asked:




Nathanial

Angela Booth asked:




Setting goals is challenging for many people because they’ve had more experience at failing to achieve a goal, than they have of successful achievement. Therefore, if the idea of setting goals makes you wince, relax and read on. You’ll discover a new way of setting goals which will inspire you.

=> Set little goals at first: start small

Set small goals. Small goals are achievable, and they’re not intimidating. Setting small goals, and achieving them, gives you confidence. Each day you will improve your writing skills, and you will learn more about how to market.

Setting small goals applies whether you’re a beginner, or a pro.

1. Your first goal: Market — RIGHT NOW

Aim to market every day. Your marketing effort for the day may be simple: you may send a stay-in-touch email message to a client you haven’t spoken to for a month.

Maybe you spot a new potential market, and you send them a quick note, telling them something about your business, yourself, and your current clients.

If you’re just starting out, please don’t let this faze you. Play up your beginner’s status. People will help you if you give them the chance.

I fit my marketing in around whatever else I’m doing. I take my handheld computer with me when I’m out and about. If I’m stuck waiting in line at the Post Office, I spend the time downloading my email, and dashing off a quick note to a client I haven’t contacted this past month.

If I’m at the library, I browse through the business directories in the Reference section. This takes less than five minutes, and I always come away with at least five new agencies, or five new businesses to contact.

If you make marketing part of your everyday life, it doesn’t seem like such a chore. Nor do you get hung up on whether people respond to a email message, or a message you’ve left on their voice mail. People often don’t respond, unless they have work for you immediately.

Here’s a funny/ tragic story. I was communicating with a prospective copywriting client, who owned a gardening center, in Perth, which is 5000 miles away, on the other side of Australia. I’d been chatting to and fro with him via email for about a year. He had plans to revamp the copy on his Web site, send out some news releases, and much more. Finally he sent me an email to tell me that he was going out of business. He couldn’t pay his staff or his suppliers. He’d been hoping his business would turn the corner, but it hadn’t.

Although I didn’t do any writing for him, I did form a relationship with him. This is the kind of relationship you need to form with as many potential clients as you can. Even if your prospect has no work for you right away, stay in touch. Contact them every month or two. Be interested in them and their business.

When they need whatever it is that you do, you’ll be the person they call. You’ll also find that your prospects will pass on your contact details to others — so communicate, a little and often.

2. Your second goal: Get known — promote

Many business owners are “hit and run” marketers. This procedure won’t help you to build a business. You’re selling to people, and people buy from those whom they know and trust.

This means that to sell to a market, you first need to become known to a market. Yes, you can get extremely lucky, and may make a sale the first time you contact a particular market. You can’t count on it happening every day, and depending on luck is no way to build a business.

Send out a news release at least once a month. Get your name out there.

3. Your third goal: commit to your marketing campaign

Being committed to marketing means exactly that. It means that like Nike, you just do it.

I read a profile of Mary Kay Ash, the cosmetics queen. When she was starting her business, and for many years thereafter, she was always the last person to leave the office. Long after others had left, she’d been busy making just one more marketing phone call.

This is the spirit you need to aim for in your marketing efforts. Make just one more phone call. Send just one more email message. Every day.

Whatever your business, you won’t succeed unless you make it a habit to do some marketing every day. Start small, set tiny achievable marketing goals like those I’ve suggested. If you do that, your business will be a success.

Laura

Joel Christopher asked:




You may already have your ezine with you now. What next? The next thing to do is to inculcate it in as many ezine directories that is possible. This is one tool that will help you in your internet marketing business.

Ezine directories make or break your ezine. You have to be able to make best use of ezine directories if you want your ezines to be read, publicized and biring you the much needed income you are looking for. If you are able to make your ezine appear in as many ezine directories as possible, you will be able to find your ezines working well for you.

But you may be wondering what steps to take when it comes to dealing with ezine directories. Here are some steps that can serve as guide as you deal and work with ezine directories.

Step One: You choose your directories.



The first step in dealing with ezine directories is that you search which ezine directories are right for you. You must be able to check and deal with ezine directories that are really well-read by your target prospects. You must also find that ezine directory which has a category for what you do; so that you will be able to determine which pre-existing ezines related to that field are already there.

Step Two: You fill out a form for your chosen Ezine directory



The thing about ezine directories is that you are supposed to fill out a form before they link you up. You must be able to pass their standards. Remember, you are not the only one signing up your ezine in their directory, so it is really their option to follow through or discard your attempts to link with them.

There are various tips and tricks for you to be able to fill out a form for your ezine directory, but this is an entirely different topic that deserves its own space.

Step Three: Directories Screens Your Ezine



After you fill out and do the nitty-gritty work of answering numerous queries from your ezine directory of choice, the ezine directory now screens your ezine by means of reading it, and reading your answers to the forms they have provided. Now, their judgment will be based on how you answer their questions and if they view your ezine to be substantial.



Step Four: Directories Links Your Ezine



After you pass the ezine directory standard, it finally gets its own space and gets linked. The link of ezine directories links your ezine back to your site, providing some short description for your prospects and visitors of the ezine directory.



Step Five: Directories Lists Your Ezine with Other Ezines

You are definitely not the only one. Your ezine will be listed with several other ezines in the directory. Depending on their manner of arrangement, you will find that your ezine directory will really help bring traffic to your site by means of making your ezines available for their readers.

Christian