Have you been wondering if blogging is really worth it?

Or how you can use a blog to grow a 6-figure small business?

Or why your current blog isn’t doing diddly-squat to grow
your business?

If so, then you’ve got to be on this months call when I
interview PR Guru Suzanne Falter-Barnes of GetKnownNow.com.
She’s going to answer all those questions and then some.

And this month you can listen in to the live call FOR FREE!!
http://www.success-stream.com/teleseminar-11.htm

Most people don’t know that 79% of all major media find their resources and get their story ideas right off the internet!  If you can learn how to blog (it’s easy!) then you can learn how to make yourself a top expert and catapult your business into the stratosphere.

Suzanne specializes in helping people use blogs to build online
brands that the media—and your prospects—can’t resist.

Suzanne’s clients regularly launch blog-based business that hit 6-figures in less than a year!!

I’ve seen it happen firsthand…

You see, I first learned about Suzanne through PR Diva Nancy Juetten. After joining Suzanne’s Extraordinary Business Builder’s Club (EBB), Nancy clarified her brand.

Instead of generic Nancy S Juetten Marketing, a PR firm, she became Main Street Media Savvy, a company dedicated to helping small businesses “Get Seen, Heard and Celebrated in their Own Backyard and Beyond”.

New brand in hand, she launched her blog-site. Since then Nancy’s business revenues have taken a huge leap…She’s branched out into selling a toolkit…is doing a series of sold-out speaking engagements…And much, much more!

You can hear more about this straight from Nancy, as she shares her own personal blog building experience on this audio:
http://www.mainstreetmediasavvy.com/if-you-missed-my-talk-about-blogging-here-is-the-free-audio-file-offering-nitty-gritty-details-including-metrics-and-dollars

Needless to say, after watching her transformation, I had to find out what Suzanne was all about. I’ve now been reading her newsletter for a couple years. And when I got the chance to help Suzanne run her EBB program, I jumped at it.

In the two months we’ve been working together I’ve been totally impressed with the information she delivers and the way it transforms people’s businesses. In fact, I’ve tweaked a few of my future plans to better follow her advice.

If you want to create the kind of Web presence the media—and your prospects—can’t resist, you MUST listen to what Suzanne has to say!

Go here now to register for the call and/or reserve a copy of the interview recording:
http://www.success-stream.com/teleseminar-11.htm

If you’ve got a blog, and it’s building your business, share some of your tips by leaving a comment below.

Don’t have a blog yet? Share your fears or concerns by leaving a comment…

These days it seems like half of all small business owners have fully embraced social networking, and the other half are still trying to figure out if it’s even worth it. Okay, so that’s probably a gross generalization. And I’m sure there are some folks who are just dabbling. But you get my point.

I say this because until a little over a year ago I looked at social networking as just another time suck I didn’t really need. Now I’m a huge fan. And it’s not because I’m making millions converting my Facebook or Twitter friends into customers (though some of that is happening slowly).

Here’s what I like about social networking, and why I think it’s a worthwhile to grow your business:

1) Getting back links. Part of what increases your status in search engine results are back links from other sites. Your social networking profile and other activities on social networking sites create valuable links back to your own Website.

2) Meeting new people. I’ve made valuable connections with other folks all over the country that I never would’ve met any other way. This has resulted in me interviewing other folks on my teleseminar series, and vice-versa. I’ve also hired an AdWords manager I met on Biznik. Too cool!

3) Showing off your expertise. Most social networking have either (or both) Q & A forums where anyone can post a question or respond, or places to post your own articles. I do both and have found these to be terrific ways to get new people on to my email list and into my community.

4) Connecting with people you already know. Okay, so this one is as much a personal benefit as a professional one. But it sure is nice to have a place to keep up with the lives of folks you know. And Facebook in particular is an amazing place to reconnect with old friends and classmates.

So, to my mind the question of whether or not social networking is a worthwhile to market your small business really boils down to your expectations. If you expect to hop on Twitter or Facebook and double your business in a month, you’re probably not going to be happy.

However, if you look at it as a way to increase your online visibility and show off your expertise while building a community of like-minded folks, you’re in luck. The best way to get started is to find 2-3 networks that interest you and set up your profiles (you can just copy and paste the same info into each).

Then plan to hop on each one a couple times a week and join in the fun. The more you participate the more rewarding it will be.

What are your thoughts on social networking as a tool for marketing your small business? Are you pro or con?

Do you have any tips for getting the most out of your social networks?

If so, please do share by leaving a comment below!

[tags] Social Networking, Marketing, Small Business, Facebook, Twitter, Biznik [/tags]

Thanks to the internet, things are changing fast. Frankly, it’s a whole different world online. From blog sites, to podcasting and even videos on YouTube. Yet all too often small business owners waste tons of cash trying to do everything the old school way, or to old school or print world standards.

That just ain’t how it works anymore. The Web is all about killer, highly targeted content that’s easy to find and understand. Make it fun, unique or funny and it’s even better. Thanks to the Web marketing has come a long way from producing beautiful, glossy 4-fold brochures, or spending thousands to get a video made in a hi-tech studio.

All you have to do is take a tour of the most popular YouTube videos to discover they are far from traditional video quality. And that’s a good thing…Because if they were really high quality they would be so large the video would never load, or it would lock up your Web browser. Arrgh!! And, because it means anyone can create and post a video in a heartbeat or three.

I bought a Flip video camera last year that’s made it ridiculously easy for me to record, format and post videos whenever the muse strikes.

The same holds true with online audio as well. It’s not about having a high-quality studio version, it’s about getting great content out there. As long as the listener can hear what you’re saying clearly you’re all set. A free account at http://www.utterli.com will get you started podcasting with nothing more techie than your phone.

Even the book world has changed thanks to the power of the Web. Nowadays, if you want to publish a book you don’t have to spend thousands on a print run, or years looking for a reputable publisher to represent you.

Instead you can have a book printed on demand (POD) for a very reasonable per book cost and little or no upfront fees. My current favorite is http://www.Vervante.com. Then you can even link your shopping cart directly to your POD publisher so every time someone places an order they print a copy and mail it. Good for you, your customers, and the environment.

Heck, before you even get to the book stage you can get your wisdom out into the world with a low-cost e-book. You don’t even need to hire to a traditional book cover designer or layout person to get your ebook ready for sale. In fact, you’ll spend a small fortune if you do.

Instead I like to use www.killercovers.com for my covers. And they can even turn your e-book cover into a print book cover for a very reasonable fee. Then I turn it all into a PDF using the free software from http://www.PrimoPDF.com

Bottom line? You can, and should, be doing all these things and more to market your business on the Web. And it really couldn’t be easier—once you let go of dated notions as to how you need to get it done.

What other tools or Website have you found that let you market your business cheaper and easier?

Please share by leaving a comment below…

[tags] Small Business Marketing, Web, Print on Demand, Online, Video, Audio, Podcasts, Books, ebooks, e-books [/tags]

[tags] Stacy Karacostas, Alex Mandossian, small business teleseminar, marketing tip [/tags]