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Gihan Perera Articles

Guest post by: Gihan Perera

Write An E-Book Without Writing Anything - Click To Read Article
E-books are all the rage, but many people don't think they are good writers. Fortunately, there's an easy way to create an e-book - without doing any writing at all. The secret? Invite other people to contribute to it.

Who the heck are YOU, anyway? - Click To Read Article
When promoting your Web site on the Internet, ask yourself: Why will people buy from you instead of the world expert in your field? Why should you ask this question? Because you can bet your bottom dollar that your site visitors are asking it! So if you don't ask - and can't answer - that question for them, you'll never succeed

Make Your Messages Spread Like Wildfire - Click To Read Article
How do you turn your message into something they listen to, act on, and remember long after you've gone? Three things matter: Your idea, your audience and the way you deliver the message.

Keep The Learning Alive - and the Profits Growing - Click To Read Article
One of the biggest problems with training courses, seminars and workshops is that the participants leave full of energy and enthusiasm, but then life takes over, and they are soon back to their old bad habits. How do you keep the learning alive after your programs - and make a profit while doing so?

How Much Will You Invest In Yourself? - Click To Read Article
If your area of expertise is one that's obviously changing constantly (technology and the Internet are two obvious examples), you have no choice except to keep up with what's happening. But even if you think your area of expertise doesn't change as quickly, it's a dangerous mistake to assume you don't need to keep updating your skills and knowledge.

Build Value in Every Transaction: The One Red Paper Clip Story - Click To Read Article
Every sale boils down to this simple principle. Don't worry about the competition. Forget about building rapport. Ditch all those closing techniques. If you've got a $20 widget, your customer is asking this question, "Is that worth more to me than the $20 bill in my wallet?" You've got to get them to say, "Yes".

Get Things Done: Traction, Action and Satisfaction - Click To Read Article
Have you ever wondered how some people seem to be super-productive, and are constantly getting things done? Then there are the others, who always seem to be working but rarely complete anything. What's the difference? These three principles can help you be more productive in your professional and personal life.

Gurus Don't Need Business Cards - Click To Read Article
As an expert, your most powerful marketing tool is not your business card. It's not your glossy brochure. It's not your Web site. It's not your client testimonials. It's not any of your collateral material. As an expert, your most powerful marketing tool is your expertise. It's your knowledge, your ideas, your intellectual property - and the way you apply it to your clients' lives and businesses to make a difference.

Are Your E-Books Hurting Your Business? - Click To Read Article
Because an e-book is "just a Word document converted to PDF", it's tempting to skimp on the design and layout. In fact, you'll see plenty of e-books - some from well-known Internet marketers - that look... well, ugly. But you should be professional in everything you produce - not only in its content, but also in its look. It's part of your branding, and if you're not doing it, it sends the wrong message to your market.

The Secret to Success with Your On-Line Strategy: Experiment! - Click To Read Article
As business owners, we need a spirit of experimentation, especially when it comes to what we do online. Whether it's running webinars, creating a Facebook page, trying out Pinterest, doing something different in your blog (or even blogging at all!), or tweaking the subject of your e-mail newsletters, it's worth trying different things to see what effect they have on your results.

Use an On-Line Course to Add Value to Your Workshops and Seminars - Click To Read Article
You might know you're delivering great value in your workshops, and your participants and clients might know it as well. But that's not enough to convince them to book you or buy tickets. One of their big concerns is that, despite the excellent value you offer in the workshop, they simply won't take action afterwards.

Use Google Docs To Edit and Share Documents in the Cloud - Click To Read Article
Google Docs, another free service from Google, lets you work on documents collaboratively. In some ways it's similar to Dropbox and other services that offer free disk space on the Internet. However, whereas those services simply offer a folder of documents, Google Docs includes software for editing those documents directly.

GoToWebinar is Easy For Beginners But Has Lots of Professional Features as Well - Click To Read Article
GoToWebinar is a powerful and well-established webinar and Web conferencing tool. It's easy to use for beginners, but also includes many advanced features for experienced presenters.

How Authors Can Use Webinars to Sell More Books - Click To Read Article
If you're an expert who has written a book about your area of expertise - or you're in the process of writing it - I'm sure you know already that it's not enough to just publish the book and wait for the money to come rolling in. You need to do more - much more - to promote it (if you want more sales) and you (if you're using the book for positioning as an expert). Webinars can be a powerful tool to help you as an author. Here are three ways you can use them to help you as an author.

The Success Of Your Membership Site Depends On Trust - Click To Read Article
Paid membership sites can be very profitable, but it's not easy to succeed with them. Many business owners have big plans for their membership site, but are soon disappointed and frustrated with the lack of subscribers and engagement among members. That's because they don't understand the key component of a successful membership site: trust.

Show Them What You've Got With Online Video - Click To Read Article
Online video has finally come of age. Until recently, video on the Internet was slow, clunky and required special software. Now it's a dream come true. Internet access is better, the software for producing video has improved, and Web browsers now play video easily. It's the perfect time to create online video, especially with the growth of YouTube, smartphones and wireless Internet access.

Use Online Audio to Make a More Personal Connection - Click To Read Article
Audio can be the perfect vehicle for business owners to distribute their message and promote their business. It makes a stronger connection than just written text, and it's easier to produce than high-quality video.

Product Launching - Packaging Products Together - Click To Read Article
Whenever you create a new information product - whether it's a book, e-book, audio program or even a full membership site - don't stop at just that product. Instead, spin your product into different forms, and sell them as a complete package. This has a number of benefits - not only for you, but also for your customer.

Seven Simple Formulas for Writing Articles and Blog Posts Fast - Click To Read Article
Many people - even experts - struggle with writing an article because they don't know how to get their ideas out of their head and into a coherent, well-organised article. If you're one of these people, the secret is simple: it's all about structure! If you know some simple structures for an article, it's easy to fit your material into one of those structures. Here are seven simple structures you can use for your articles. Not all of them will apply to every article, but by having them at your fingertips you should be able to find at least one that will work for each article you write.

The Best is the Enemy of the Good - Click To Read Article
Some people who want to do something new on-line, aren't willing to start until they know more about whatever it is they are doing. In fact, sometimes they stubbornly insist on waiting until they've found the "best" solution. But the best is the enemy of the good, and you might never achieve anything because of this quest for perfection.

Six Alternatives to a Webinar - Click To Read Article
Webinars are powerful tools for promoting your business and delivering educational material. They provide a combination of visuals, voice and audience interaction in a very flexible way, which makes them ideal for a number of message management situations. However, there are some situations where other delivery methods are more suitable and more effective.

How to Make the Most of Attending a Webinar - Click To Read Article
Attending a webinar is different from attending a face-to-face event, like a workshop or seminar. Because it's usually shorter, done from the comfort of your home or office, and there's nobody watching you, it can be tempting to treat it with less respect. But if you do this, you won't get much value from it. Instead, make the most of it by planning clearly and taking action.

How to Host a Webinar Properly - Click To Read Article
There's a difference between presenting a webinar and hosting a webinar: a webinar presenter delivers material, and a webinar host provides the best environment for the presenter and audience. Keep in mind that if you're running a webinar yourself, you'll probably be taking on the role of both presenter and host. But it's still useful to separate these roles in your mind, so you can engage your audience at both levels.

Amazon and Apple Have Changed the Publishing Industry - Click To Read Article
Amazon.com and Apple have changed the publishing industry forever - and that's good news for authors, consultants, professional service firms, speakers, trainers and any other thought leaders. Here's how it used to work...

Create Recurring Income with a Paid Membership Site - Click To Read Article
Paid membership sites have become hot Internet properties recently, but most people who start them don't succeed with them. A profitable membership site can add new income streams, reach new markets, and create greater profits in your business.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Self Publishing - Click To Read Article
Gone are the days when you needed either a book deal or a large sum of money to publish a book. Self-publishing is no longer seen as just "vanity publishing"; it's a legitimate professional way to get your ideas into print. And now, with the Kindle and iPad making e-books mainstream, you don't even need it in print! But that doesn't mean it's all plain sailing. Traditional publishing does have some advantages, so if you do decide to take the self-publishing route, make sure you get those benefits in other ways.

Tips For Cohesive Formatting in an Ezine - Click To Read Article
When you send an ezine to your subscribers, the formatting and layout are important, because they form part of your brand, which affects how readers perceive your newsletter. By using the same formatting in every issue - and in fact, being consistent within the same issue - you reinforce your brand and make it easier for readers to focus on the content.

The Three-Step Productivity Secret For Your Internet Marketing Strategy - Click To Read Article
When you're planning and implementing your Internet marketing strategy, you might ask yourself the question, "How do I find the time for this when I've got so much else going on in my business?" This is a crucial question. Because it doesn't matter how much good stuff you learn, if you don't put it into action, it doesn't count for anything

The Day I Visited Every Web Site in the World - Click To Read Article
Just a few years ago, when somebody wanted to find out about you, they would go to your Web site. But now they don't have the time to do that. Now, you have to convince people you're an expert BEFORE they ever visit your Web site

How to Address Misunderstandings in Emails - Click To Read Article
E-mail is one of the oldest Internet technologies, but it still causes a lot of stress, frustration and annoyance among users. Part of this is undoubtedly because of the volume of e-mail we all deal with, but a large part is also because it's so easy to write e-mail that's confusing, easily misunderstood or even (unintentionally) upsetting.

How to Accept Merchant Payments Using PayPal - Click To Read Article
If you want to take credit card orders on your Web site, and don't already have a payment system in place, consider PayPal. It used to be cumbersome and limited but it's improved so much that it's now a widely-used and globally-recognized payment system for any Web site - big or small

Make Your Webinars More Interactive - Click To Read Article
When you're designing your webinar, ask yourself whether your audience could get exactly the same value by simply watching the recording. If the answer is "Yes", beware! The whole point of doing webinars is to create an interactive experience.

Choosing a Webinar Provider - Click To Read Article
There are a bewildering number of tools available for conducting webinars and on-line meetings, and new services crop up every few weeks. This makes it a fiercely competitive space, which is good for us as customers. However, it also means it's difficult to choose the right provider.

Are Your Webinars Getting You New Business? - Click To Read Article
If you're a presenter, you might be thinking of webinars as just another way of delivering some of your educational material. That's good, but also think about the value of webinars for marketing your business.

A Webcast Vs a Webinar - Click To Read Article
Because webinar technology is fairly new, some people use different names to describe it. All of these terms are used to describe some sort of event delivered over the Internet, but they have some differences. Sometimes the names do reflect the differences, but sometimes they are two different ways of describing the same thing. Let's look at what is generally meant by the terms webcast, webinar and web conference

Your Customers' Needs Change in Tough Economic Times - Click To Read Article
If your business is feeling the effects of the economic downturn, ask yourself whether you're truly solving your customers' problems. Even if you have the same customers, their problems now might be different than when the economy was booming.

What is the Ideal Number of Slides for a Webinar? - Click To Read Article
One of their most common questions about webinars is about the number of slides in an "ideal" webinar. As you might imagine, this is one of those "How long is a piece of string?" questions, where the only logical answer is, "It depends". That's true, but I can give you two guidelines to help you find the right answer for your webinars.

The Four-Step Process to Turn Web Site Visitors Into Buyers - Click To Read Article
Most Web site owners (and their Web developers) just build a site, plonk their products and services on it, and hope for the best. Even those who do think about it usually get it wrong. They start from the home page, then try to lead the site visitor on a path to each product or service. That's OK - but there's an even better way: Start from the end and work backwards. Pick a product, any product (or service), then follow this four-step process to craft a path through your Web site.

Improving the Attendance Rate for Your Webinars - Click To Read Article
Whenever you run a free webinar, you'll find that some people won't turn up on the day. That's not surprising - they haven't made a commitment to it, so what have they got to lose? But you might be surprised at how many people don't turn up! Some webinar presenters reckon they get as low as 25% attendance of the people who registered. Is that bad? And what can you do to improve this rate?

Adding the Human Touch to Your Webinars - Click To Read Article
A common question about webinars - especially one that's raised by experienced trainers and presenters - is about webinars seeming more distant and remote than a face-to-face presentation. But in fact, if you create the right environment, some people feel more comfortable interacting from the "privacy" of their desk - much more than they would in a group

The Biggest Mistake Experts Make With E-Learning Programs - Click To Read Article
Don't try to replace your current programs with electronic versions and promote them to strangers online. Instead, enhance your current programs with e-learning components and sell them to your existing clients

The World Is Flat - Three Threats and an Opportunity For Your Business - Click To Read Article
In his book "The World Is Flat", Thomas Friedman talks about the growth of the upwardly-mobile middle class, particularly in places like India and China. This probably isn't news to you. But have you really considered what impact it will have on your business?

Spin One Article Into Multiple Marketing Channels - Click To Read Article
One of the biggest complaints many people have with Internet marketing, is, "I don't have the time!" Is that true of you as well? If so, maybe you're not taking full advantage of the material you've already created. Writing new material is fun - and important. But don't overlook the opportunities to take your existing material and spin it into other forms.

Web 2.0 Gives Power to the People - Click To Read Article
Web 2.0 puts the power of the Internet in the hands of the user, not the Web site owner. It's all about communities, forums, collaboration, participation, sharing and the wisdom of crowds.

How Internet Marketing Has Changed - In Just Two Words - Click To Read Article
Let's face it: Internet marketing is confusing to most people. And it certainly isn't getting any easier with the growth of new Internet platforms like Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Digg, Bing, YouTube, Foursquare, Blogger, iPhone Apps, and the like. To understand how Internet marketing has changed, you need to understand just two words: Download and upload.

Outsourcing with Elance - Stop Working So Hard! - Click To Read Article
One of the biggest problems business owners face is that they try to do too much themselves. Instead of focusing on what they do best, they get caught up in the itsy-bitsy stuff in their business. If you've ever fallen into this trap, there's light at the end of the tunnel - and it's called Elance.com.

Be an Expert Adviser, Not a Pushy Salesperson - Click To Read Article
When somebody goes to Google and they search for a topic, they're asking themselves the question, "How do I find out about xyz?" rather than, "How do I buy something about xyz?" When they click on a link they find in Google, they're really looking for information, not necessarily to buy. This is an important difference, but many Web site owners forget it.

Are You Pleasing Or Disappointing Your Web Site Visitors? - Click To Read Article
Ordinary Internet users have very high expectations. It's not enough to do a "good" or "OK" job on-line; you have to be exceptional. This doesn't mean you have to have an all-singing, all-dancing on-line presence. But it does mean getting the basics right

Seven Fatal Mistakes With Adding E-Learning To Your Business - Click To Read Article
Many presenters are excited about the opportunities available to infopreneurs who add on-line learning - or "e-learning" - to their service mix. They want to deliver their material on-line, but don't know how to do it effectively. Let's look at some of the most common mistakes speakers, trainers and other infopreneurs make when they start thinking about e-learning

Why Should You Offer Webinars In Your Business? - Click To Read Article
The two most obvious benefits of webinars are the savings in time and expenses - for both you and your participants. Everything is done from the comfort of your home or office; and the same applies for your audience. But webinars offer more - much more.

Why Aren't You Making More Conference Calls? - Click To Read Article
There was a time when conference calls were only common for organizations - and large organizations at that - not individual business owners. But times have changed, and now it's vital for all business owners to learn and use this technology.

Are You Just Presenting or Truly Engaging? - Click To Read Article
As a presenter, you can no longer rely on just a PowerPoint presentation - no matter how good - to engage your audience and keep them engaged. Modern audiences expect more - much more - and it's up to you to deliver your presentations using a variety of tools and techniques

Professional Speakers - A Protected Species Fast Becoming an Endangered Species - Click To Read Article
If you're a professional presenter - a speaker, trainer, coach, consultant or other kind of thought leader who gives group presentations - you're lucky, because you can do easily what most people are scared to death to do: Stand up and speak in front of a group. Even though other people might have better ideas, or be more passionate about something, or can write better than you can, most of them can't present it well.

Collaborate - It's the Path to Success - Click To Read Article
You might not have noticed it, but collaboration is an important trend today - whether you're a one-person business working from a home office or a large multi-national corporation. You can collaborate with your colleagues (the most obvious choice), but also with clients, suppliers and even competitors. For example, if you and a competitor offer complementary, rather than competing, products and services to the same market, this is a perfect opportunity to join forces with them to present a better solution to your market

Six Benefits of Podcasting - Click To Read Article
Podcasting is a powerful way of giving your network a more personal connection. Why should you be using podcasts in your business? Well there are a number of reasons; I'm going to give you six.

The Hedonist's Guide To Getting Things Done: Goal Setting Made Easy - Click To Read Article
Most goal-setting programs are hard. The system might sound easy, but achieving the goals is difficult. It usually takes discipline, willpower, a strong mindset, hard work, sacrifice and struggle. I've got a different approach to goal setting: Next year, choose, plan and achieve goals that bring you joy, ease and happiness - not only when you achieve them, but along the way as well.

What Incorrect Assumptions Are You Making About Your Business? - Click To Read Article
Business owners rely on their experience to know what to do and what to ignore. This is usually a good thing, but it can be dangerous if you don't challenge your assumptions when the economy changes.

Help Is Close At Hand - Click To Read Article
Two ways to reduce interruptions are to temporarily shift your work place or your work time. But that isn't always possible or convenient, and sometimes you do get interrupted during your work day. And if it's an interruption from somebody who needs help, you might need to handle it. Fortunately, the Internet does offer some useful tools to help you manage - and in some cases, eliminate - your interruptions.

Momentum Moves Mountains - Click To Read Article
Don't sit on your hands for years, analyzing, contemplating, planning, strategising, projecting and cogitating. Get started with something, and then figure out how to steer it in the right direction. And even if it sometimes isn't quite right, you're still better off than somebody who hadn't started at all. So don't wait until you know how everything is going to turn out. You don't. And you won't. Get started now.

How to Promote Yourself on YouTube - Click To Read Article
If you're a business owner, you need to be on YouTube, positioning yourself and your business. Everybody and their cat is there, so if you're not, it reflects poorly on you. But don't set out to create the world's best viral video. Start by recording a 2-3 minute promotional video of you speaking to the camera, introducing yourself and explaining what problems you solve for your clients and customers.

On-Line Success Is a Process, Not An Event - Click To Read Article
Too many business owners treat their on-line strategy as a series of one-off events. This won't work. Internet marketing is not about launching a Web site, creating a blog, publishing a video to YouTube, or posting to Twitter. True success on the Internet is a process, not an event.

The Three Core Components of Your On-Line Presence - Click To Read Article
One of the most common questions business owners ask is: "How do we find the time to stay on top of Twitter, Facebook, blogging and every other Internet tool?" It's a fair question, and an important one. The answer is not to try and stay on top of them all. There are three that will do 80% of what you need, and that's good enough.

The Web Marketing Pipeline - And Why Yours is Leaking Money - Click To Read Article
It's easy to get confused by all the things that you hear people say about making money with the Internet. Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Google Analytics, blogging, shopping carts, e-zines...It's all too much! But there are - fundamentally - only four ways to use your Web site to increase your income.

Seven Trends You Must Pay Attention to (and Three You Can Ignore) in 2012 - Click To Read Article
There's a lot of information about how the Internet can change your business in 2012. Even if it's accurate, it isn't all relevant for business professionals and others who rely on authority marketing. Here's a list of the things you must pay attention to, and the things you can ignore.

The Best Clients in the World: They Want What You've Got - Click To Read Article
Here's a deceptively simple but extremely effective marketing idea: Work with the people who want what you've got. Sounds obvious, right? But notice that it doesn't say the people who need what you've got. There are plenty of them around; but if they don't already want it, you have to spend valuable time and energy convincing them of the need.

The Three Key Roles in a Conference Call - Click To Read Article
There are three key roles in a conference call: Organizer, Chair and Participant. There's some overlap between these roles, and they're not necessarily always done by different people. However, all three roles are important, and all play a part in making the conference call successful.

Treat Your Business as a Boutique Experience - Click To Read Article
Too many small business owners make the mistake of trying to compete with the big companies on-line. That's a sure formula for failure, and besides it's not taking advantage of your uniqueness. Make your business a boutique experience - like a small winery does - and tap into the very things that make your business attractive for customers and clients.

Use Webinars to Add Value to Existing Presentations - Click To Read Article
Some face-to-face interactions simply can't be replaced by webinars. But that's no reason to abandon webinars altogether. They can promote, support, complement, supplement, and add value to your existing presentations instead.

Six Power Tactics to Tap Into YouTube - Click To Read Article
For a long time, we didn't have widespread broadband access, easy tools for creating video and easy tools for watching video. But that has now changed. If you're a business owner - and especially if you're a speaker, trainer, consultant, coach or other thought leader - you can't afford to ignore YouTube as a marketing tool for your business.

How Do You Choose a Conference Call Service? - Click To Read Article
There are a variety of technology options available for you to conduct conference calls, teleseminars and webinars. They can range from a simple two-way telephone call with participants on speaker phones at each end; through to calls with hundreds of participants in different locations, with visuals as well. Yours will probably fall somewhere in between.

5 Easy Ways to Add E-Learning To Your Business - Click To Read Article
If you're a presenter, thought leader or infopreneur, I'm sure you've already heard about "e-learning", and you might even be doing some of it already. Unfortunately, I find many people are intimidated by the idea, even if they know they "should" be doing something about it.

What To Put In Your Membership Site - Click To Read Article
If you're planning to create a membership site (paid or unpaid), you'll soon find that you're expected to do most of the work to get it started and to build momentum. So what sort of value should you provide to your members? This will vary for each business. But broadly, I suggest you consider your offering in three categories.

The World Doesn't Need Another Bad Book - Click To Read Article
The traditional publishing model has its drawbacks, but it has one benefit as well: A built-in quality control process. You can argue about the quality of some of the books that have published, but there's no denying that a publisher adds several extra layers - such as market testing, editing, proofreading and layout - that generally improve the final product. But that's no longer the case. The good news is that now anybody can publish a book. The bad news is that now anybody can publish a book!

Ten Ideas for Writing E-Books FAST - Click To Read Article
E-books and special reports (they're pretty much the same thing, except in name) can be among your most powerful marketing tools. So why don't more infopreneurs use them? One reason is that many people think they're too hard to write. But they're not! Here are ten ideas for writing an e-book fast.

Don't Become a Digital Dinosaur - Click To Read Article
Today's Internet means amateurs have more power than ever before. This is good news and bad news. The good news is that anybody can have their say. But the bad news is that anybody can have their say! If you still want to be "The Go To Guy/Gal" in your area of expertise, you'd better be out there, making a contribution. You can bet your life somebody is else doing it - on your turf, to your clients, in your market.

Be the Centre of Your Tribe - Click To Read Article
A common theme in business and professional circles is the idea of building a "tribe" of loyal supporters around your business. The Internet has made this happen, but its effects spread far wider. Even if you're a successful business owner already, with unique knowledge, a captive audience and a loyal customer base, you must change.

Are You a Brain Surgeon or a Plastic Surgeon? - Click To Read Article
Don't recession proof your business. That's for large organisations, who are big, slow, lethargic and struggle to keep up. Recessions bring great opportunities for small businesses, who are smart, nimble, agile and can adapt. It's survival of the economic fittest.

The Four Parts of Every Successful Web Site - Click To Read Article
Despite the overwhelming number of Internet tools and Web sites now available to consumers and businesses, the fundamentals of Internet marketing have remained the same. Internet marketing is still about getting more people to your Web site, persuading them to interact with you, and eventually persuading them to take action by "buying" from you. The purchase might be buying an actual product, registering for an event, or picking up the phone to call you.

Six Key Benefits of a Membership Site - Click To Read Article
A membership site offers the promise of recurring income, but that's not all. Here are six key benefits of creating your own on-line community.

Match Your Marketing To Your Relationship With Your Market - Click To Read Article
To get the greatest leverage from your marketing efforts, make sure you know whether you're directing it at friends, neighbors or strangers. This depends on the level of trust you have with your market.

Stop Chasing Traffic and Start Looking for Customers - Click To Read Article
It's absolutely true that if you get more traffic to your web site, chances are you'll make more sales. But it's also true that if you were able to improve the conversion rate of the people you're already getting, then you'll also make more sales. It's often much easier to improve the conversion rate than it is to get more visitors to the site, and it's also much more cost effective.

How to Get Your Content on the Internet Quickly and Easily - Click To Read Article
Some marketers know how to write good content, but then make the mistake of not doing enough with it. Every article you write has the potential to do so much more for you in building your on-line reputation, establishing your credibility and bringing qualified traffic to your Web site.

How the Social Web Has Changed Internet Marketing - Click To Read Article
In the last few years, ordinary Internet users have the ability to upload - or publish - their own material to the Internet. And they've used that ability to turn the Internet into an upload medium. If you've heard the term "Web 2.0", that's it in a nutshell.

Personal Branding Is All About You - Click To Read Article
To be a success on-line, and a true thought leader, know what you're good at, become great at it, and share it with the right people. People want you, not just your expertise. Increasingly, they're searching Google for names of experts, not just a topic of interest.

Internet Marketing Is About Showing Your Face - Click To Read Article
Show your face, not your brand. People buy from people, so lead from the front - publicly. It increases your connection with your customers, and gives you a head start over your competitors.

Set a Clear Goal for Every Presentation - Click To Read Article
Many presenters don't make an impact because they haven't determined their own objective for their presentation, let alone what they want their audience to do. Although your presentation is for the benefit of your audience, don't lose sight of what you want to get from it yourself!

25 Ways to Use a Free E-Book or Special Report - Click To Read Article
You might have heard the idea of writing a free e-book and sending it to as many people as possible. Maybe you know somebody who did it, and scored a new sale, a consulting assignment or even a long-term contract with a new client - based solely on her e-book. You can do the same.

You Must Be Able to Change Your Web Site Yourself - Click To Read Article
Many Web site owners fall into the trap of thinking that creating their Web site is the end of the journey. It's not - it's only the beginning. So they build their Web site and then leave it there, hoping it will turn into a money-making machine. Not likely! If you don't do anything about it, it's more likely to turn into a virtual millstone around your neck.

Make More Sales By Invoking the Principle of Reciprocity - Click To Read Article
This is the rule of reciprocity: When you do somebody a favour, they feel an obligation to return the favour. Use this to your advantage on your Web site by giving away something free.

One Web Site Or Two? - Click To Read Article
Many business owners are wondering whether one Web site is enough, or whether they should have two or more sites. Typically their thinking starts by them saying it would be "too cluttered" to have everything on one site. Fair enough - it's good that they don't want to confuse site visitors with a cluttered Web site. But what exactly does "too much clutter" mean?

Stop All Your Social Media Marketing Right Now - Click To Read Article
What would you do if you had to use social media every day, but weren't allowed to do any marketing? Social media marketing is about being social, not about marketing. You don't have to give up ALL your promotion or advertising; just don't make it the main purpose of using social media platforms. If you want a rule of thumb: Make at least 80% of your activity non-promotional, and at most 20% (preferably less) promotional.

Get More Sales By Telling Customers Why They Should Buy - Click To Read Article
Most Web sites assume that Web site visitors can figure out for themselves why they should buy your products and services. This might be true, but it's often not true. Don't take the chance! Tell your customers - in clear and simple words - why they should buy from you.

Better 'Later' Than 'Now or Never' - Click To Read Article
Create simple systems so you can process incoming information later rather than being interrupted by it now or filing it away to be forgotten forever.

Writing Makes a Comeback! - Click To Read Article
There’s no doubt video has been the hot on-line medium for the past few years - so much so that YouTube is now the world’s second-biggest search engine. But we're also seeing a resurgence of the written word, and that's great news for content creators.

Using the Cloud for Boosting Your Personal Productivity - Click To Read Article
In the last few years, more and more software is available on the Internet, rather than you having to install it on your computer or phone. This is what's called "Cloud Computing" - the act or service of providing software, IT resources and data via the Internet. The biggest benefit of Cloud Computing is instant access. Because all our stuff is on-line, we can access it from anywhere in the world, and from any computing device.

Get Inside Your Web Site Visitor's Head - Click To Read Article
Everybody who visits your Web site is asking four key questions: Why me? Why this? Why you? Why now? They need to answer all four questions before they will be willing to buy.

Should You Use Webinars, Teleseminars or Other On-Line Meeting Tools? - Click To Read Article
A webinar is a seminar you deliver on-line (on the Web). Webinars are just one of the tools of electronic communication in modern business life, and sometimes one of the other tools might be more appropriate for your purpose.

Different Types of Webinar Presentations - Click To Read Article
If you're a presenter who wants to deliver your material by webinar, the secret is to forget you're doing a webinar, and structure it just like any other program. There's nothing magical about the webinar format. It's just another medium for delivering your presentation. You prepare the content just the way you would any other presentation, and you deliver it in (broadly) the same way.

Engage Your Webinar Audience Early - Click To Read Article
The first few minutes of your webinar are among the most important. They can determine whether your audience will pay attention or will switch off. So put some careful thought into planning the very start of your webinar, and especially how you will engage your audience.

Simple Ways to Survey Your Webinar Audience - Click To Read Article
Good presenters will survey their audience before a webinar to understand their needs. There are a number of methods you can use for actually doing this survey, depending on your audience and their preferred methods of communication.

Start Your Webinar Planning From Your Audience's Point of View - Click To Read Article
Some presentation skills coaches say that you should speak about something you're passionate about. As important as it is to speak from your own passion, it's far more important to speak about something that matches the audience's passion.

What Kind of iPhone App Will You Create? - Click To Read Article
Some iPhone apps are more successful than others. If you're an expert who's positioning themselves as an authority, don't look at the success of apps in general when planning your own, because the sort of iPhone apps that work well for experts - including speakers, trainers, consultants and professional service firms - are special.

There's More Than One Way to Make Money From Webinars - Click To Read Article
Even presenters who recognize the opportunity in paid webinars sometimes think the only way to make money from webinars is by selling individual tickets to attendees. The problem with this approach, as anybody who's run a public seminar will tell you, is it's difficult to get attendees ("bums on seats"). You need to do a lot of advertising, have access to a big mailing list, invest a lot of time following up people who register interest... or some combination of these three!

Webinar Technology Made Easy - Click To Read Article
Early webinar technology was slow, clunky, unreliable and often required IT support staff on hand to make it work. But that's no longer the case. The technology is fairly easy to use for a reasonably competent computer user, and certainly for any business owner who uses other software regularly. If you're new or nervous about doing webinars, here are seven tips and techniques to make it easier.

The Seven New Rules of Social Media Marketing (Probably Not What You Think) - Click To Read Article
When I talk to people about getting involved with social media, they often say they don't know how to behave in these environments. This is a genuine and valid concern. After all, your mom might have told you which cutlery goes with which course, but you probably didn't have anybody telling you the etiquette of communicating in the on-line world. Based on my 20+ years of using the Internet, I'll give you the seven most important rules for you to follow.

Is Your Home Page Turning People Away? - Click To Read Article
Is your Web site's home page giving people what they most want? Or is it all about you, full of graphics or so cluttered with stuff that people don't know where to start looking? Here's a simple four-step process to help you write a better home page.

Are You Taking Your Site Visitors Forward? - Click To Read Article
When somebody visits any page on your site, they are asking themselves three questions. You must answer all three for them to take action.

Sounding Credible on a Conference Call - Click To Read Article
No doubt you already know just how important credibility and professionalism are in business interactions. Conference calls present great opportunities to establish your credibility - even where you don't entirely deserve it!

Should You Record Your Conference Calls? - Click To Read Article
Making an audio recording is very tempting as it will give you a precise record of the discussion. This is usually a simple matter, but keep in mind the following before deciding to record a call.

How To Handle Common Technical Problems on a Conference Call - Click To Read Article
Despite improvements in technology, problems do occur in conference calls, and you need to be prepared for them. You can't always prevent them, but you can be prepared for them so you deal with them smoothly and elegantly.

How to Prepare for a Difficult Conference Call - Click To Read Article
Most conference calls - even when they involve participants from different organisations - are polite, orderly and even-tempered. However, occasionally you might be on a call that involves hostile participants or other types of difficulties.

Expressing Yourself Clearly on a Conference Call - Click To Read Article
On a conference call it's easy for people to tune out, get distracted by other things or even choose to stop listening altogether. So, the way you express your thoughts will not only affect the way you are perceived by others, but is critical for being heard and understood. Often it makes a difference whether you are even able to finish what you are saying! The following skills will improve any form of communication - in a meeting, in front of an audience or on the telephone.

Membership Has Its Benefits - Click To Read Article
Membership sites have become one of the biggest trends on the Internet recently. And it's even more powerful now with the popularity of social networking sites like Facebook. Could a membership site work for you?

Membership Site or Password Access? - Click To Read Article
Many business professionals provide some sort of password-protected access to their Web site, so they can offer additional resources to audiences, clients and members. Some also think about expanding this to a full membership site. Which of these is better for your business? It depends on a number of things.

Get Ready For Your Membership Site - Click To Read Article
Starting a paid membership site can seem deceptively easy, but many site owners are soon disillusioned and disappointed by how much work is involved. The secret is to set the appropriate expectations, and prepare for your membership site to meet those expectations. This is not just about lowering expectations! It's about knowing the right priorities for your site before you build it.

Survey Your Webinar Audience - But Ask the Right Question - Click To Read Article
When preparing a presentation, it's important to understand your audience's needs. And one of the best ways to understand your audience's needs is to ask them! But it's not enough to just ask your audience a question - you must ask the right question. The best question addresses their needs. And their needs vary depending on their knowledge of your topic area.

Webinars Give You a Competitive Edge in Marketing - Click To Read Article
Many businesses are using webinars now to promote new products and services. That's good - and worthwhile - but there are other marketing benefits of webinars as well. Here are six more ideas for using webinars to give your business a competitive edge.

Prepare Better - And Faster - Webinar Slides - Click To Read Article
Your voice and your slide show are the two things you're relying on the most to engage your webinar audience. They are no longer just a visual aid to you, the speaker; they are the visuals. This means they have to be even more engaging, attractive and appealing than in a face-to-face presentation. However, the problem is everything you show in your webinar has to be sent across the Internet to your participants. Even though most of them will have broadband access, it doesn't necessarily mean they'll have very fast access.

Can You Really Make a Difference in a Webinar? - Click To Read Article
When you're planning your webinar, let's assume you have done the right thing and surveyed your audience beforehand to understand their needs. You might have asked an open-ended question along these lines: "What is the biggest question / problem / concern you have about [this topic]?" How do you now use the survey results in your planning?

Allow Your Webinar Audience to Ask Questions Out Loud - Click To Read Article
Some webinar technology allows audience members to speak up during the webinar. You usually have their microphones turned off (on "mute"), but they can "raise their hand" to ask a question, and you selectively turn on their microphone when they're ready. If this feature is available, use it!

It's Amateur Hour on the Internet - Click To Read Article
The world is full of smart, savvy passionate people who want to share that passion with the world - and can, thanks to the Internet. And, if you're not careful, they'll be crowding you out!

Niche Guys Finish First - Click To Read Article
It's tempting to think that because you've got a presence on the World Wide Web that you can reach the world. You can't. Focus on a specific target market, and work on reaching them instead. I don't know a sure-fire formula for success, but trying to be all things to all people is a sure-fire formula for failure.

Are You Trying to Use New-Style Marketing for an Old-Style Business? - Click To Read Article
You can't use modern marketing techniques to sell "old" products and services. If you're hoping to tap into new marketing channels to help you promote the same old business you've been running for the last decade, you will fail.

Where Are You In Your Client's Buying Cycle? - Click To Read Article
Thanks to the Internet, clients today are smarter, savvier and more sophisticated than ever before. When they come to you, ready to buy your products and services, you can bet they didn't suddenly think of you five minutes earlier. They might have asked around on Twitter or LinkedIn, watched some sample videos on YouTube, checked in with their Facebook friends, done some Google research, looked through their in-box for recent newsletters, and so on. This is the biggest change in the sales process: You used to be the first port of call in their buying cycle (or if not you, at least a bureau or agent). But no longer.

How To Write A Sales Letter To Promote Your Webinar - Click To Read Article
If you've struggled with writing sales letters or marketing "flyers" for your webinars, I'll give you a simple formula here. This is by no means the only formula, and if it's a really big webinar, you might choose to hire a copywriter to craft your sales letter for you. However, this simpler version will suffice for many of the webinars you offer.

The Real Reason Every Business Owner Needs to Use Google+ - Click To Read Article
Google's new social network Google+ continues to grow, and analysts are predicting big things for it. It's less cluttered than Facebook, facilitates better conversations than Twitter, and manages your network of people better than LinkedIn. Those alone might be good reasons for using it, but there's an even more important reason - and it affects all business owners.

How to Write So People Want to Read - Click To Read Article
Smart business owners know that content is king for Internet marketing. This has always been true, but never more so than now, when you need to prove you're an expert before people visit your Web site. But how do you write great content that compels readers to keep reading? The secret is simple: Solve their problems.

Change Your Mindset To Manage the E-Mail Overload - Click To Read Article
Despite the fact that e-mail is one of the oldest Internet technologies (it’s been around since the 1970s), many people still struggle with managing it effectively. The most important first step to managing your e-mail is to change your mindset. Rather than seeing it as a necessary evil that’s inevitably going to harm your productivity each day, treat e-mail as a powerful communication tool that can improve your productivity.

Seven Ways To Set a Price For Your Webinars - Click To Read Article
If you're running for-fee webinars, it's difficult to set a price. Because webinars are fairly new, there is no "standard fee" for a webinar - unlike, say, the price of $25-40 for a business book. This gives you a lot of flexibility in setting your price; but it also puts the responsibility on you to explain the value they get in return for paying the fee.

Is Your Payment System Easy for Web Site Customers? - Click To Read Article
You would think that it's a simple process to take somebody's credit card for a payment. It should be, but it's amazing to see just how complicated it is on some Web sites. In fact, studies have shown that most shoppers who start buying on a Web site abandon the process before completing it.In the real world, this would be bizarre. But in the on-line world, it's the rule rather than the exception.

Make It Easy for Web Site Visitors to Take Action - Click To Read Article
Your Web site might be so full of pages, links, graphics and interaction that you forget why you built it in the first place! Here's the most important question to ask: What is the last thing you want them to do before they leave your Web site?

Webinars vs Online Meetings - Click To Read Article
Webinars are definitely becoming more popular, not only for training and education, but also for marketing. If you haven't yet got into webinars, you really should. But one of the most difficult decisions is choosing a webinar provider, especially as there seems to be somebody new cropping up practically every week.

Social Media Gets Their Attention; Your Web Site Gets The Sale - Click To Read Article
After all the fuss with Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and other social media platforms over the last couple of years, it's interesting to see that the humble Web site is making a comeback. Why? Because business owners realize their Web site is their most powerful lead conversion tool. You might use other things for lead generation - in other words, getting traffic to your Web site - but it's your Web site that converts them from "just looking" to "ready to do business".

How to Navigate the Internet Marketing Map - Click To Read Article
Despite what a lot of people say, social media isn't the be-all and end-all of your on-line presence. Instead, focus on a good Web site, tools to demonstrate your authority, and then use social media for building your reputation.

Six Steps for Dealing With a Hostile Or Indifferent Audience - Click To Read Article
Whether you're delivering a presentation in person or electronically (by teleseminar or webinar), you might sometimes find yourself dealing with a less-than-ideal audience. They might be frustrated, annoyed, angry, upset or even just indifferent. How do you bring them around - or at least to the point where they're willing to listen to your message?

What To Do When Your Webinar Technology Fails - Click To Read Article
Webinar technology - like any technology - isn't 100% reliable. If your technology fails badly, it can be very difficult to continue with the webinar. So as much as possible, prevent this problem by double- and triple-checking the technology before you begin. Then put in place some additional measures to improve your chances of success.

Seven Tips for Better Webinars - Click To Read Article
Webinars are certainly a hot new technology; and if you're a speaker, trainer, thought leader or other infopreneur, they are a "must know" skill rather than a "nice to know" skill. Unfortunately, most people aren't using them yet, and even those who are using them aren't using them effectively.

Don't Rely On Google Alone for Getting Traffic to Your Blog - Click To Read Article
Blogging is one of the easiest and fastest ways to publish material on-line. Every blog post becomes a Web page itself, which increases your Internet footprint and makes you more attractive to Google. But Google traffic alone isn't the only way to get visitors to your blog.

Make More Sales By Removing Your Customer's Risk - Click To Read Article
When somebody buys from you and the money goes into your bank, the transaction is complete for you. The money is exactly what they promised to pay you, it can be used in exactly the way you expect, it won't break down, it won't suddenly stop working and it won't disappear. On the other hand, the client takes all the risk. The principle of risk reversal says that you, the Web site owner, should take all the risk instead.

Make More Sales With the Principle of Commitment and Consistency - Click To Read Article
The principle of "commitment and consistency" says that if you can get somebody to agree to something small first (that's the commitment part), they are more likely to agree to something bigger later (that's the consistency part). You might not have heard of it being called that, but you've almost certainly heard of the "foot-in-the-door technique", which is the same thing.

Make More Sales By Giving Your Web Site Visitors Social Proof - Click To Read Article
People don't make decisions in isolation. They rely on external cues to guide them in their actions, and one of the most powerful cues is the action of other people around them.

Make More Sales By Using The Power of Authority - Click To Read Article
People are influenced by people with perceived authority. Sometimes it's the position (President, Pope or prominent sportsperson), sometimes it's the uniform (a police uniform, a construction worker's overalls, or even a business suit) and sometimes it's the title (Doctor, Professor or Judge), and sometimes it's their "aura".

15 Easy Ways to Improve Your Web Site - Click To Read Article
If you're a business owner offering any sort of service, there are 15 basic things you must have on your Web site. These are not the only things you could have, but it's the bare minimum. If you already have a Web site, there's a good chance you're doing some - maybe even all - these things. But a Web site is like an untended garden; it tends to get untidy and unkempt after a while. So I'll give you 15 things you can do to improve your Web site. None of these take much time (half an hour at most, and often just 5 or 15 minutes), but they can make a big difference.

Simplify and Automate Your Internet Marketing - Click To Read Article
To be successful at Internet marketing, you don't need to spend every waking hour on-line - although it might seem that way by listening to what some Internet marketing experts say. Instead, make some smart decisions about which Internet marketing tools you're going to use, and which you can afford to ignore.

Help Them Buy Without Being Pushy - Click To Read Article
You can't pressure your Web site visitors into buying. They're not a captive audience, so you have to grab their attention quickly, and then keep it with real value, not sales hype. Rather than trying to manipulate, cajole, browbeat or force them to buy, create "buying frames" that explain the reasons for them to buy.

Some Things Are Easier For Your Business in a Recession - Click To Read Article
If your business is feeling the impact of the economic downturn, think differently about how you could take advantage of the current economic circumstances. Some things are definitely more challenging, but others might actually be easier in these tough economic times.

How Many Newsletter Subscribers Are You Losing Every Week? - Click To Read Article
Even with blogs, podcasts, YouTube, Facebook, social bookmarks, and everything else that's new on the Web, the humble e-mail newsletter is probably still going to be your most valuable e-marketing tool.

A Backup Plan For Your Business: How Good Is Your Second Serve? - Click To Read Article
Are you relying too much on Plan A, without a Plan B, C or Q to fall back on? Start thinking about backup plans, scenario planning and foresight.

What Google Wants You to Do On Your Web Site - Click To Read Article
Google recently released a list of 23 guidelines for Web site owners, to help them build Google-friendly Web pages. These aren't Google's exact rules (which would be too complex to explain anyway), but they are probably the most specific guidelines Google has ever given to Web site owners.

21 Ways to Promote Your Blog - Click To Read Article
Your blog is one of the "Big Three" platforms for your on-line presence (the other two are your Web site and e-mail newsletter). You can't just publish a blog and hope it will promote itself (or that Google will discover it and magically push it to the top of its search results!). So I'll give you 21 ways here to promote your blog.

How To Copy Other People's Stuff And Stay on the Right Side of the Law - Click To Read Article
The Internet landscape has changed when it comes to copyright. Previously, publishers would jealously guard their material, and could even send lawyers after you if you copied it without permission. But now Web 2.0 sites like YouTube encourage users to copy their material, so they get more exposure and more traffic.

Know Your Market: Sell Umbrellas When It's Raining - Click To Read Article
During a trip to Europe, I spent four days in Rome. Unfortunately it rained pretty much all four days I was there. But I noticed an interesting thing about the street vendors - and this is an important marketing lesson for all business owners.

20 Things to Blog About - Click To Read Article
Blogging has so many advantages for business owners that it's a pity so few of them do it. One of the reasons is that some people think every blog post has to be a long, polished article. But that doesn't have to be the case. Blogging is really, really important now, not only because people will visit your blog directly, but because your blog can be embedded easily into other places, such as on-line communities, Facebook pages, and even iPhone apps. So if you're not blogging yet, I hope this article convinces you that it's easy to do.





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