure. Run-on sentences are not attractive and neither are paragraphs without a main theme.

 

3. Keep learning.  This is the education piece.  To write on a variety of subjects, get familiar with them.  If real estate is a hot topic, learn what you can about it so that you can write intelligently.  People look for experts in a certain field. Why look for anyone besides the most knowledgeable? Set yourself up to be an expert.

 

4.  Choose a niche.  If you are going to be an expert, you need to have a field.  It is hard to concentrate on three or four different areas. Choose one and establish yourself there before moving on to another area.  Check out the content already in cyberspace before choosing your niche. An area that is already saturated may not be a good place to start unless you can add something new and unique.  It would be great if that niche was little explored by others. You’ll become a pioneer.

 

5.  Find a writing style.  Basically, find your voice.  Are you laid back, witty or serious?  Every writer has a voice – they just need to explore and develop it.  Some writers try to copy another’s style but that’s hard work. Your voice will flow naturally and feel comfortable when you write in it.

 

Are you a web content writer?  These five tips will help you to hone your skills and increase your value online.  The best writers are those who never stop learning.

What is a niche?

A niche is basically a sub-market within a larger market. By marketing to a niche group you ensure that your marketing message is specific to that group. And although that group may be smaller, your conversion rates (ie. sales) should be higher.

An example of a niche market within the weight loss market is “weight loss after pregnancy” or “weight loss for children.”

Now that you understand the basics of niche marketing, here are a few tips to help you with your research.

 

Magazines and books. Your local bookstore is a fantastic starting point to your niche research. Take a look at the new books on the shelves. This will give you many new ideas for markets and potential products.

An even better research tool is the magazine stand. Magazines are notoriously difficult to print and distribute. This means that if you see the same magazine running concurrently on the stands, you’re looking at a good possible niche market.

And when looking through magazines, take a specific look at the advertisers within the magazine. These are the people that are potentially making money within the niche. What types of products are they promoting? Do you see similar products throughout?

 

Amazon.com. The Amazon website is a great tool for helping you find niche markets without even having to leave your house. Take a specific look at the book and DVD section. Narrow your search by choosing “new products.” You’ll see an array of books and DVDs on a variety of topics.

Amazon specifically contains many small niche books which you may not find at your local book store. It’s another great starting point for your market research.

 

Ezinearticles.com. This is a huge site filled with articles on nearly every topic under the sun. You’ll see the main categories listed and then sub-categories within those. These are your niche markets and the ones to pay specific attention to.

Each article will contain a link to the author’s website in the bio line at the end of the article. When you read the articles, take a look at the different authors’ websites. By visiting these websites you’ll start to get an understanding of what the niche involves and what products are being presented to that target market.

Ezine Articles is a very good source of information and one every marketer should look at on a regular basis. It will help you stay up to date with all the latest trends and markets on the internet.

 

Entrepreneur.com. This is another great website for “bigger picture” marketing. Entrepreneur.com has many features on new business start-ups as well as information about marketing and business. Although it may not be the best place for niche market research, it certainly is a good source to get an overall feel for different markets.

Niche marketing is a great approach to internet marketing. Rather than going for a large pool of customers, you concentrate on a small amount and instead aim for higher conversion rates. This makes your overall marketing efforts easier and even more enjoyable.

 

The tips here will help you get started with your research. It’s recommended that you use several different approaches to your research. The more you can research a market before diving into it, the better.

When conducting any type of business, the use of proper etiquette and professionalism are paramount to keeping your customers happy and wanting to come back. Well, the same basic rules apply when it comes to your actions and reactions online.

Proper etiquette has been taught to us since childhood. Use your fork, not your fingers. Knock before entering a room. Say please and thank you. So why would it be any different when it comes to life online?

Your goal with social networking is to attract as well as keep your customers. In order to accomplish this, take a certain level of work in creating your online presence. You want to be seen with a positive eye, and not regarded as a bother or inconvenience to those around you.

When using a social networking medium, you don’t want to post just to be heard, or for the sake of your name showing up on everyone’s page three times a day. This will not leave people with a good impression of who you are and what you represent. Instead of plugging your site yet again, ask a question to receive feedback, or post a news story which may be interesting to your readers.

When people see your “handle” appear, they shouldn’t feel like they have to run to escape a barrage of debate. Be prepared to lose a battle, admit when you are wrong and allow others to have their personal views. You are more likely to gain respect by lowering your guard on a topic people know you are passionate about, instead of always fighting to have the last word.

The majority of your clientele probably doesn’t stem from your social network. When you are taking time to network, have some fun while turning off the “business button” for a while. Learn about what others have on their minds, what’s new and what’s not and where you possibly fit into the mix, without considering how it will help business. Consider it your virtual water cooler and relax for a few minutes.

Show your real self. Social networking channels aren’t the place for the creation of different personas. By writing in your own personal way, you won’t have the hassle of trying to remember which of your personas said what to whom. Not only will it become exhausting, but it could result in you making a persona mix-up. Should this happen, you could easily lose some of your clients, as well as lose any potentials who were lurking in wait for the perfect timing. If you have multiple projects, aiming at networking with different types of people for each one, just say so. Authenticity will help you gain the contacts you need, as well as those who are interested in what you could possibly have to offer them.

Social networking of any sort can be a very important tool when it comes to the business world connected to the internet. Learning to use it properly, as well as honestly, will result in a more positive experience for you, your current and your potential clients.

 

So, you’ve thought about your business, picked your niche, and now you’re ready to get started.  Before you start, do go your favourite search engine and enter your key terms in. Chances are, you’re going to find quite a few hits for your search.  These are all people you’re going to be competing with. The key to succeeding in your business is having a USP – a unique selling point. This is what sets you apart from all those other businesses.  It’s why your customers choose you over the other guys.

Sure, other things matter when it comes to getting business – marketing, service, prices, and a good dose of luck.  But a USP is that special kick that puts you above everyone else. Plus, if you have a great USP, you can base everything else around it.

 

So, you know the point of having a unique selling point, but that doesn’t make it any easier to come up with one.  It may take days or even weeks, but once you figure it out, it’ll be worth it.

When thinking up a USP, start with what you do best.  If you’re not really a people person, then great customer service probably shouldn’t be the basis or your USP.  While it doesn’t need to be based solely around your strengths, you’ll only benefit if it is.

Perhaps a bigger issue to consider when coming up with your USP is what your customers need.  Providing a special service is great, but not if there are already many other companies that provide similar services (hence the “unique”).  It’s also not going to be helpful if no one really wants or needs the special service you offer.

 

Many people can get frustrated coming up with a special touch to promote their business.  Just remember that it doesn’t need to be crazy or elaborate. It can be simple, almost obvious – it just has to be different.

If you’re having trouble, just take a turn being a customer for a competitive business.  After trying it out, decide what’s good about their business and what needs improvement. Now focus on what needs fixing and promote yourself by being able to do what they can’t.  You see it all the time on commercials when companies say they’re “softer than the leading brand” or “tastes the same with less sugar”. Stand out by making their flaws your USP.

 

A USP is a great way to reel in customers and keep them around, but there’s no way to reel them in if you can’t get a bite.  You need a marketing campaign based around your USP. Don’t just use it as a line at the end of your commercial or at the bottom of your sales letter, find a unique advertising campaign based around your specific USP.  That way, your advertisements will not only get your name out there, they’ll also let people know exactly why they should choose you over the other guys.

To run a successful business, whether it’s traditional or online, it helps to keep up with current technology.  More importantly, learning to use the latest technologies to your advantage. One great tool that savvy business owners are using to promote themselves is social networking.

 

Social networks are websites that let people join, find their friends, and share information with each other.  Most people use these sites to find friends they haven’t seen since high school or stay updated on what their friends are doing in real time.  Most people have heard of popular social networking sites like MySpace, Facebook, and Twitter, but there are many others out there that are much smaller, but perhaps more useful.

 

LinkedIn is a site that is smaller, but gaining popularity.  The beauty of it is that it’s geared specifically for business networking, rather than simply networking with family, friends, and people you haven’t seen in years.  This is a great place to get started networking. If you decide you want to branch out to other sites, there’s nothing stopping you from joining later.

 

It’s easy.  When the first social networking sites started, only very few people used them.  However, they’ve gained popularity because anyone can use them. While they include more advanced options for the technically savvy user, pretty much anyone can get down the basic idea of these sites with very little time and training.

 

Everyone’s doing it.  Because they are so easy to use, everyone is using these sites.  And they’re talking about them to. It’s hard to turn on the radio or TV without someone directing you to their MySpace page or talking about the latest post on one of these sites.  Instead of going through all the work of gathering emails and contact info to develop your own network, you can market through ones that are already there.

 

So, social networks are obviously a great way to connect with business partners and customers you already have, but how can you use them to expand your business?  Easy – once you develop a network of people with similar business interests, you can post things to everyone on your network. Not only will they pass it on if they are interested, but their contacts will see it on their page and will look at it too without your contact having to do anything.  Pretty soon, your content and marketing materials are spreading through the Internet like wildfire.

 

An important thing to consider when venturing into social networking sites is not to spread yourself too thin.  If can be tempting to use every single networking site in order to reach every single potential customer, but if you’re using so many outlets, you’re going to use up a lot of extra time and resources to reach just a few more people.  A more intelligent plan is to focus all your resources on one or two sites. That way you can launch a targeted campaign that will probably give you better results.

Twitter is fast becoming one of the most popular and quick tools available to help focus on strategy and promotion online. With a maximum number of 140 words, you don’t need to spend a lot of time writing updates about your business in a lengthy blog post. By taking the time to learn this easy concept, you are well on your way to having a loyal group of followers who are anxious to know what’s next in line for your business.

You can use Twitter to draw people to your blog. Tweeting is what Twitter posts are referred as, and you could easily set yours to inform viewers of new content on your blog. One way this can be accomplished is a simple message such as “Come see what’s new! www. Your blog address .com”

By planning your tweets ahead of time, as a series of short and well-phrased mini-blog posts, they can assist you in keeping your followers loyal to you.

 

Here are some other ideas you might try:

Keep your tweets coming on a consistent basis. Each of your tweets is like a beacon or headline to new information. Your audience will be happy to know they aren’t missing anything, and will gladly click through to your blog to keep up with your news.

 

Tweet only a major point from your blog, such as the title. This will oblige people interested in finding out more to head to your website. This is precisely where you want them to go.

 

Consider all areas of your business when thinking about your tweet. Such comments as how things work, why you do them and when you offer certain things are just the type of information your followers are looking to hear about.

 

Instead of posting statements, you could try asking your followers for their input on what they would like to see on your blog or website. By getting their input it will be easier for you to keep your audience happy when you are able to cover the topics they have been waiting for.

 

Tweet at least once daily. Once you get Twitter working for you and your business, you can easily see what comments are being made about the comings and goings from people visiting your website. It can help you make changes when necessary, as well as covering customer service if need be. By having your staff on Twitter as well, if a pressing issue arises they can be on top of it right away too.

Whether you own a web-based business or a ‘brick and mortar’ store, email marketing is something to consider. Communication with your existing or prospective clientele is paramount in the business world. In case you have any doubts about how this can benefit your business, here are five reasons why email marketing is a positive choice for your business needs.

1. Inexpensive: Email marketing is the least expensive marketing tool you will find. Many email marketers choose to use programs such as Aweber or ConstantContact. If neither of those meets your needs, you can do a search on your favourite search engine to find one that would work for you.

 

2. Quick: It takes a simple matter of minutes to get as much information about your contacts, as it does to send information to them with email marketing. You want to ensure you never let an opportunity to ask for a client or potential client’s contact information so you can contact them again for promotions or new items. The worst they can say is no, but there is an equal chance they could say yes. If at first, you don’t succeed, try try again!

 

3. Higher return on your investment: By using what is known as a double opt-in method on your website or blog, you are able to collect subscribers to your mailing list. These people will have been to your site and are already aware of what you have to offer. You will, therefore, be narrowing your targeted group. These people are more inclined to purchase from you again because they know you already. This results in perfect opportunities for you to offer pre-release sales on new products and/or services to your existing customer’s list. As they have dealt with you in some capacity in the past, they are likely to do business with you again.

 

4. Increasing sales with personalized email: Building a mailing list for your online business is a simple yet effective way you can increase your sales. This is where collecting information about your current or potential customers comes in handy. The key is to have them accept further email marketing messages from you in the future when you have something new to offer or a special in the pipeline. With the collection of subscribers’ names during the sign-up process or following a purchase, many email sender programs will insert these names into a mass email. Your e-mail message will start out addressing each customer personally, like “Hello [insert name]”, and will arrive to each recipient personalized with their own name.

 

5. Increasing traffic to your website is another way you can achieve a higher sales level. Targeted email campaigns such as newsletters or sales announcements with a link to your website have approximately a 30 to 50% chance of obtaining a new customer, a sale or both. By using words and formats which will attract the attention of your readers without going to extremes, you are more likely to keep people reading through the whole email.

 

Whether your need is to send certain information to only part of your list, or track responses on a certain product or service, email marketing is a great tool for your business. This opportunity is a powerful way to bring your business up a notch without breaking the bank or using up valuable time needed on other aspects of your business.

The words viral marketing can sound a little disturbing, but it’s an unfortunate name for an extremely profitable marketing scheme.  Whether it’s referring to people or computers, the word virus has never really been a good term. It’s something associated with destruction and death, but that’s not what viral marketing is about.  If used properly, viral marketing can be a valuable asset.

The basic concept of viral marketing is that you start small, but employ others to help you spread your product or ideas.  Think about someone getting a virus – at first, only that person gets sick, but they also spread it to three of their friends.  Then each of those friends spreads it to three more people. Eventually, a large percentage of the population has been infected with the same virus.

 

Now, imagine that the virus is your advertisement or product.  You start by adding a few customers, then eventually, everyone has been exposed to your message.  Viral marketing is just a method of not only sending someone information about your product but also giving them the incentive to pass on your materials to others that they know.  Assuming each person it reaches passes it on to more than one person, the number of people who hear about your products and services will grow exponentially and reach thousands upon thousands of people.  Even if just a small percentage of the people you reach end up becoming your customers, you still have the potential to make a large profit.

To have a successful viral marketing campaign you need to have a good product, a good copy, but most importantly, a good incentive to pass the copy or product on to others.  So what exactly makes a good incentive program for viral marketing? While all incentives are different, most of them have one thing in common – they’re free. Whether it’s a free service, a free product, a free newsletter, or even a free ringtone, free brings people in.

 

Before picking an incentive, you need to make sure it’s something you can afford based on your product and potential income.  There’s always the chance that if you have a great incentive, your message will get passed on, but you still don’t have good sales numbers.  But assuming average sales, you should still be able to make a profit from your campaign, deducting the cost of the incentives.

A good viral marketing campaign not only has good incentives, but it also makes it very easy to pass the information from person to person.  It may be a button added to your website or social networking page; it has to be something easy, fast and virtually effortless. The easier it is to pass the idea on, the better it’s going to work.  It works even better if it uses the resources of others instead of your own.

 

If you’re looking to expand your business exponentially like viral marketing campaigns can be sure you can handle the amount of business you’ll be getting if your campaign works.  Having thousands of people use your product or come to your website isn’t much of a help if your website crashes or you can’t properly distribute your product. If you are going to market virally, get ready ahead of time for a rush of business.

Viral marketing may sound a bit like a “get rich quick” scheme but it has proven it’s effectiveness over and over.  But it does require thought, planning, and sometimes a substantial investment.