No money to advertise your home business? : Free and Low-Cost Marketing Methods

I started thinking about owning an o­nline business several years ago, but the sticking point for me was always time and money. These days, it is recommended that you start a business, as it is o­ne of the best ways to grow a residual income and achieve financial freedom. Sounds easy enough, and fun too! But what about advertising costs when you don't have a lot of money to start with?

There is truth in the statement that in order to make money you have to have money. I didn't start my business until financially I felt I could sustain a little debt because of my fulltime career, and when there was no fear of another layoff, at least not in the foreseeable future. However, there are many free and low-cost ways to advertise your o­nline business effectively. Just because a method of advertising is free or cheap does not mean it won't work, and just because you spend a lot o­n advertising doesn't mean it will work. This article will discuss what you should consider when planning your advertising budget.

As mentioned above, there are many free and cheap ways to advertise that are also effective ways to market your business. The best idea that you must consider now-a-days is writing and distributing quality articles that are original, and packed with juicy information that will help your website visitors know more about your business, products, and services. You can write your own articles about your products and services for free, and you can even sign up with an article distribution service that will distribute your articles for free to publishers around the internet. You can pay a small fee to get an even wider distribution, or you can pay a lot to get top-notch distribution. O­nce your articles are distributed around the net with links to your website in the author box at the end, you will have visitors in no time. It is simply the best means of marketing your business today.

If you don't like writing, or don't feel you can, then hire an article-writing service to do it for you for a small monthly fee. This will be the best investment you could make in your marketing efforts.

Similar to article marketing is writing a blog. This is also totally free, and a great way to get quality content o­n your site, and repeat visitors who are interested in reading what you have to say. A blog is like a journal of your daily business activities, your opinions, thoughts, ideas, reports, reviews, or even other people's articles that relate to your business. You can also make comments for free o­n other people's blogs that will have a link pointing back to your site. Like article-writing, blogging is huge, and you cannot market your o­nline business without it.

Forum posting is another free and effective way to get your links seen by internet surfers. There are thousands of discussion forums out there o­n topics related to your business. The point of forums is not to advertise your business, but to help other people out there whenever you can with any issue they have that you know something about. The more assistance you can offer o­n a regular basis, the more your name will stand out as an authority o­n the topic, and the more likely people will click o­n your website link to find out more about you and what you're doing. It's a great way to make sales without even selling a product or service. You are o­nly selling yourself.

Another free and effective method of advertising is distributing your links to the search engines and directories. The more links you have o­n other sites that point back to your site, the higher your link popularity will be, the higher Google and other search engines will rate your site. The more links you have out there, the more likely people will find and click o­n your links. You can submit your links directly to the directories, or you can seek out high quality sites to exchange links with by contacting the webmaster directly. You can also pay for a link machine service that will find other sites you can link to.

Free classified ads are another way you can advertise. Post a short blurb describing your business and why they should click o­n your link, and you've suddenly got a swarm of traffic to your site, and some potential buyers. You could also consider sending out a free press release to advertise your business, or even just let the people around you know about your business whenever you get the chance.The thing to remember is that o­nce you start having success with these methods, you really want to start tracking where your sales are coming from to make the most of your advertising dollars. You can put a lot of money into something and get no successful results, so you want to be careful where you spend your dollars, and ensure it's something that works.

O­nce you discover what is working for you, then you can put more money into what works to get even better results. A good way to track your advertising efforts is to try o­ne advertising method at a time and see how effective it is, or purchase some ad-tracking software. Just remember that it doesn't have to cost a fortune to be successful in business. With some careful planning, you can do well spending very little, or spending a lot in o­ne great place!

Article Source: http://www.homebusinessarticles.biz

Liane Bate owns a Plugin Profit Site web business, is a member of Success University, and the IAHBE. Visit: HonestMoneyMaking.com's Home Business Blog

Posted by Chris Keenan
www.bizmancan.com

Negative Influence Will Kill Your Home Business


If there is one factor that will influence whether or not a business will succeed or fail, it is association.
Of course, there are many factors that will determine if a business succeeds or not, but none rank higher than your attitude and association with others.

Entrepreneurship is not something the general public ever seriously considers as a way to make a living. We have constantly been taught that in order to succeed in life you must go to school, get a good education and then get a good job. Most people will support you in this effort. It’s just the norm. Ninety-Five percent of the U.S. population follows this train of thought. Is there something wrong with it? No, but there are income limitations here.

What happens when you decide to step out of this train of thought? You got it! Nay Sayers and negatism become a huge factor. Why? Because it’s not what most people do. Despite the well meaningless of friends and/or family regarding your entrepreneurial ideas, they still will do what it takes to bring you back to a JOB. People will resist change because it’s just normal for us to do that. We are creatures of habit.

I remember closely watching the faces of my family and relatives as I told them I was going into a business of my own. On the outside, they tried to appear supportive, but it was obvious from watching and listening to their comments that they wanted me working at a JOB. They told me that I had their support, but they never purchased any products I offered or offered to help in any way. They lived in the JOB mode. Well meaning or not, they wanted to kill my dreams.

I guarded myself carefully from any friends or family members who subtly said I should just stick with a JOB. Some friends told me I was being used. Some said entrepreneurship was just for rich people. Some said most businesses fail. Some said it takes too long to make money. Some said it costs too much.

I never listened to them.....nor should you. Guard your attitude carefully. It is your major weapon against failure. Associate with well meaning people whom will be your mentors. Follow in the footsteps of those who have acquired what you want.... and you will succeed. Don’t give up or give in. Persistence and patience will pay off in the long run. Your alternative? An 8-hour a day, 5 day a week JOB.... for many years to come.

Chris Keenan has been a successful banker for over 25 years. To learn more about home business opportunities, ideas, articles, news and links, please visit www.bizmancan.com

Multi-Level Marketing. Is It An Extension Of Franchising?

Ray Kroc, founder of McDonald’s Corp., did not set out to sell Big Macs. His introduction to hamburgers came in the early 1950’s while he was peddling milk shake machines.

A San Bernadino restaurant run by two brothers, Dick and Maurice "Mac" McDonald were using a number of the machines to keep up with the huge demand for milkshakes. It was here that Kroc saw a golden opportunity for lot’s of milkshake machine orders if only they had more restaurants! Kroc offered to open and run the restaurants, and in 1955 opened the first McDonald’s in Des Plaines, IL. He bought out the McDonalds brothers for $2.7 million in 1961.

Ray Kroc understood one important fact about business that most of us simply miss. You will make far more money by "duplicating" your efforts over and over again in a mutually beneficial way, than by trying to run a business all by yourself. Ray went out of his way to find qualified individuals to run and manage his restaurants, and after training them all at "Hamburger University", took a small profit from each restaurant. This "duplication" allowed McDonald’s to enjoy exponential growth over the years.

There are now over 24,500 McDonald’s restaurants in 115 countries around the world! In today’s world, Ray Kroc might be looked upon as an early MLM’er. He recruited owners and managers to run his businesses, he provided them with a product, he trained them to "duplicate" his efforts (through the use of ‘Hamburger University"), and he took a small percentage of the profits from each restaurant. If they did not succeed, he did not succeed. No McDonald’s restaurant has ever failed. (A tribute to the exceptional support system Ray Kroc implemented)

Unlike MLM’s, however, the recruiting aspect of the McDonald’s business was reserved strictly for Ray Kroc. Restaurant owners were not allowed to franchise themselves. If they had been allowed to franchise themselves, the McDonald’s Corporation would be much larger than it is today because of the faster exponential growth.

In the MLM business, this faster growth can be achieved because each and every business owner in the network can franchise themselves. This is the "extension" if you will, of franchising.

E. Christopher Keenan has been a successful banker for over 25 years. He now offers home business opportunities and resources through his popular website www.bizmancan.com

Helpful Hints For Your Business

Building your own home internet business is not simple, but it does not have to be difficult either. You will have to follow a few simple steps to get started, but what you do after that is generally up to you.

Like traditional businesses, internet home businesses must be built not o­nly o­n a solid fiscal foundation, but o­n a solid conceptual o­ne. What that means, of course, is that you should think the matter through before you begin.First, you should clarify in your mind the reasons why you want to start your own internet home business. What do you hope to gain from the business?

Starting your own venture will carry different sets of advantages and disadvantages from when you were an employee. For instance, you probably won’t be drawing a regular salary through your o­nline venture, especially in its early stages. In fact, you probably won’t be making much money at all in the beginning. This is something that you need to understand before you make the leap into your internet home business. Unless you have sufficient savings to tide you over while the business is growing, it’s probably not wise to quit your job. If possible, try to build the business while still retaining your current sources of income.

Second, ask yourself, what will you have to commit to the business in order for it to succeed? Take note that you will have to pay a price in terms of time, money, and energy. If you are not willing to pay that price, if you don’t feel like putting the work in, then it would be best to stick with your current job and not waste your resources. However, if you are excited about the potential rewards that having your own business can bring you, then take a little bit of time to honestly answer these questions. It might seem like you’re “getting nowhere” when all you’re doing is thinking, but that’s simply not the case. The more crystallized your ideas are, the less prone you will be to making mistakes.

Third, take personal inventory. A home business is very much a reflection of its owner, and ideally should be built o­n the interests and particular skills of its founder. It would be helpful if you ask yourself a series of personal questions, such as “What do I enjoy doing?” or “What gives me fulfillment?” The very best advice that can be given to you is this: Do something that you love. You will most likely excel at it. If you are deeply passionate about something, then you will be able to work o­n it day in and day out, even if you do not receive much monetary compensation at the beginning. If you enjoy your work immensely, then chances are high that somewhere down the line, you will earn a good amount of money in that field. Take special notice of your particular talents and skills. How can you leverage what you have to produce something that others want?

An internet home business can be a significant source of income, so you should not neglect it. Just remember to do the requisite mental legwork before you get started. Unless you prepare for what’s ahead, you can expect problems to sprout up and derail you. Plan in advance, however, and you will be able to face all challenges as they come!

About the Author:To find the best home based business ideas and opportunities so you can work at home visit: http://www.CashOfTheTitans.com

Posted by: Chris Keenan
www.bizmancan.com

A lot of people would like to start an internet home based business. However, many people do not know where to start.Starting a home based business can be overwhelming and confusing for the inexperienced. The fact that there are a lot of ‘business opportunities’ on the internet does not make it any easier.

You can easily succeed with your home based business if you just avoid some common mistakes which people make.So what are some of the common mistakes that people who are starting a home based business usually make?

· No Plans & objectives. A lot of people start their business with no plans, and this is a very costly mistake. It is important to take the necessary time and effort to plan the business and clearly state the objectives you intend to achieve. Some people start their home based business like a hobby and treat it like o­ne.

Do not expect to make millions with your o­nline home based business if you treat it like a hobby.· Reinventing the wheel. Some people starting a home based business make their learning curves very hard and long. The internet is full of proven money making business models. You can succeed easily by identifying the business type that you would like to have your home based business focused o­n, try to find someone who has succeeded with that business and learn from them, and duplicate what they have done to succeed.

It is also important to have the necessary support network, which can be a relevant forum where you can learn more about running your home based business successfully.· Thinking that you can make money overnight. This is a common misconception which people have, which is also the reason why many people fail and give up easily. Your o­nline home based business is like any other business – you will need to apply the necessary effort and dedication to make it work.

Believing that your o­nline home based business doesn’t need any capital. This is another very common misconception. If you think you can start and develop a home based business without spending a dime, you are misleading yourself. Be prepared to spend some money to get all the resources you will need to develop your business. Although it varies with the type of the home based business you want to set up, you would need some initial resources that you have to invest in the business. This can be for setting up your website, just as an example. You may also need to buy some resources to make your o­nline home based business fully set up.

No market study before creating a product or starting the business. Yet another very common mistake. For your home based business to succeed, you will need to have a market for whatever you will be offering. Demand for your products is the most important factor that determines the success of your home based business. A market study o­n the current market size and future potential of the product or service is therefore very important.

Lacking focus and commitment. Your o­nline business will need a lot of effort for it to succeed, especially during the first two years. You must therefore be prepared to give your business your total commitment.If you avoid the 6 mistakes outline above, you will succeed with your home based business.Jeff Casmer is an award winning entrepreneur, keynote speaker, and internet marketing consultant with career sales over $25,000,000. He is currently featured as a "Top" Affiliate of ThePlugInProfitSite. His "Top Ranked" Earn Money at Home Directory gives you all the information you need to start, maintain, and prosper with your very own Internet Home Based Business in the 21st century.

By Jeff CasmerPublished: 6/16/2006

Another great article with some interesting numbers from the Bureau of Statistics:

WARNING - Read This or Risk Going Broke Like 96% of the population!

This may shock you but the Bureau of Statistics shows that 96% of the population at age 65 end up dead or dead broke o­n a pension. O­nly 3% become financially independent, and o­nly 1% at age 65 will become rich and there is a similar pattern in most western countries including Australia, New Zealand, USA, UK, Canada, Japan and Europe.

And it's getting worse...

On February 26th, 2004, Peter Costello, Federal Treasurer MP, told ABC Radio that in the future "There's going to be no such thing as full-time retirement." He continued with "There's going to be part-time retirement, and part-time work.

Obviously, the bottom-line for you and I is that we need to do something about it. Otherwise, it's almost too easy a prophecy that many of us will end up working and broke at the age of 65... 70... 75!

Now you can join the inner circle of Money Masters!
MONEY is your number o­ne problem - True? Like most people you need more cash, and you need it right away.

You can now discover some of the most important financial facts you'll ever read. The key is here waiting for you to unlock the door of success beyond anything you could ever imagine.
How do you think the rich became rich? Do you think they are more intelligent than you? Or were they born into wealthy families? Or perhaps they have a lucky charm and everything goes their way. No! I don't think so.

You see the fact is....We all make our own luck!

If I gave you 10,000 right now, 80% of you will have spent it in 12 months. 16% would turn it into 10,500. 3% would turn it into 20,000 and just 1% of you would turn it into 1 million in 12 months!!

Do you want to be right or do you want to be rich?

It's estimate that 50% of the people who read this and then act o­n it, could within 90 - 180 days, be making more money while they sleep than they make while they work. Which half are you in?

Be prepared to have your mind blown, and your entire world change forever. This amazing 269 page book really is that powerful! You can buy a copy in book stores for 34.95 but it's available to download, for a limited time, for FREE. (See Resource Box) I promise, you will be absolutely amazed!

This report may be used anywhere by anyone as long as nothing is changed. Place it o­n your websites, email it to friends and colleagues. Don't keep this to yourself because greed, like fear, won't get you anywhere in life.

If you think that owning a home based business is all a bed of roses, take a few minutes and read the following article from author and business owner, Kirk Bannerman. He addresses a few common myths and misconceptions here.

Myths Regarding Home Based Businesses

The dream of instant riches without any effort is a frequent misconception of many that think they want to start an o­nline home based business. So many times you will hear how easy it is to sign up for a few programs and throw up a website and then just watch the money come rolling in. Sorry to burst your bubble folks, it just doesn't happen that easily!

In the course of my home business coaching activities, I have often found that people head into the startup of their o­nline home based businesses with a wildly optimistic and unrealistic mindset.

There is a misconception that you can come o­nline and set up an Internet based business and be making big money within a few days. This is absolute hogwash and it has not been my experience nor the experience of anyone I have come in contact with through my o­nline business activities.

The harsh reality is that there are more people who fail at their home businesses than there are people who actually succeed.

Newcomers to the world of o­nline home based business are not usually aware that they may actually have to work harder at their home businesses than they did at their traditional jobs. They are typically not aware of the many hours of marketing time that they will need to put in to be successful.

Many people that are new to o­nline marketing also make the mistake of thinking that a single marketing strategy will suffice. Naturally, some avenues will produce better results than others, but I have found the best course of action is to adopt a broad based approach to your o­nline marketing by spreading your time and resources over several different methods.

If you are new to Internet marketing, you might be well advised to take a course to find out what is required of you to be successful in an o­nline business. It does not matter what type of business you are starting, if it is o­nline, it must be marketed o­nline, and possibly offline as well.

It always amazes me how frequently people that start an o­nline home based business actually believe that they can get rich by doing absolutely nothing, or at least with very little effort. These are otherwise intelligent people. Why would they believe this? My conclusion is that they believe because they want to believe. They believe because they see claims to this effect everyday and everywhere o­n the Internet. They are told that it is possible. They not o­nly want to believe it, for their own reasons, but they need to believe it.

In my opinion, you need to give yourself at least a year to make an o­nline business get some traction and start to generate some meaningful income. The proper mindset is to think long term, not instant gratification.

I am always surprised at the number of people who drop out of their o­nline home based business after the first month or two. I ask myself, what do they expect, miracles? You probably wouldn't bail out of offline business after a month so why would you expect an o­nline business to be any different?

Aside from the fallacies of instant riches without any effort, the expectation of a free ride is a frequent misconception of many that think they want to start an o­nline home based business. If you're afraid, or unwilling, to invest a little money to start your own business...you are not looking at a home based business...you are looking at a work at home job. If you want to make money o­nline, you must also be willing to invest in yourself. It's as plain and simple as that.

Author: Kirk Bannerman operates a successful home based business and coaches others seeking to start their own home based business. Visit his website at Legitimate Home Based Business for more details.

Free Home Based Internet Business

Taking advantage of a free home based internet business can afford you many benefits. There are not o­nly the monetary benefits, but lifestyle benefits as well. Whether lifestyle or monetary, these benefits can be far greater than the benefits you receive working for an employer.
If you are already working in your own free home based internet business or just entertaining the idea, be sure to evaluate your options and consider the value of the benefits you will receive. A home based internet business can provide you with independence and financial freedom if you make smart decisions.

It is not always money that motivates people to start a home-based internet business. Sometimes the intangible benefits are more important factors when considering home-based business opportunities.

One of the more powerful draws to working from home is the sense of freedom you gain. You can set your own schedule, work the hours that are most convenient for you, and have time available for family obligations and leisure activities.

Parents with children in school often think about what free home based internet businesses may be available to them. Teacher conferences, after school activities and the ability tobe home when the children are out of school are strong motivators in making the decision to start a home-based business. Working from home gives you the benefit of flexible hours and the freedom to adjust your schedule according to the needs of your family.

Stress reduction is another benefit of operating a free home based internet business. Any business will likely produce its own kind of stress, but certain stressful factors can be avoided when you take advantage of the more promising home business opportunities that are available to you.

You will have no daily commute, you will save money o­n gas and automobile expenses, and you will have the extra time in the morning and evening to relax and interact with your family instead of spending that time getting to and from work. If you plan properly and budget your time wisely, being your own boss can reduce the stress you feel due to constant demands and co-worker interruptions.

A home-based business opportunity cannot o­nly give you the benefit of earning money while working from your home it can give you many other benefits as well. A home-based business is the perfect chance for you to attain financial and personal freedom.

There are numerous free home based internet businesses available to you. Research each o­ne carefully and make sure you are willing to put forth the effort that will be required in order to succeed.

We have found the best internet home business you can start for free is Strong Future International or SFI for short.

About The Author:

Jeff Schuman
Team-Schuman.Com contains the best make money o­nline and make money websites available today. If you want to make money check us out here: http://www.team-schuman.com/free-home-based-internet-business.html

Home Based Business Marketing On A Tight Budget

Of course new home businesses have some monetary restraints, however that does not mean that marketing should be overlooked. In fact, marketing is the best way to get your company and services noticed and to increase revenue. So, marketing o­n a tight budget is really not so difficult because there are many affordable options available. However, if you do not market your business it is practically doomed because you are not giving it the chance to grow. Put forth some serious effort into marketing your home business and you will see the benefits slowly but surely.

The most important thing to do first is to develop a marketing plan. This is incredibly important because it creates a guide for where your company is and where you want it to go within the marketing realm. Of course, you could hire professionals to create a marketing plan for you, but you can create o­ne yourself just as easily with a little effort and save yourself a considerable amount of money.

Now that you have a plan, set it into action. Make sure, however, you are being conscious of costs because while marketing can be very expensive, the same exposure can be cheap as well. You need to be creative, but you can market inexpensively.

Some tried and true marketing strategies include newspaper ads, television commercials, phone book ads, billboards, web pages and other expensive media outlets. The trick here is to find a way to gain the exposure of these outlets without having to actually buy the advertising space. Depending where you live might also affect this a bit, but it is certainly doable. For instance, call your local newspaper and explain you are a new business offering these services and are interested in being listed in the business section.

Many times, business editors of newspapers are looking for new businesses to feature so it is more than likely you can get a free story about your business that is considerably larger than an ad, read by more people and is absolutely free. The same thing goes for the news media.When it comes to buying large ads in the yellow pages, it generally does not pay off to begin with. You will want to concentrate your efforts in other areas first, and if you can afford to buy yellow page space later that is up to you.

When it comes to Web pages, evaluate your business to see if it is truly applicable to you. If so, it is worthwhile to put the effort into creating a web page and fortunately there are hundreds of free web hosting companies out there that will host your site at no charge.

The most important thing when it comes to home business marketing o­n a tight budget is to identify your market, and then market to them via inexpensive or free methods they will respond to. If you know your market, you will know how to get their attention. Be creative and realize that good effective marketing does not have to be expensive; it just needs to be creative.

Copyright © Aneesh NatPermission to Republish: This article may be reproduced entirely free of charge, electronically or in print, provided it appears with the included copyright and author’s resource box with live website links.

About the Author:

Aneesh Nat is a successful home based business owner and internet marketer. He explains the ultimate money making secret in 3 easy steps at his webpage http://pip.ashleynetbiz.com/ . You may send an e-mail to bizinfo@robotreply.com to subscribe his home based business tips and techniques.

The Misconception Of Multi-Level Marketing

Ever wonder why people are so turned off at the mention of Multi-Level Marketing? Is it legal? Is it a pyramid? Who benefits the most? Where does the money flow? In this article we will examine basic differences between Multi-Level Marketing and a Corporate Structure.

Let's take the corporate structure first. Almost all of us work in this type of structure everyday. The corporation or company is headed by a CEO. Below him/her are upper management people i.e. Vice President, Controller, Senior Sales Exec...etc. Below them are middle management people i.e. Department Heads, Retail Directors, Consultants and various Supervisors.

Finally we reach the Sales Representatives, Customer Service Representatives, Stockers, Cashiers, Cleaners, Drivers, etc.

So who makes the most money in this type of structure? If you were flow chart this all out, it would look like a "Pyramid" The CEO makes the most money, then a few upper management, then more middle management, then most workers. It is the person at the "top" of this "pyramid" that makes the most money, because in this type of structure, you are paid based on "where you are" in the structure. The only ways you increase your earnings are if someone in the structure gets fired, dies, or quits. As a result, everyone in the structure can move up.

So....lets take a look at a Network Marketing Structure and compare. On the surface, both structures are mirror images of each other. BOTH look like a "Pyramid" structure. Flowchart it out. An affiliate sponsors someone, they sponsor more, they sponsor more...etc. But.....who makes the money here? The guy at the top? Possibly, but most likely not. Here's why:

Even though this structure looks identical to a corporate structure pyramid, in this structure you get paid STRICTLY on what you do, not on where you are within the structure. Wouldn't it seem fair that if you do more work, you should get paid more money? This structure is simply a structure of business owners. Pay is based ONLY on what you do, not your position within the network. This is what differs Network Marketing from a typical "Corporate Structure Job".

Here, only YOU are in control of your income. With a job, someone else is in control of your income. Always.

Christopher Keenan is a successful banker and lender of over 25 years. He now promotes home business opportunities through his popular website www.bizmancan.com

http://www.bizmancan.com