10 Ways To Create A Popular Online Community

An online community could be a chat room, e-mail discussion list, discussion forum or other technologies that allow groups of people to communicate at your web site. When you have a popular online community it will increase your traffic and sales. Below are ten ways to attract people to participate in your online community.

1. Tell your visitors that you post a new, free offer every day, week or month in your online community. The free offers should be attractive to your target audience.

2. Regularly schedule experts or famous guests to participate in your online community. You could
design it to be a virtual class or a question/answer session.

3. Post testimonials on your web site from people that have participated in your online community.
The testimonials could be about what people have learned or liked while participating in it.

4. Don't allow blatant ads in your online communities. If people decide to visit your online community and see a ton of ads they most likely won't be back.

5. Post all the benefits of participating in your online community on your web site. You could write it like you're writing an ad for a product you're selling.

6. Submit your chat room, e-mail discussion list or discussion board to online community directories. You can find them by typing " the community type" with the word "directory" in any search engine.

7. Create an e-zine just for people who participate in your online community. Allow them to subscribe for free. When they receive each issue, it will remind them to come back and participate in your community.

8. You (the owner of the online community) should participate regularly. Post information that will benefit the other people. This will show them you care about your online community members.

9. Have plenty of people to monitor your online community. They could remove postings that turn
away people like profanity, spam and other off-subject postings.

10. Your online community should contain user friendly features, like a search option for archived
discussions, easy posting or chatting options, email updates or digests, etc.

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Quote of the Day:

"If I can line up the people who, back through the ages, have gone at life in ways I greatly admire, then I can feel their strength supporting me, all their standards and values pointing the way in which I am to go." -- Bonaro W. Overstreet  

10 Ways To Get New Product Ideas

Today's feature article is: 10 Ways To Get New Product Ideas

1. Solve an existing problem for people. There are thousands of problems in the world. Create a product that can provide a solution to one of those problems.

2. Find out what's the current hot trend. You can find out what the new trends are by watching TV, reading magazines and surfing the net. Just create a product that's related to the current hot trend.

3. Improve a product that is already on the market. You see products at home, in ads, at stores etc. Just take a product that's already out there and improve it.

4. Create a new niche for a current product. You can set yourself apart from your competition by creating a niche. Your product could be faster, bigger, smaller, or quicker than you competitor's product.

5. Add on to an existing product. You could package your current product with other related products. For example, you could package a football with a team jersey and football cards.

6. Reincarnate an older product. Maybe you have a book that's out of print and is no longer being sold. You could change the title, design a new front cover, and bring some of the old content up to date.

7. Ask your current customers. You could contact some of your existing customers by phone or e-mail and ask them what kind of new products they would like to see on the market.

8. Combine two or more products together to create a new one. For example, you could take a brief case and add a thermos compartment inside to keep a drink hot or cold.

9. Survey the people who visit your web site. You could post a survey or questionnaire on your web site. Ask visitors what kind of products they would like to see on the market.

10. You could create a new market for your existing product. For example, if you're selling plastic bottles to a pop company, you could turn around and sell those bottles to a fruit drink company.

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Quote of the Day:

"...if we are willing to abandon our usual coercive tactics and approach our problems sideways and kitty-corner we stand a good chance of finding our way through some interesting gates." -- Eloise Ristad

10 Ways To Get Your Ads Or Messages Noticed

Today's feature article is: 10 Ways To Get Your Ads Or Messages Noticed

Do you post to message boards, e-mail discussion lists, classified ads sites, FFA sites or newsgroups? People will usually read the subject line before they read your ad or message, so it's important they get noticed. Below are ten simple, but powerful tips to get your ads or messages noticed.

1. Use extra white space creatively in your subject line. You can add extra blank spaces between your words or letters.

2. Combine capital letters with lower case letters. Use all capital letters in every other word or use a
capital letter between every other lower case letter.

3. Add text symbols in your subject line. You could use them between words and letters. Start and end your subject with a text symbol. ( *, $, >,{,] )

4. Begin your subject line with the word "STOP!". People have been trained their whole life to stop
what they are doing when they see that word.

5. Ask people a question in your subject line. We all went to school and were repetitively branded to answer questions.

6. Use the word "FREE" in your subject line. Your offer should be attractive to your target audience. It could be free information, software, trials, etc.

7. Begin your subject line with an "online smile :)". People use smiles offline to gain people's attention and to win their trust, why not use them online too.

8. Don't use unbelievable claims in your subject line. People have or know some who has been ripped off and trained themselves to ignore those claims.

9. Don't use all capital letters in your subject line. It is hard to read, looks unprofessional, and on the internet it's considered a symbol for shouting.

10. Test different subject lines to see which ones draws the most traffic to your web site. Also, read the FAQ before posting a message or ad anywhere.

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Quote of the Day:

"The frontiers are not east or west, north or south, but wherever a man fronts a fact." -- Henry David Thoreau

10 Ways To Increase Sales By Promoting Yourself

Today's feature article is: 10 Ways To Increase Sales By Promoting Yourself

People will feel more comfortable purchasing your products if you give them a little information about yourself or business. The information could be your profile, employee profiles, overall business history, education credentials, awards you've won, etc. Below are 10 ways you can use to promote yourself.

1. Teach a free chat room class on a subject related to your business. You could install a chat room on your web site or use a free one from another web site. Before the class starts tell them a little about yourself.

2. Publish a free e-zine. Use some of the extra space in your e-zine to write about yourself or business. This could be called "A Note From the Editor".

3. Publish a section on your web site called "About Us". With your information you could also include pictures. This shows people your not hiding behind your business.

4. Write an article on your area of expertise. Include a resource box at the end of the article. You can add information about yourself in the resource box. E-mail the article to web sites or e-zines that accept article submissions.

5. Create and giveaway a free ebook. In the ebook include a section called "About The Author". Also, include an advertisement for your business.

6. Participate in online communities like newsgroups, discussion boards, e-mail discussion lists and chat rooms. You will meet many people and in return they will get to know you.

7. Donate your time, products, or services to charities. You can list the charities you've contributed to on your web site. This will show visitors that you and your business care about others.

8. Promote yourself offline; teach a free class offline, speak at business seminars, join a business club or association. Assemble fundraisers for charity. These are just few ideas to promote yourself offline.

9. Offer free consulting to your visitors. You could do it via e-mail or phone. They will get to know you and feel more comfortable buying your products.

10. Publish information about yourself and business history in your ad copy. While people are reading it they begin to trust you and your business. Don't over do it though, you want to keep them interested in your product.

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Quote of the Day:

"For children to take morality seriously they must be in the presence of adults who take morality seriously. And with their own eyes they must see adults take morality seriously." -- William J. Bennett

5 Cell Phone Etiquette Rules

Cell Phone Etiquette: Calling with Uncommon Courtesy by Bill Lampton, Ph.D.

Cell phones are a nearly indispensable business tool. But are you offending your customers and those around you with bad habits? Here are five cell phone etiquette rules you'll want to follow.

There are 6 billion cell phone subscribers scattered around the world. Yet, judging by what we see and hear in both business and social settings, only a small percentage of those subscribers use their phones without offending other people. Stated more positively, you will become a caller respected for your uncommon courtesy by following, at a minimum, five rather simple steps.

Limit your listening audience to one person


How many times have you entered a shuttle bus after your flight arrived, and as a member of a captive audience heard a fellow passenger call her home office as if no one else had boarded the bus? You heard, “Hi, Margaret, just landed. No, the meeting with that CEO didn’t go well. Her reputation was right on target. She was rude, barely even listened to my presentation, kept looking at her watch. If we’re counting on her as the deal closer, I think we’re sunk. And now let me tell you why that hotel was a lousy choice. . . .”

Already, people around you are rolling their eyes, as you are rolling yours. All of you recognize that this conversation does not belong in public. The caller has allowed you to listen to confidential information that you aren’t interested in at all. Equally as bad, she has shattered the reasonably serene ride to the terminal you had anticipated.

To make sure you avoid becoming the offending caller, realize that there are only two people who could possibly want to hear you talk on your cell phone. One is the person you called. The other could be the person who called you. Nobody else wants in on the conversation, period. Anyone who desires an audience should go give a speech, not make phone calls.

Respect the other person’s convenience, not yours

Chances are very good you have experienced this next incident as well. You answer the phone, and one of your friends opens the conversation with, “Hi, I’m driving from Atlanta to Nashville, so I’ve got plenty of time to chat. I’ve been waiting for an opportunity like this, when I’d enjoy an uninterrupted hour. So now we can catch up on what’s been happening with each other without watching the time.”

Definitely, your caller has assumed that because the time is convenient for him, you can hang on leisurely. However, you’re scheduled to e-mail your budget revision in ten minutes, just before directing your staff meeting.

Uncommon courtesy will set you apart from the time-consuming, ego focused caller. Either before your call or when you start a call, you’ll ask whether the recipient can spare a few minutes. If they can’t, the two of you will select a different day and hour.

Remember it’s a phone, not a megaphone

Many telephone courtesy consultants warn against “cell yell.” Mistakenly, some callers think that because the phone has a small mouthpiece, the volume provided will not be sufficient. So they become sound blasters, about as annoying as a demolition crew using dynamite.

Unless you are in a setting where the noise becomes excessive, as when the cleaning crew turns on a vacuum cleaner, you will be audibly adequate when you use the same decibel level you use for chit chat at lunch.

Mention the caller’s name when you answer

Typically, we answer calls with our own name. That is what the caller expected us to say, because they dialed the number to reach us. What they don’t expect to hear is their name. You will surprise and please them when you answer, “Marvin, hi, I’m glad you called.” To make that easy, assuming you have a cell phone with this feature, add the names and numbers of key people into your “Contacts” and “Favorites” categories. Once you do that, the caller’s name will show automatically as your phone starts ringing.

The saying is old, but still valid: Everybody’s favorite sound is the sound of his or her name. So get off to a warm start by saying your caller’s name, with genuine enthusiasm.

Tell only part of your story on your voice message

When you aren’t able to receive a call someone placed to your number, they will hear your voice message. Assure that they hear only a small part of what you provide professionally. Why? Because if you tell them all they need to know, why will they need to talk directly? And if you’re that long winded on a recording, callers will wonder how excessively wordy you will be in an initial meeting.

Yes, common cell phone practice goes like this, ad nauseum: “Hello, thanks for calling. Certainly you’ve come to the right place to get competent financial management. Our firm helps you with life insurance, mutual funds, retirement plans, health care insurance, homeowners insurance, long term care, and unemployment insurance.”

This show business adage works best: “Leave them wanting more.” A more courteous revision of the just-mentioned voice message could go like this: “Hello, thanks for calling. When I return your call, I’ll be glad to answer your questions about which financial services we provide. We’ll be in touch soon, for sure.”

So to become a cell phone user with uncommon courtesy, talk to only one person at a time, at that person’s convenience, with the volume you use for other conversations, mentioning the caller’s name when you answer, and telling only a small part of your services when callers reach your voice mail message.

10 Killer Ways To Sell Your Back-End Products

Today's feature article is: 10 Killer Ways To Sell Your Back-End Products

A back-end product is a product you attempt to sell your customers after they have recently purchased a related product from your business. If you're not trying to sell back-end products to your customers, you're making a big mistake. It is easier to sell to existing customers than it is to sell to new ones who don't trust your business yet. Below are ten killer strategies you can use to sell your back-end products to your existing customers:
1. When you ship people the first product they bought, insert a flyer or brochure for your back-end product
in the package.
2. Give customers a free subscription to a customers only e-zine when they buy your product. You could
include your ad for your back-end product in each issue.
3. Send your customers greeting cards on holidays or on their birthday. Include a small advertisement inside
the card for your back-end product.
4. After people order your first product from your web site, take them to a "thank you" web page and include your back-end product ad on that page.
5. Send customers a free surprise gift after they order your first product. You could attach another ad with
the free gift for your back-end product.
6. If you're selling an electronic product, like an ebook, include your ad for your back-end product somewhere inside the electronic product.
7. Give your customers a free membership into your "customers only" private site. You could include your
ad for your back-end product somewhere inside the private site.
8. Contact your customers by phone and ask them if they were happy with their purchase. You could tell
them about your back-end product.
9. Send your customers a thank you letter by mail or e-mail. You could mention your back-end product
somewhere on the letter.
10. Ask your customers if they want to be updated in the future when you have new product offers. You
could have them sign up to receive e-mail or snail mail updates.
Your business will have a greater chance of surviving when you attempt to sell back-end products to your
existing customers.

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Quote of the Day:
"Criticism should not be querulous and wasting, all knife and rootpuller, but guiding, instructive, inspiring." --
Ralph Waldo Emerson

10 Heavy Duty Online Sales Grabbers

Today's feature article is: 10 Heavy Duty Online Sales Grabbers

1. Give your prospects extra incentives so they will order quicker. It could be free shipping, a faster shipping option, free gift wrapping, etc.
2. Make your small business look big on the world wide web. Design your web site using professional graphics, ordering systems, organized layouts, etc.
3. Attract a lot more customers by giving them clear ordering instructions. Give them all the information they need so they can complete their order easily.
4. Give your customers buying incentives so they'll make repeat purchases. Offer them discounts, free gifts, bonus points, etc.
5. Tell people about your site whenever you get a chance. Those people will tell other people and so on. It's a cheap way to multiply your advertising.
6. Write and send press releases for your web site. Use a strong headlines, make it newsworthy, and tell the journalist why their readers would like it.
7. Use a lot of headlines on your web site and ezine. Some types of headlines are free offers, questions, problem solvers, sales, and statistics.
8. Design graphics, templates, buttons and banner ads for other sites. Allow people to use them in exchange for your web link on their home page.
9. Use time saving promotional software. You can automate your search engine submissions, posting
to online classified sites, etc.
10. Advertise your online business by dressing in clothes that are imprinted with your ad. It could be
a T-shirt, ball cap, coat, etc.

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Quote of the Day:
"When you become detached mentally from yourself and concentrate on helping other people with their
difficulties, you will be able to cope with your own more effectively. Somehow, the act of self-giving is a personal power-releasing factor." -- Norman Vincent Peale