you may have a successful small business idea

you surely know a small idea can lead to a great business success. The first movement is to think of an idea that would be suitable for the business market .

Online Stock Trading

mong the many revolutionary changes brought about by the advent of the Internet is online stock trading. Once the exclusive preserve of the rich and the wealthy, the stock market has now become a place where even the common man can play a part. Investors today can use Internet client-server technology to trade stocks anywhere, anytime they like. Just a couple of mouse clicks and the client is through with a thousand-dollar transaction!

There are several ways in which one can participate in online stock trading. One can use an online broker, or do it himself. 

There are two types of online brokers: discount and full-service. The former are licensed individuals who have direct access to the share market. They neither give you advice nor research the best options. They just order the stocks you want at a discounted price. They earn no commission but make money by selling mass amounts of stock. 

In comparison, a full-service broker offers many more stocks. They act as your personal agent in all share-related activities, such as advice in buying shares, creating a safe investment portfolio, and offering investment advice. Commissions being their main source of revenue, they work hard to satisfy you. So they do a lot of research on the best stocks and investments for you, and hope you will stay with them. 

As stock trading is a complex thing, you should do your homework before taking the plunge online. Take into account how frequently you trade, what other services might interest you, how reliable the trading system is, whether it is difficult to log on when the market is active, and other variables. As hunch or intuition may turn out to be misleading, try to be conversant with the market's state-of-the-art trading techniques and strategies. Try to read the quarterly or annual reports of the companies to know what they are doing with your money. When in doubt, ask your stockbroker. 

Why Your Web Designer Should Know About Web Marketing

Many excellent web designers know next to nothing of web marketing, and this can be a big problem. Marketing a site in search engines requires that the site be designed in a search engine compatible format. Many beautiful sites do not fare well in search engines at all simply because of the way they have been designed. Here are some things web designers should know about web marketing.

Load Times

Beautiful sites with lots of graphics may look awesome, but are often so slow to download that web visitors, particularly on dial-up connections, will simply go elsewhere before the site even finishes downloading. Some search engines also may penalize sites for being to slow.

File Names

When designing a site, all of the file names of the site should be representative of what's on each page. File names like page_1.html are not helpful in conveying what is on the page. Search engines look for sites that are relevant and that are clear about the information being provided. Descriptive, yet short names, like web_marketing_design.php tell not only search engines spiders what's on a page, but humans as well.

URLs

Similar to file names, URLs should be created in formats that that are meaningful to humans and search engines. Often URLs are a combination of domain names, directory names and file names. All of these elements should be descriptive of what's on the site, the directory and the page respectively.

Also, many shopping cart use URLs such as http://www.somesite.com/store/index.php?pid=2786247642. Looking at this URL, neither search engine nor human can determine the contents of the page. http://www.somesite.com/store/widgets.php?product=sky_hook_widgets is much better. It seems most major search engines will now index pages with question marks in the URL, yet this may still hinder some smaller search engines. Shopping carts that do not use question marks in the URL are available and make for cleaner looking URLs that are easier to remember, such as http://www.somedomain.com/store/sky_widgets.

Alt Tags

Alt tags are displayed when graphics have been turned off. A surfer may turn off graphics to get better Internet speed or may rely on alt tags because of physical impairment. This is probably why search engines still seem to weigh alt tags into their search ranking algorithms. Many web designers leave alt tags blank, when in fact they could be populated with keyword laden and accurate descriptions of the images

Usability

There are certain elements that users of the web have come to expect of the sites they encounter. Examples would be Home and Contact buttons. Have you ever been to a web site and found yourself digging for the Home or especially the Contact button? I don't know about you, but I find this quite annoying. Ahh… What a breathe of fresh air to go to a web site and find the menu in the same location on every page and have the first button be Home and the last button Contact. Mmmm, I get warm just thinking about it. Yet, designers are driven by aesthetics and beauty. "How boring to always have the same menu format!" might be one web artist's cry. Boring - perhaps. Easy to use? Yes. When it comes to marketing and web sites, easy-to-use goes a long way toward making a sale.

Meta Tags

Commonly Web designers will put the same meta tags on every page of a site. This is not nearly as effective at getting ranked in the search engines as focusing the meta tags of each page to a few specific and accurate keywords on the page. The goal of search engines is to bring relevant data to its users. Having page specific meta tags is another way of showing not just search engines, but your visitors as well, exactly what your page is about. This makes finding your pages that much easier.

Generally, before designing a site, it is a good idea to determine your keywords first. Determining your keywords is the topic of another article altogether. Once keywords have been determined, the site can be designed in such a way as to focus most on those keywords, in the domain name, directory names, file names, the menu names, the alt tags and meta tags. Designing your keywords into your site will give you a huge advantage over many competitors and is much easier than designing keywords into a site after it has been designed. 

Your Secret Marketing Weapon

It seems paradoxical – the more you give away, the more people are willing to pay for your services – but it's true. This exact approach has worked quickly and effectively for me for years. The key is that it's got to be good and of high relevance to your target audience. This builds people's confidence that you consistently know your stuff and that you can be counted on for long-term value. People soon realize that if you're willing to give away such valuable expertise, think how great the solutions they pay for will be!

So how do you share your expertise with your target audience? Through writing and speaking. And it starts with being able to get your core ideas down on paper in a way that catches your audience's attention and compels them to action.

If the idea of writing an article or giving a speech feels overwhelming, stay with me. I'm going to show you how easy it can be if you follow a basic formula that works every time.

Formula for Success

We've all stared at a blank page, at a loss for words or ideas…and wondered how in the world to write the article, proposal, report or presentation that's due soon…with the deadline looming and no inspiration in sight. It's the worst feeling and brings out the procrastinator in all of us.

Next time you'd rather clean out your desk than force yourself to sit down and write something, try this easy approach:

1) Brainstorm a short list of things that your clients struggle with. What problems drive them to you? Why are they willing to pay good money for your services. Remember, it's not about you -- it's about them, their pain, and their needs. This is now your list of topics for articles and talks.

2) Pick one topic and answer the following questions:

• What's the problem?

• What's the lost opportunity?

• Why is this important to address?

• What will happen if it's ignored?

• What's your solution?

• What tips do you have for implementing your solution?

• What example can you use to illustrate your point?

3) Write your answers to these questions and don't worry about how it flows or even that you're using good grammar. Just get your ideas on paper (or into the computer). Notice that by now, you have at least a page written. Pat yourself on the back and keep going.

4) Go back and clean up what you've written, add a catchy title and some headlines to break up the text, keep your paragraphs short, add some bullets or numbers to guide the eye. Maybe add references or a diagram. Step back and review what you've done. By now, you've got an article!

5) Ask a couple of trusted colleagues, clients or friends for feedback on your draft – really do this because it helps! Plus, it's a great confidence booster and low-risk way to share your writing with a small audience first.

6) Put your new article on your website, offer to send it as follow up when networking, send it to current clients, use it as the basis for getting booked for talks (more on how to in a future newsletter)…whatever you do, don't let it languish. USE it as a way of sharing your expertise.

For more tips on how to share your expertise through writing, keep reading...

Taking a page from Twyla Tharp's new book, The Creative Habit, this prolific dancer and choreographer shares her tips for moving from procrastination to creativity, regularly and with ease. Apply these ideas to your writing and notice the difference…

1) Set up a creative environment that's habit forming. Creativity doesn't just happen, it's a disciplined skill that can be learned. Creativity is not a mystical, elusive gift that's only accessible to artists. Everyone can develop it. Set up the right conditions and it eventually kicks-in. For me, it's the act of daily planning that clears my mind to make room for ideas to flow. For you, it might be puttering in your garden or going for a walk. Whatever it is, do it daily and be disciplined about it.

2) Use an organizational system for your ideas. Over the course of a month, I run into articles, quotes, websites, books, photos, experiences, and conversations…all of which inspire me for an upcoming article or talk. I capture them in folders, labeled by theme or big idea. When I'm ready to start writing, I draw on this collection of resources to inspire and guide my thinking. Twyla Tharp uses a box for each new project. You might find a binder the best catchall. Whatever works for you, the mere act of labeling and filling your container demonstrates your commitment to the idea.

3) Scratch. Scratching is about seeking inspiration to fill your container. I scratch when I flip through copies of Fast Company and Inc. Magazine or browsing in my favorite bookstore (where I found Tharp's book!). I scratch while networking with other professionals and ask what they're working on or stuck on in their business. This is about where you get your ideas…it's kind of primal, and you never know what'll inspire you.

4) Beware of these deadly mistakes: relying too much on others, waiting for or expecting perfection, overthinking, feeling obligated to finish what you've started, and working with the wrong materials. Any one of them will undermine your best efforts. If you're stuck, look at each of these to see if they're holding you back.

5) Find your spine. It's your one strong idea, the toehold that gets you started. The spine of this e-newsletter, for example, is that writing is a core competency of effective marketing. Related to it is the inspiration I found in Twyla's book.

6) Master your skill. You have to master the underlying skills of your creative domain, then build your creativity on the solid foundation of those skills. You can't write or speak effectively about your chosen profession, if you haven't mastered what you bring to the table to begin with.

7) Know the difference between a rut and a block. Writer's block is when you've shut down and your tank is empty. In that case, you just need to do something – anything – to change the patterns in your brain (walk away, sing, get outdoors, do some yoga, cuddle with your pet…you get the idea). A rut is more like a false start. This happens when you're using a bad idea, it's bad timing, or you're sticking with old methods that don't work. Get out of a rut by questioning everything except your ability to get out of it.

8) Fail often privately. This includes drafts that get thrown away, early versions that you share with trusted colleagues, testing your message while networking ("what's your impression of…?"). Then figure out why you're failing (is it the idea? your timing? a matter of skill? judgement? nerve?) and address it before going public.

9) Believe in the long haul. Sharing your expertise through writing won't be easy over night. It'll take discipline to create a habit that eventually builds the skill. Believe me, it's well worth it.

I've found that committing publicly (i.e., to subscribers of this e-newsletter, due out on the first Wednesday of each month) creates the right kind of pressure to motivate me into taking a disciplined approach to writing. Writing one good piece per month is doable and frequent enough that your audience won't forget you. Before you know it, you'll have a solid repertoire of articles and speeches to draw from in your marketing arsenal. 

Make Money Blogging.

   
A free blog is an excellent way of beginning your online empire. Costs are low and potential returns are high.


Getting started is easy. Just head over to www.blogger.com and setup your blog. Alternatively if you want a more feature rich platform, consider getting your own domain and web hosting so you can take advantage of freeware like Wordpress. Many people start with Blogger then move to Wordpress once they grow in confidence,


Pick a topic you are really interested in and which has good keyword traffic (these are the words people use to search for things in search engines). DigitalPoint has a free keyword tool that is very easy to use. You can also check your keyword (or tag) out at Technorati to see how popular it is. In general, the most popular keywords are the most profitable.


Now, all you need to do, is ensure you post something every day, then when the post is done tell the world that you have updated your blog. You do this by issuing a 'ping'. Platforms like Wordpress do this automatically. If you use Blogger then you must use a service like Pingomatic to do it for you.


As the number of your posts increase, search engines will regularly stop by to pick up new content. Your visitors will begin to grow. Your objective is to get as many visitors as possible to visit your blog. The more people who visit your blog the more money you will make.


Make no mistake, the opportunity is there. The top blogs make in excess of $10,000 per month. But be warned, there are no shortcuts. Lots of hard work, unique fresh content and a dash of inspiration and you too can achieve these returns.


By now you will have put in the hard work to develop your weblog. It's become a labor of love. Now its time for all that hard work to pay off. Here are some suggestions for making money with your blog


(1) One of the most popular methods of making money with blogs is to host ads. Google Adsense is a good example. You let Google put their ads on your site and get paid when people click on the ads. Other advertising works in a similar way. Blogads, Adbrite, Chikita and Double click are other examples of paid advertising.


(2) For a fee you can allow people to place links to their blog or website on your blog. These advertising positions can be sold on Ebay, via somewhere like TextLink Brokers or directly from your site.


(3) Affiliate programs work on blogs as well as they work on websites. Affiliate with companies that sell products related to your site. When people click on the link in your blog and purchase a product, you profit. This is another way of making money online with blogs that doesn't cost you anything. If you are passionate about a product and write about it, this can work very well.


(4) If you have a website, blog about some aspect of it and provide a link. Your weblog can effectively sell the product, and all the customer has to do is click to your site and order it.


There are many ways to make money with your blog. I hope this simple guide helps you on the way to earning a good return. 


As a parting piece of advice, don't believe the hype you read. There are no short cuts. You are unlikely to make instant, riches, but with some hard work and great content, you can generate a good additional income from your blog. 

Three Steps to Your Ultimate Marketing Message

Have you created a core marketing message to use throughout all of your marketing efforts

I'm not talking about some catchy slogan or play on words using the name of your business or the service you provide. It's not some meaningless phrase like "we do it right" or "quality service you can trust." Anybody in business can say those things and they're really basic expectations anyway.

A core marketing message clearly and concisely communicates what you're out to do and for who. It speaks to your ideal target market and gets them to respond and seek more information.

So many small business owners and professional service providers never take the time to create this for their own business. Most are creating a new message with every new "marketing campaign." They're constantly trying new ideas. And each new idea becomes a new chance to try and come up with that home run message that gets the phone ringing off the hook like never before.

What you need is an ultimate core marketing message that communicates directly and powerfully to your clients and prospective clients what it is they'll get from your services.

Here are three steps to creating your own ultimate core marketing message:

1. Who do you want to help? Be as clear as you can on who your target market is. Take some time and define with as much clarity as possible who your ideal clients are. If it's not obvious who your message is directed to, why would you expect anyone to get it?

2. What is the primary problem, issue, or challenge you would like to help someone in that target audience solve? This is really at the heart of your core marketing message. Most people are consumed with their own problems and looking for solutions to address them. So when you can clearly articulate a problem your client is dealing with, they'll listen because you may be able to provide a solution.

3. What is the ultimate outcome or result that you'd like to help your target market produce in solving their problem, issue, or challenge? People what to know what it is they'll get from knowing or working with you. When you're prepared to demonstrate that you're focused on delivering an outcome they'd be interested in, they will pay attention and want to know more.

That's it. Now take your answers and boil it down to one or two clear sentences that you can deliver enthusiastically and passionately. Communicate it in everything you do from a marketing perspective, both verbally and in writing.

Forget the catchy slogans. Create and start using your ultimate marketing message right now. 

Internet Home Business - Making The Internet Work For You

Have you ever considered an internet home business? Would you like to make money and work at home at the same time? Let's face it who wouldn't. The    internet can reach across the globe. It is one of the single most important     inventions of our time. You can purchase goods, talk or read emails with the   click of a button. The internet has also opened up a new marketplace, one     which is available and easily accessible by the general public. It's called the   make money online industry and everyone wants to get in on the action.        

Take jewellery for instance. For years people have made their own handmade jewellery and sold it at farmers markets or to their friends. This very simple idea, with the help of the internet, can now be used to make your very own profit making internet home business.All you have to do is get a business web site. These web sites will allow you to take orders using credit cards or paypal. You can set up shopping carts and design your own web site to attract customers. You can also hire a professional to do it for you. Either way, your web site is the ultimate marketing tool. It's important that you make it easy to use and appealing to your customers.<

Next thing to worry about is your product. You have to have something to sell. If you're using the jewellery idea, you need to make sure that your product is the best that it can be. Having a wide assortment of jewellery is probably the best idea and if you don't have any you can always sell other peoples, that the great thing about these excellent work from home ventures, you don't have to have your own product to make money online. 

Any successful work from home business is what you make it. You are ultimately your own boss and to be successful you need to be both ambitious and be able to take chances. You will have to buy supplies, set up your web site and work out the details before you'll see one penny. This means having a budget, and working within it, probably at a loss, for some time.Millions of people make money online and work at home. You can too you just need to believe in yourself and take the plunge. Start your profit making internet home business now.